Who is Emperor Drogge in ‘Secret Invasion’ and have we heard about him before?

Warning: this article contains spoilers for Secret Invasion episode 2.

Since Secret Invasion hit our screens on June 21, MCU fans have been scrambling to try and discover as much as possible about some of the newer characters we’ve been introduced to. While those committed lovers of the Marvel universe who read all the comics would have been able to place a large number of them, there are some characters that even the most dedicated comic book nerd would struggle to recall, including the Skrull known in the show as Emperor Drogge.

So, who is Emperor Drogge? Have we heard about him before in any Marvel comics, or is he a completely new creation who’s been placed in the Secret Invasion universe? If you want to find out more, then read ahead for our guide to Emperor Drogge in Secret Invasion!

Who is Emperor Drogge in Secret Invasion?

We hear about Emperor Drogge in Secret Invasion when Talos (Ben Mandelsohn) is telling Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) about why there are so many Skrulls on Earth. Talos explains that Skrullos (the home planet of the Skrulls) has fallen after being attacked by Krees, and a large number of the refugees have now come to Earth after being called there by Talos.

The only ones who didn’t belonged to a colony run by a being named Emperor Drogge. However, this means there are still potentially millions of Skrulls on Earth, passing as humans thanks to their shapeshifting abilities. Sadly, this is all the information we get on the mysterious character.

Has Emperor Drogge appeared in Marvel comics before?

The short answer is that technically no, Emperor Drogge has not appeared in any Marvel comics before. However, it’s highly likely that Drogge is a reference to the character Dro’ge Fenu Edu. Dro’ge is the head priest of sciences in the Skrull Imperial Court, and aside from having the usual shapeshifting Skrull power is also known for having a vast intellect, being one of the smartest Skrulls in the entire race. As a result, he’s a master of all kinds of sciences, including Skrull biology, the biology of various aliens (including humans and Krees), electrical, mechanical and aerospace engineering, electronics, chemistry, and physics.

First introduced in New Avengers #40, Dro’ge studied members of the Illuminati that the Skrulls had captured after their failed assault on the Skrull throneworld. When the Illuminati escaped, Dro’ge was given the responsibility of utilizing the cell samples he’d taken from them and trying to discover a new ability that would allow the Skrulls to get the better of humans. While he initially tried to use cloning to gain an edge, he eventually realized he could alter genes and apply them to Skrulls, thus creating a new kind of “super-Skrull,” much like Kreega (who has all the powers of the Fantastic Four). In the comics, this discovery was used to begin an invasion of Earth under the orders of Queen Veranke, which ties in very neatly with the plot of Secret Invasion.

So far, this is all we know about Emperor Drogge. However, as Secret Invasion unfolds, we’ll update this article with further information.