The Secret Invasion trailer was one of the most exciting reveals of Marvel’s D23 Expo panel on Saturday. We got the first trailer for the upcoming Disney Plus TV show, but it didn’t reveal which of our favorite Avengers might be Skrulls who have infiltrated Earth.
Some Avengers might be aliens masquerading as superheroes. That shouldn’t be a surprise or a spoiler. It’s what happened in the comics and what we expect from the MCU. Captain Marvel set those events in action, revealing the existence of this shape-shifting race.
But what might be a big spoiler is finding out that an Avenger might be a Skrull right now, well before Secret Invasion’s release date. That’s because one of the actors playing an Avenger might have revealed their character’s secret identity.
Secret Invasion has an amazing cast, and the trailer that Marvel showed at D23 made that even clearer. Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson), Maria Hill (Cobie Smulders), Talos (Ben Mendelsohn), Don Cheadle (James Rhodes), and Everett Ross (Martin Freeman) are all returning MCU characters. We might have additional Avengers show up in the TV show on top of that. Especially if we’re about to discover that some of them are Skrulls in disguise.
Finally, Emilia Clarke, Olivia Colman, Christopher McDonald, and Kingsley Ben-Adir debut in Secret Invasion. And the identities of their characters are mostly secret. Here’s that first trailer again:
Don Cheadle was one of Marvel’s surprises for the Secret Invasion segment at D23 Expo. That’s because Kevin Feige and Cheadle also introduced Armor Wars. Interestingly, they revealed that the show will follow the events in Secret Invasion.
What Avengers are Skrulls in disguise?
You might have realized by now that Cheadle’s War Machine is the Avenger who might be a Skrull in reality.
Answering questions about his well-known MCU character, Cheadle might have hinted that James Rhodes isn’t who people might think he is. Here’s what he said to ComicBook’s Phase Zero when asked where Rhodey is at in Armor Wars:
At a very different place and in a way that is something I can’t really talk about but it’s going to be very surprising to a lot of people. And the great thing is that there’s going to be so much opportunity to learn about him and for him to learn about himself and for us, hopefully, to really be able to get behind what makes him tick.
Whether we like it or not, some Avengers have to become Skrulls in the near future. And since Marvel likes its MCU adventures to have real stakes, it’s possible that some of your favorite Avengers might get this surprise development. Superheroes who do not feature powers that Skrulls wouldn’t be able to replicate are prime candidates for that. War Machine is a great example.
Not to mention that having Rhodey be a Skrull might also explain the War Machine recast. Marvel swapped Terrence Howard for Don Cheadle after Iron Man. Meanwhile, the actor’s full Phase Zero interview follows below.
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