So, that Secret Invasion finale was … something. In the end, it left a lot to be desired, and once again proved that Marvel’s small screen potential is being severely limited by these six-episode miniseries. There’s too much going on and not enough time to properly explore it all, never mind the consequences of these Earth-shattering events. Will they ever be properly addressed in Marvel’s ever-sprawling cinematic universe? I certainly hope so. But the Secret Invasion finale revealed one massive new change that can completely upend the MCU’s power balance, and I’m worried it will fall to the wayside as the multiverse narrative becomes more complicated.
**Spoilers ahead for the Secret Invasion finale!**
I’m all for more Emilia Clarke in the MCU. If the Skrulls become a staple of Marvel’s cinematic storytelling going forward, she should absolutely be part of that. I wonder, though—will she? Because by the end of the Secret Invasion finale, she is literally the strongest hero in the Marvel universe. That’s not an exaggeration. She is the ultimate Super-Skrull, boasting dozens of superhero and supervillain powers, including but not limited to those associated with Flora Colossus (or Groot, as he’s more commonly known), Mantis, Drax, Korg, Cull Obsidian, Ebony Maw, Thanos, Abomination, Proxima Midnight, Valkyrie, Thor, Gamora, Hulk, Captain America, Ghost, with the healing powers of Extremis and, thrown in for good measure, Captain Marvel’s extraordinary binary powers, too.
I mean, let’s face it. Anyone who goes toe to toe with G’iah should just run like hell. Therein lies the problem.
Heroes in the MCU have always faced villains that are arguably stronger than them, with more experience and more resources. But these villains weren’t invincible. They weren’t stronger than all of the MCU’s most powerful heroes combined. G’iah, on the other hand, is. Now that she’s—quite easily—dealt with her only equal after successfully killing Gravik (Kingsley Ben-Adir), there’s no stopping her. You could say that it won’t come to that, because G’iah has proven herself a hero, made peace with Fury (Samuel L. Jackson), and only wants the best for her people. All good points. But if she’s staying on Earth and working with Sonya Falsworth (Olivia Colman) to avert the human vs. Skrull war, how will the MCU explain her absence during every world-ending event? Carol Danvers and Thor at least spent significant time off-world. Doctor Strange primarily deals with threats of the magical variety. What will G’iah’s excuse be for not swiftly and easily stopping every potential calamity?
Introducing such a massively powerful hero in a streaming show is complicated, anyway. How many people have watched it? How do you explain her existence without recapping the entire plot of the show? She could believably turn up in the Thunderbolts movie, working with Sonya, just as Valentina Allegra de Fontaine (Julia Louis-Dreyfus) has gathered an unlikely group of specially trained and super-powered people, too. Fontaine’s team includes characters like Bucky Barnes, Ghost, and Yelena Belova. The problem is, G’iah could annihilate all of them if she wanted to. There’s no real sense of balance anymore. But ignoring her existence after this doesn’t work either. So what can they do? Invent a convoluted reason as to why her powers diminish over time? Introduce a piece of lore that weakens her when necessary, similar to Superman’s reaction to Kryptonite?
I’m not sure anything will truly be narratively satisfying.
(featured image: Disney+)
