Transcript

Taylor: Alright, listeners, welcome to the first of seven straight weeks talking about Secret Invasion. We are fully in our Secret Invasion era now, and it is going to be a good one. I know Katie and I talked a lot about how excited we were about this show. So as always, we are going to dive straight into our predictions for this episode, give you a lot of background that you need to know on new characters and the actual event in the comics, and general predictions, and then we’re going to do a fun little segment at the end that I think Kate and I are going to really enjoy and hopefully you enjoy, because I think it’s going to be really interesting and fun. And then we’ll give ourselves a little scorecard at the end of the show in a few weeks. So without further ado, Katie, why don’t you take us away on some of the background of the Secret Invasion event in the comics. Quick footnote we’re going to try really hard to stick to Secret Invasion in this episode and say Secret Wars not once other than that little mention I just said in the sentence. Now, go.

Katie: Okay. I want to note to the listeners, I have to put this out there because if I screw up because I don’t hear Taylor properly, I have to let you know. I currently inside my Beats headset have a wad of toilet paper shoved in my ear because it was bleeding. And so I have one good working ear currently. And so if I mishear something or I go off on something that’s not right. That is why I promise I’m not like unable to hear normally. I just can’t hear out of my right ear at the current moment anyway, getting right into Secret Invasion. And I almost already screwed it up Secret War. I marked this as one of the shows that I was most excited about because quite frankly, for those of you who know anything about me, you know, I’m a Winter Soldier girl and this is really going back to that origin of, you know, spies and all sorts of cool like assassination kind of things. So I really feel like we’re getting a good callback to that movie, especially with Fury specifically and, you know, bringing him back, because that was the movie we last saw him, you know, leave SHIELD behind because SHIELD fell. So I think that also sets up really great the whole Secret Invasion story because in the comics it’s kind of a similar idea. Fury is left walking away from SHIELD and then Secret Invasion takes place. So I think you know, it couldn’t have been better done. But to give you a really quick little rundown of the comics. So obviously the comic is centered around the Skrull invasion on Earth and in the comics the Skrulls have spent many years kidnapping and taking away high officials in different countries and replacing them with Skrulls. Obviously, we don’t know yet if that will be what we see in the show itself or if the invasion just started. Well, we kind of know it didn’t just start, but we’ll see how far and how deeply they really are entrenched in everything and so, like I said, Fury was forced underground and some things happened with the Avengers. I’m going to leave them out of this for right now just because the show kind of seems like they made it pretty clear the Avengers will not be any sort of important to this story. They will not be playing a part. So Fury is forced underground, and he ends up creating a team called the Secret Warriors. Some notable names are Phobos, Yo-Yo Rodriguez, and for those of you who watched Agents of SHIELD, Quake. Oh, Taylors has got something to say. 

Taylor: Yeah. I also want to point out Yo-Yo was also in Agents of SHIELD. So, you know, if we can bring her back in some form as well as obviously Daisy Johnson, this could be a really great way. I know there’s been a lot of rumors about her potential return to the MCU, especially related to this particular show. So just wanted to point that out, that those are two characters that we’ve actually seen so far, and would definitely not mind seeing them again.

Katie: Thank you for that, because I have still not watched Agents of SHIELD personally. I just keep forgetting to get to it and then as they keep arguing whether or not it’s canon or not, I kind of like until I get a confirmation, I’m just sitting on it. But I did recognize Quake because, to your point, I know a lot of people have been talking about her coming back. So TBD on that. But essentially this team is used to fight the Skrulls. They do eventually take control of Earth and, you know, bring Earth back to normal. But really what I think is the most important about the comics is not actually the story as much as what it sets up later on. I mean, the very first thing that it sets up, of course, is that nobody trusts each other. I mean, this whole time there were heroes that had already been taken over by Skrulls that were working side to side with our Avengers. So it creates a really toxic environment where nobody feels that they can trust the person they’re working next to. But additionally, and this is where it gets a little interesting is our buddy Norman Osborn creates a Dark Avengers and they are the bad guys who are now seen as heroes while the real heroes are forced to go underground. And so it’s a really dark time in the comics. Obviously, we have heroes, heroes in quotes like Venom, and that’s a little weird for us with the MCU right now because Venom is an anti-hero currently, but there are a lot of others that are pretty noteworthy villains who are now supposedly heroes. It’s a pretty interesting storyline. We have thrown around the Dark Avengers before prior to the Thunderbolts being confirmed. So, you know, who knows? We kind of already have a borderline team coming in, the Thunderbolts. So who’s to say we don’t eventually, you know, just go right over the edge and go right full Dark Avengers? 

