During the Captain Marvel section of Marvel Studios' Hall H panel at Comic-Con on Saturday, we learned that Carol Danvers will battle the Skrulls in her upcoming solo movie. With that set to take place in the 90s, we're now left to wonder where she's been all this time and why we've never heard anything from the well-known alien race in movies like The Avengers and Guardians of the Galaxy.
While Marvel is unable to use the Super-Skrulls due to rights issues with Fox, there's nothing to say they won't be able to have them make full use of their shapeshifting abilities and their presence in both Captain Marvel and this shared world could perfectly set up an adaptation of Secret Invasion.
With all that in mind, we've decided to take a look at eight characters from the MCU who could very well be revealed as Skrulls somewhere down the line. If these aliens will be playing a much larger role in proceedings moving forward, it seems inevitable that at least one beloved character is a Skrull and we're pretty sure we've figured out who that could be and when exactly they were switched!
8. Nick Fury
It's been confirmed that Nick Fury will play a key role in Captain Marvel so what if it was there that the Director of S.H.I.E.L.D. was replaced by a Skrull imposter? There could be a reason that the aliens want our planet to be protected by The Avengers (hence what the Avengers Initiative was all about) and with Infinity War on the horizon, I wouldn't be surprised if their plan involves having Earth's Mightiest Heroes and Thanos' forces wipe each other out and take what's left for themselves.
That would certainly be something of a long con on their part but how cool would it be for a Skrull to have his eye blasted out and THAT be the reason the fake Fury wears an eye patch following his adventures with Carol Danvers?
7. Hawkeye
Jeremy Renner was understandably unhappy with how Hawkeye was handled in The Avengers but received a much meatier role in that movie's sequel. Even after Captain America: Civil War, though, there's still a lot that could be done with Clint Barton in the Marvel Cinematic Universe and revealing that he's a Skrull could work really well.
I for one would love to see the actor play a fully villainous version of the ace archer and the impact this reveal would have on his family has the potential to be really interesting. When could this switch have happened? I think it would make the most sense for Hawkeye to have been switched out for a Skrull before the events of Civil War as that might explain his decision to suddenly unretire.
6. Ronan The Accuser
Ronan the Accuser definitely didn't seem to be himself in Guardians of the Galaxy and that could easily be explained by him being a Skrull. While the comic book version of the character has flirted with villainy, he's more often than not served as an ally to The Avengers and so his characterization as a maniacal despot was definitely surprising.
What if the Skrull who infiltrated the Kree just lost the plot upon learning of the Infinity Stones and attempted to take them for himself? A reveal like this wouldn't necessarily be groundbreaking but it would bring Ronan back to the MCU and could shake things up for the Guardians as the likes of Drax and Gamora are forced to accept that the man they viewed as an enemy is now their ally.
5. Hank Pym
In the Secret Invasion comic book, Hank Pym was revealed as being a Skrull right at the end of the first issue. A similar reveal here would be a nice way to pay homage to the source material while also helping to reshape the future of the Ant-Man franchise. Throw in the fact that it would give Scott Lang a major role in whichever movie the aliens decide to invade Earth in and that would be a definite win.
It probably wouldn't hurt for Scott to be forced to stand on his own two feet without a mentor either and the reveal that the Skrulls have killed and replaced Hank with one of their own would sort that and serve as a major status quo shift for both Scott and Hope Van Dyne. Before this happens, though, Hank needs to be given a bigger role in the wider MCU.
4. Everett Ross
This wouldn't make for the most shocking reveal but Everett Ross appears to be a character with a role in the MCU which is steadily becoming more and more important. There was something odd about his final conversation with Baron Zemo in Captain America: Civil War (I thought for a while that it meant he might be the Red Skull in disguise) but what if he's an alien invader smartly plotting against Earth's Mightiest Heroes?
If so, the fact he's going to be invited into Wakanda in the upcoming Black Panther movie will go down well with his fellow Skrulls as that's a great place to get some powerful Vibranium for their weapons and ships! I also think it would be great fun to see Martin Freeman embrace a fully villainous role in a future Avengers movie!
3. Gamora
The signs are all pointing to Avengers: Infinity War being a massive success and while it's been said that the Guardians of the Galaxy have only a supporting role there, I don't think Marvel will be able to resist pairing up these two teams for too long! Looking at the roster of the space faring superheroes, Gamora makes the most sense to be a Skrull and I think it would be a genuinely shocking moment for her friends - Star-Lord in particular - to learn that she's one of the villainous shape-shifting aliens.
This doesn't really work if she's been a Skrull from the start but if the seeds are planted in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, it could still make for a great twist and having one of them infiltrate a team who, you know, guard the galaxy, just adds up when you think about it!
2. Black Widow
As of right now, it doesn't look like Black Widow is getting that long overdue solo movie. That doesn't mean Marvel can't still do a lot with the character, though, and having her take on Spider-Woman's role from the Secret Invasion comic book would be very cool. Natasha has always played both sides and that being because she's a Skrull would definitely work.
Hell, if she was replaced as a youngster, Marvel could even recast the role with a different actress (Widow could have been in stasis), something which might just be necessary with so many contracts nearing their end. There's a risk that this is one twist which would be a tad predictable, but handled the right way, Widow being the Skrull Queen could very well be one of the MCU's best moments to date.
1. Iron Man
None of the characters in Captain America: Civil War acted out of character as such and Iron Man's hatred for Bucky was fully justified by the reveal that The Winter Soldier murdered his parents. However, what if Tony's decision to support the Sokovia accords was the result of him being a Skrull?
He could have been replaced at any time but I think it would be a pretty neat twist to reveal that it happened when he flew through that wormhole in The Avengers and saved the world. Would it be too dark for the Marvel Cinematic Universe if it's revealed that Iron Man really did sacrifice himself back then and the Tony we've known all this time has been an imposter? Perhaps, so maybe the real deal could be saved from a Skrull prison!
Which character in the Marvel Cinematic Universe do you guys think is a Skrull? As always, share your thoughts in the comments section below.