MAJOR SPOILERS

Secret Invasion recently wrapped up its run. There has been a question about how much impact it will have on the MCU going forward. Secret Invasion had a mixed reception. A lot of complaints stem from the fact it was not that much of a crossover event like the comic was. Out of MCU people, only five had appeared on the show. Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson), Maria Hill (Cobie Smulders), Talos (Ben Mendelshon), Everett Ross (Martin Freeman) and Rhodey (Don Cheadle) were the only ones who had major appearances. Maria Hill was killed off at the end of the first episode and Everett Ross was revealed to be a Skrull within the first ten minutes of the premiere. The real Everett Ross was seen briefly in the finale. Talos and Rhodey were the only ones who played significant roles beyond Nick Fury who starred in the series. There was a cameo by Rick Mason (O-T Fagbenle) who was first introduced in Black Widow. Beyond those characters, nobody showed up. There were no Avengers which was not that big of a surprise. It was stated throughout the series that Nick Fury was not going to call any of them to help. There were plenty of regular people who could have factored in some capacity. Sharon Carter (Emily VanCamp), Val (Julia Louis-Dreyfuss), Dr. Selvig (Stellan Skarsgard), Justin Hammer (Sam Rockwell), Thaddeus Ross (Harrison Ford) and others. It makes sense that Marvel would want to have Harrison Ford debut as Thaddeus Ross in a movie. He will be in Captain America: Brave New World but it would have been nice if Thaddeus had appeared even as a brief cameo to set the stage for him taking over the White House.

The only thing that was stated was that Secret Invasion is supposed to set up Armor Wars and The Marvels. The Marvels is coming out in November so fans will get answers sooner regarding how Secret Invasion impacts The Marvels. The obvious answer is that Nick Fury is in The Marvels and The Marvels is set after Secret Invasion. Secret Invasion did end with sending Nick Fury back up to space which is presumably where The Marvels will pick up with him. Currently Nick Fury is the only character from Secret Invasion confirmed to be in The Marvels. There are rumors that Agent Hill is in the movie. Given that she died in Secret Invasion, I am not sure how that could be possible unless it is in flashbacks or that Agent Hill is not actually dead.

One of the biggest twists in Secret Invasion was the reveal that Rhodey was a Skrull. The real Rhodey had been missing for presumably a long time. The finale revealed the real Rhodey who was held prisoner with other people the Skrulls impersonated including Everett Ross. The real Rhodey was shown in a hospital gown and was not able to use his legs. That seems to suggest that Skrull Rhodey took over after the events of Captain America: Civil War where Rhodey was injured after being accidentally shot by Vision (Paul Bettany). This also would imply that the real Rhodey was not present during the events of Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame which also would mean that he was not present during the battle against Thanos (Josh Brolin) as well as the death of Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.). Presumably this would be dealt with in Armor Wars especially if the basic plot has to do with Tony Stark’s tech getting in the wrong hands. Unlike The Marvels that is coming out in November, Armor Wars does not have a date. It could be years until that movie comes out.

A big complaint from fans of Phase 4 and now Phase 5 is that things are not moving forward within the current narrative. This is the Multiverse Saga and only a few projects have done anything to move the saga forward. Secret Invasion appears to be very isolated. There were no references to the bigger picture or any remote hints of how this could impact what’s to come once the Kangs make their way to Earth.

Secret Invasion ended with President Ritson (Dermont Mulraney) declaring war on all Skrulls and extra-terrestrial beings which theoretically would mean Thor (Chris Hemsworth) as well since Thor is Asgardian and not from Earth. It remains to be seen if anything comes of this especially since it has been confirmed that Thaddeus Ross will be the President in Captain America 4. It is possible this will not amount to anything in the larger MCU. Another thing is that the world knows about Skrulls now. It has not been stated when the audience will see the Skrulls again. I believe there will be some Skrulls in The Marvels but beyond that, it is anyone’s guess if there is a future role for them especially since they killed off Talos who was the main Skrull who audiences had known for a little bit. It has not been said what will happen with newer characters like Sonya (Olivia Colman) or G’iah (Emilia Clarke), Talos’ daughter. In fact, Secret Invasion left things open ended with Sonya and G’iah who seemed to be teaming up for an alliance. Who knows if anything will come up with that. Currently it has not been stated or confirmed if or when they will be seen again. The series ended with Nick Fury heading back up to space, but he was not alone. His wife Priscilla (Charlayne Woodard) joined him. She said she would stay for a little bit but would have to return to Earth to finish important work she was doing. Currently there have been no signs or evidence to suggest that Priscilla will be in The Marvels. There is the chance that when The Marvels opens, Priscilla will have already returned to Earth.

There was a lot open ended from Secret Invasion that could be further explored in the MCU. It is too early to tell but there is a growing concern that none of that will be revisited again, which will add to the increasingly long list of things that have been set up with no payoffs of any kind. It seems that fans are getting tired of “its too early to tell” and “wait and see.” In the meantime, it is too early to tell since Secret Invasion ended a few weeks ago and we will have to wait and see. An answer should come sooner than later once more projects get released of how impactful Secret Invasion is on the wider MCU. If nothing has drastically changed in Captain America, Thunderbolts, Ironheart, and others then that will give a definitive answer to Secret Invasion’s role in the larger world. The Marvels may be able to help answer some of those questions. It is highly unlikely that Loki season 2 will deal with anything relating to Secret Invasion given Loki is an alternate timeline to begin with. All eyes will be on The Marvels to see how Secret Invasion connects and impacts the wider world.