Taylor: Yeah. I think one of the things that I was really noticing when I was doing my research around Secret Invasion and this kind of touches on a real theme, I think, is that the actual comic event itself is ginormous in scale. You know, Katie touched on the fact that it involves all of the Avengers. It really is kind of one of those watershed moments in the comics, not maybe quite as grand scale as a Secret Wars or a Civil War. But I will say it also takes place after Civil War, which is a whole nother thing that kind of adds to this element of distrust that Katie mentioned. Because you do have the two different Avengers camps Tony led and then I think it’s Cap led. I just know it’s against Tony, which shocker. So that whole thing is like that’s what partially allows this to happen, actually in a similar manner to the Avengers being broken up and allowing Thanos to happen because they’re not working as a unit. So, you know, I say all that to say Secret Invasion is major in the comics. And what I have noticed based on what we’ve seen in the trailers and things so far, is that it’s really going to be pared down in terms of scale. It’s not going to involve the Avengers, it’s not going to have some like Earth-shattering moment, I don’t think, because we’re really focusing on Fury and that espionage aspect of it versus like this big world ending or world-changing event. And so I think because of that, as much as I would love to see the Dark Reign and Norman Osborn taking over with Hammer and the Dark Avengers, I just for a lot of reasons, don’t think we’re going to get that partially because of the scale that they’ve kind of really scaled this show back in terms of what they are doing and what they’re focusing on. But also, of course, we don’t actually have a Norman Osborn yet on 616 in the MCU. So there are a few reasons why I think we’re not going to necessarily go Dark Reign. And I do just want to point out, you know, I was not disappointed that they were doing Secret Invasion. I’m excited about the show. But I will say in doing a lot more research about how big the actual comic event is, I am a little bummed that it’s not at the scale of the comic that they’ve decided to take a mellower route for something that is such a really big event in the comics. So that’s something that I hope you know, I was reading an article that said the actual villain of this show might stick around for later and we’ll get to why that might be in a little bit, but maybe they are going to almost do a round two where it is that big level of scale because right now it’s kind of a bummer that they’re really kind of taking away a lot of the power of a really, really pivotal moment in the comics.

Katie: It’s really interesting that you said that because as you were talking, I was actively thinking, you know, I don’t know if this is it because I also have seen a lot of people saying, you know, this is a huge storyline, arguably just as big as something like Secret Wars. And yes, I meant to say Secret Wars. So I don’t know if Marvel would decide to scale it down like this and this is it. I really could see this being one of those that has a part two coming or something that takes place, you know, post. I think we’ve been getting so many hints towards the Skrulls, but I already knew that this was coming that I just feel like it’s setting up something bigger than just the show itself. Whether it is a season two further down the road, just like Loki did, or quite honestly holding out and letting it be a bigger storyline post-Kang. I could see that happening as well because I think there’s a lot that can go into this, and I do, and not because to me everything needs to be centered around the Avengers. But I will say when they’re such a pivotal storyline in all of this, I would want to see them involved. I think there are a lot of bigger things that happen here and even just how the Avengers handle it. I mean, some of them were literally taken away and replaced by Skrulls and who lived their lives versus you had, you know, those who thought their best comrade who was fighting next to them this whole time was not the person they thought they were. So I think there are just so many big effects on our heroes that I would like to see those played out later on. It’s possible, I’m not going to sit here and say it’s not until I see the shape of this show. I don’t think I can say that this is only going to be confined to the six-episode series.

