Marvel’s new Secret Invasion series makes the Skrulls more frightening than ever by reviving their greatest superpower.
The following contains major spoilers for Secret Invasion #2, on sale now from Marvel Comics.
Marvel’s original Secret Invasion shook the world upon its release, and although the latest has only just begun, it is already poised to do the very same all over again. Of course, it hardly seems like another invasion of alien shape-shifters would be a problem considering how things went for them the first time around. Then again, the only reason humanity won back then was because of the incredible technology that, unfortunately, doesn’t seem to work anymore.
Secret Invasion #2 (by Ryan North, Francesco Mobili, Jordie Bellaire, and VC’s Joe Caramagna) finds Maria Hill still reeling from the emergent threat of another Skrull invasion. Though she was there to see the first turned away, Maria knows all too well how quickly the situation could spiral out of control. Obviously having an unknown number of Skrull agents infiltrate Earth’s defense forces is a problem, but the question of how they managed to in the first place is infinitely more concerning.
The Skrulls Regain Their Deadliest Superpower in Secret Invasion
Of all the astounding abilities the Skrulls have exhibited over the years, their most important in their invasion of Earth was always their anonymity. Being able to kidnap and replace various heroes and political figures around the world undetected was the crux of their entire plan, and it very nearly saw them succeed. Even once the threat had been revealed, this only sowed distrust among those who remained. In the end, it was because of the tireless work and good fortune of Reed Richards that he and his allies were able to differentiate friend from foe without question.
This incredible technology is what the world would come to rely on in the years after the first Secret Invasion. Avengers Mountain, government buildings, and every top secret location around the world was quickly retrofitted with Richards’ inventions as a preemptive security measure against any future Skrull imposters. As has been made unnervingly clear in recent days, this technology doesn’t work the way it once did. With multiple Nick Fury imposters having been rounded up, it is plain to see that the Skrulls aren’t just kicking off their latest invasion. Worse still, there is nothing that can be done about it.
Marvel’s Secret Invasion Makes the Skrulls More Dangerous Than Ever
Until Maria, Reed, or someone else discovers the secret to the Skrulls bypassing Earth’s security measures, there simply isn’t any way to tell who is friend or foe on the surface. At least, there isn’t besides killing them, which is very clearly not an option. Though Maria believes she has an idea of how to reveal any potential imposters, even that requires some amount of good faith on the part of the accused, which any invading alien is unlikely to offer freely.
As hard as it is to imagine that the world has actually fallen prey to yet another Secret Invasion, the facts speak for themselves. They also speak to how lucky Earth was the first time around, as well as to the severity of the situation today. Hopefully, everything the world has learned in the time between invasions will prove to be enough to see it through the last of them. That is, assuming the Skrulls haven’t charted their course to victory from the shadows already.