Taylor: Yeah, I agree. Mostly because I just want to see that bigger scale. You know, I don’t want Secret Invasion to just be this one-season show that doesn’t involve half the characters that are like really important. I mean, let’s put it out there. I mean, Tony Stark is huge in this storyline. He’s the leader of SHIELD at the time of the Secret Invasion and actually loses his role to Norman, in part because he allowed this to happen. Clearly, that can’t be a storyline here, right? Tony’s dead and he’s not coming back no matter what. But I will say, you know, I think there are ways to get around that. Obviously. And I think there are so many, to your point, interesting storylines, interesting characters. One thing I want to point out because we just covered Across the Spider-Verse is that a really important Avenger in this storyline in the comics is actually Spider-Woman who we saw in Across the Spider-Verse. So it’s interesting too, in terms of timing, I don’t obviously think we’re going to see her in the MCU. There’s no way they’re just going to cold introduce her as this, especially then introduce her and then, oh, by the way, she’s a Skrull. Like, that’s not going to happen. But it is cool to see that like, oh, we’re seeing her now in animation knowing we’ve talked a lot about how these characters are then going to make the jump into live action. Alright. So we’ve got a blueprint for Spider-Woman now, maybe in the future, if there is some other way to bring around Secret Invasion for like a round two, maybe we can have those types of characters evolve because they are so important in the actual comic line.

Katie: Yeah, I honestly, I couldn’t have said it better myself. But while we’re on this topic of kind of seeing where the comics and where that took us, I want to kind of pivot a little bit about where the show is going to take us because obviously, we’re not going to be too shocked about some things. It’s still based on this storyline, but the show is already different if you just kind of look at what the general premise of it is. So this is all about Fury solely because Fury and Captain Marvel, along with Talos, who we do know are coming back, obviously, we’ve seen him all over the trailer, promised the Skrulls that they would have a new home. They would find a planet for them to live on and never did. And I know- I think this was mentioned in one of our past episodes forever ago when it was just in passing. But I mean, granted things happen. It is what it is, unfortunately. But a group of Skrulls obviously are not happy with the fact that they’ve been essentially homeless this whole time. And so they take it upon themselves to decide that Earth is going to be their home. And they also want Fury to pay for the fact that he never helped them because quite frankly, I think they’re all aware that they can’t take on Captain Marvel. So who else is to blame but Fury? And so the whole idea of this is going to be Talos is obviously still the good guy. We’re still going to have good Skrulls, but then you have these Skrulls who are angry and who are essentially staging a revolution in the Skrull world, but, you know, making it a lot more chaotic because they’re taking over people on Earth and they’re causing a lot of chaos here.

Taylor: Yeah, and it’s super interesting and we’ll get into her character in a little bit more detail in a bit, but one of the characters who is a part of this kind of rogue Skrull faction is actually Talos’ daughter. So the little girl that we saw in Captain Marvel is now directly going against her father and saying, hey, actually, let’s just take this place that we’ve been forced to maroon for all these years because these people who were supposed to be our saviors, they didn’t do anything for us. And now I believe, if I remember correctly in Captain Marvel, it’s the Kree who force them out of their home. But I do want to just quickly point out something interesting based on some of the conversations we’ve had about, you know, our next Big Bad after Kang is that actually in the comics, Galactus is the one who destroys their homeworld. So that’s obviously a change from the comics, but a nice little touch to someone who I think we all expect is going to come into the MCU in one way or another over the next five years as he potentially makes his debut as our next phases, what would that be? Seven through nine villain. So just want to point that out as well.

Katie: Yeah I think that’s pretty interesting how that storyline might work its way sort of nicely right into what this one is. I like that you mentioned Talos’ daughter because, for one, this is the same continuity that I’m a fan of. Just like how Monica came into the picture. Like, I could have forgotten her as a little girl, mainly because I don’t watch Captain Marvel movies very often, but I could have forgotten her as a little girl and would have had no emotion towards her. But they brought her back and not only did they bring her back, but they made her pivotal in WandaVision and then made her a main role, obviously now as Photon. So I’m actually really enjoying that they’re also bringing back, I believe it’s G’iah is how it’s pronounced.

Taylor: Your guess is as good as mine. It’s G, Apostrophe I, H, So G’iah. Unclear.

Katie: Okay, well, I’m going to go with G’iah. That’s just, like, my best guess. That’s how I pronounced in, like, Percy Jackson’s Gaea, the Earth mother. I always go with that which could also, that could also be like, I don’t know, but I was a G’iah, so we’re going to go with that. I just think that’s a really nice continuity thing. I also think it includes a very personal stake for Talos, who, as I said, he’s a good guy. He’s on Fury’s side. I mean, he’s the one who sits there he’s like, dude, things have gotten bad since you’ve been gone. And keep in mind, Talos was pretending and parading around as Fury in Far From Home. 

Taylor: Yeah. And you know, the next section that we are going to talk about is the characters. We’ve kind of started to get into it with G’iah, but before we do, I did want to point something out, which is that we’re starting to get a little bit more of a clue as to where Fury has been in the recent years, really ever since they all came back after the Blip. So to your point, Talos has been masquerading as Fury, as we saw in Far From Home and Fury was shown to be on a space station that at the time we didn’t really know what it was. A lot of people went back and they were like, oh, the hex and that all had WandaVision stuff and we were all freaking out about everything. So that’s what we’ve known about Fury pretty much since then. But recently, you know, with some of the recent footage that came out, for example, when we saw Agent Ross, who was broken out of captivity at the end of Black Panther two by Okoye, who’s now clearly working with Fury, we see him mentioned that Fury is on Saber. And Saber is also shown in the trailer for Captain Marvel two. So we’re seeing a little bit more about what he might be involved in. And I was reading this really interesting article that was talking about how SWORD and Saber might be different, and it was talking about how, you know, SWORD is meant to really be this extraterrestrial threat and all of that Saber might just be a part of SWORD, you know, kind of the name of just a space station. It may be Fury’s own organization that he’s now running. That’s not the same as SWORD. So that’s a whole thing that I definitely want to get a little bit more information about for sure, because as we’ve talked about before, you know, there are so many organizations in the MCU, so many weird companies that are good or bad or whatever, but none of these organizations of any kind are ever neutral, and they always play a huge part. So it’ll be really interesting to understand exactly what Saber is, who created it, what’s his purpose, and how does it relate to some of the new players really on the board right now as it relates to the MCU?

Katie: I’m just going to throw the theory out there that I do think it’s different than SWORD, mainly for two reasons. Wandavision confirms SWORDs like not it, already. And I don’t see Fury falling for that a second time. So I just see it being Fury decided to go escape, and create something better. And that’s what he’s doing up in space, especially because he’s looking at it as now he’s the first line of defense which he thought the Avengers were. But clearly, after everything that happened, it proves that they couldn’t be and the threats from space were not going to be able to be protected or you weren’t able to fight them and protect the Earth on Earth. You were going to have to beat them back out in space. So I think they’re different. Also, it’s Hayward, right? 

Taylor: Yeah.

Katie: I don’t know. I try to block him out because I hate him so much. I just don’t see Fury working with somebody like that also. So I just I’m going to put it right out here right now. That’s different. I think Fury is trying to if you remember the Age of Ultron, I mean when he came up with the Helicarriers and I think it was Pietro who asked like, what is that? And Captain America, I believe, was the one who was like, that’s SHIELD or what it’s supposed to be or something like that. And so I think Fury at the end of the day still has that inner mission to do good. That’s what he’s always tried to do. Obviously, Hydra had other plans for him, but I think that’s what this is now. I think that’s his attempt to, you know, still create a good, solid organization just in the place he thinks the threats are the biggest, which is now space. 

Taylor: Yeah. And I think, too it’s twofold, right? Like he saw what happened with Thanos. There was no early warning system. And I think he’s kind of trying to be that early warning system of, hey, something is coming like realistically, they missed a lot of signs about what was happening and what was coming for them, and they were completely caught on the back foot. And like I mentioned before, some of that is related to Civil War and not really talking to one another and not seeing the patterns. But some of that is they just did not have the infrastructure to really understand what was going on out there. You know, and I think some of that was kind of fixed after the Snap because if you see now, Captain Marvel is actually talking to them, she’s actually sharing her knowledge, which some of that would have been nice early on that wouldn’t it.? But we’re not going to get on to that little soapbox while.

Katie: I’m about to do something I don’t like to do. And that’s defend Captain Marvel, to be fair, no one knew about her, and she didn’t know about anyone else.

Taylor: Fair. Alright. Whatever.

Katie: She only knew about Fury. And if Fury never opened his mouth, which he didn’t. You can’t. You can’t shame someone if they just didn’t know.

Taylor: That’s fair. I guess I just am always in the camp of Carol does not talk to anyone, like does not share pertinent information or, like, collaborate with others or, you know, why are the Guardians of the Galaxy even required to do anything that should be Captain Marvel? Whatever. Anyway, so that’s kind of why I have that vibe towards her. But, you know, I just I think that’s part of it is that early warning system. And I think the other thing that kind of lends credence to your theory that it’s a different organization is, you know, we all saw Monica’s reaction to Hayward’s just absolute lack of ethical morality. So, you know, I think it makes sense then for her to be working with Fury in a separate organization because she’s completely disillusioned from SWORD, even though it’s her mother’s organization. It has gone so far from what her mother wanted it to be. And the same way that SHIELD moves so far away from what Peggy and Howard had really envisioned it to be. So I think there are some really interesting parallels there, even between SWORD and SHIELD.

Katie: Anytime you have organizations in the MCU, they’re all going to have the same formula of they seemed good, they started off with the best intentions, they got corrupted, became bad, and then they fell. And that’s the formula for all organizations so far in the MCU. But I want to take this moment to pivot. Let’s get into some of the new characters specifically that we’re seeing. We don’t need to get into Ross. We don’t need to get into some of the ones that we know. We know their past. We know how they ended up here. But there’s to my count as of right now that were identified, three pretty important ones for us to know. We already mentioned one, and that’s G’iah, which is Talos’ daughter. She’s a big player because like I said, she’s part of the revolutionary Skrulls, she is jumping ship from her dad. She is not on his side. And so I think we might see an about-face. I also have some theories about that, but we’ll get into general predictions after we go through some of the characters. We also have a Gravik but that’s the leader of the Skrull revolutionaries. And so, you know, some people already online have been calling him a lot of different things like terrorist or things like that. I mean, I guess he is already blowing up Russia as we saw. So I think that could fit him very well. And then lastly, we have Sonya Falsworth who is the MI6 agent who has a good history with Fury. And by good, I mean, we don’t know what side she’s going to be on because that’s kind of how Fury makes friends. They never really know if they like each other or if they’re going to help each other. I’m going to say she probably is going to be at least on his side in this case, not just from the trailers, but because she’s trying to protect England’s best interests. Obviously, she’s going to want to help in any way to fight, you know, people who are literally shapeshifting and taking over their countries and everything. So I’m going to say she’s a friend in this one, but we’ll see.

Taylor: Yeah, that was a really good run down. I want to give a little bit more background or a little bit more details on each of them so quickly, G’iah, I just want to say something that I thought was interesting was reading in the comics, she’s actually like a full-grown adult. Like obviously she isn’t here, but like a full-grown adult as in, married with kids, which is interesting because they’ve clearly, like, aged her down in this series. I mean, it may just be that they’ve just chosen to highlight her at a different part of her life. I don’t know if when she is this mom, it’s during the Secret Invasion period, but I think it is. So I thought that was interesting that they’ve kind of changed her age completely. Obviously, it’s Emilia Clarke, very famously from Game of Thrones. So excited to see her take on an MCU character. For Gravik, to your point, he seems to be the leader of the revolutionary Skrulls or the kind of separatists if you’re a Star Wars fan, the separatists group of Skrulls. What I thought was interesting about him is he actually does not have a comic counterpart. So he can literally do whatever and we will have no idea because there is no Gravik in the comics. A lot of people have been saying online, like something I was reading on Screenrant was that he might actually be the Super Skrull. So the Super Skrull is this being that has the powers of a Fantastic Four. One of the examples that they pointed out in the article was that he’s able to stretch his arm very reminiscent to a Mr. Fantastic so that could actually be a really interesting kind of hint to them again. So that could be really cool. And also just having the Super Skrull would be super fun.

Katie: I’m just going to interject very quickly on this point about Super Skrulls. So in the comics, the main focus is the Fantastic Four. However, that is not the be-all end-all. I know a lot of people in the trailer are saying not only does he stretch, but if you really look at him when he kind of like throws his arm out there, it actually looks a lot more reminiscent of like a Groot, just because it looks like a bunch like it looks like three or four different tendrils shooting forward, more tree-like than just his arm stretching. So that isn’t to say that you know, the Super Skrulls we start to encounter aren’t necessarily able to mimic other heroes in general. And so it’s not limiting to the Fantastic Four and I also to be fair, we don’t have a Fantastic Four, so I’m going to make the assumption that these Super Skrulls are just going to be really shocking to deal with because we’re about to have all our heroes powers stolen by them essentially.

Taylor: Concerning.

Katie: Yeah, I would not want to go against a Skrull who has Doctor Strange’s abilities.

Taylor: Yeah, very much the same. Especially because Doctor Strange himself is kind of hard to control.

Katie: As MoM taught us. Yep. 

Taylor: Yeah. Moving on to Sonya. So, as you mentioned, MI6 agent, she actually also does not have a counterpart. However, in the first Avenger, there is a Howling Commando with the last name of Falsworth. So this could be a really fun little Easter egg of her being a descendant of his in the comics as well Union Jack and Spitfire, both of which are UK-based heroes, also have the last name of Falsworth. So could it be an Easter egg to those characters coming in the future or just a nice little call out to their existence in the comics? Who knows? But Falsworth is a very, very interesting last name in the comics. And then the last thing I wanted to bring up, which is actually a fourth new character, is Fiz. And so Fiz is actually a mutant Skrull. Who in the comics has ties to the X-Men, so don’t know a super ton about him. He seems like a very minor character in the comics, but I definitely wanted to point that out because if you look at the cast list, there is someone listed as Fiz. So there you go, a mutant Skrull.

Katie: Oh gosh, is all I have to say about that. I thought Super Skrulls could be its own thing, but mutant Skrulls.

Taylor: He seems like a good guy though, because he’s actually aligned with the X-Men, so.

Katie: Right. But there are good mutants and there are bad mutants. 

Taylor: But I mean like he actually goes to Xavier’s school, I think.

Katie: No, no, no I’m just saying if there’s more of him, that’s not to say they’re all good. Yeah, I’m not saying I don’t know this guy from Adam. He could be anyone. Literally, he’s a Skrull. But like, I walk right into those sometimes they just come right out.

Taylor: You really do. It’s like you set yourself off and then you serve it. It’s just so good. 

Katie: I know. And I don’t even fully know I’m doing it all the time. It’s. It’s awesome. It’s a skill I’ve acquired over the years, clearly.

Taylor: As Monk would say, “It’s a gift and a curse.”

Katie: Yeah, No, I agree. Thank you Monk for giving me, that’s my personality trait since I was seven. So I want to get into really quick some almost spitfire predictions, things that we saw in the trailers that got us thinking, information we need to share and discuss a little bit. Just things like that. And there’s been quite a few on my list that we kind of hit already. Things we, you know, have just talked about as we’ve been discussing different topics here. But the first I want to talk about and we did bring it up slightly, but I just want to, you know, take a moment for it is, you know, we’ve now seen in the trailers two different times, there’s been a reference to the Avengers and wondering where they were. That’s not the first, there were more than two references to the Avengers, but there have been two specifically asking, you know, where are the Avengers? Where are your super friends? You know, I think that’s a golden question. The world last saw The Avengers fighting after they brought them all back, they’ve all disbanded. It’s been quite some time since obviously we’ve seen anything as far as a team-up. But I think what’s really interesting to me is it’s a really pivotal question for the MCU currently, but also Fury formed the first Avengers. Yeah, So I think there are layers to this as we’re on our own trying to figure out who makes the roster for the next Avengers team-up.

Taylor: Yeah, no, totally. I think you know that question. I like that they’re addressing it within the show because I think it’s a question that we’ve all had. Like when there’s been these extinction-level experiences, like where are the Avengers? Why is only one person taking it on? Like even if it’s not extinction level, but like Cap taking on the entirety of SHIELD because they’re actually super corrupt and really Hydra like why was nobody else called in for that? You know, like things like that, like a specifically like Hawkeye, like the guy was a member of SHIELD, like where was he? You know? And so I think these are questions that we’ve all had in the various solo films. So I really appreciate that they’re like actually, like addressing it so we don’t have to be like, oh, I guess we just have to forget about the Avengers. But then there’s also the, you know, layer of we don’t have one right now. You know, to your point, they’re scattered. They are not necessarily doing things together. They’re mentoring younger heroes. They’re taking on new mantles. They’re going out to space like they’re all kind of evolving in their own way separately and not as a team. And even so, like, it’s not the same team that we are used to. It’s not the original six, plus the people that they picked up, you know, moving on through the years. And so there’s a lot of changes and a lot of establishment that needs to happen for a new team. You know, and I think that there’s a lot of questions about that and I like that they’re going to at least explain why we’re not getting those answers in this show. So I think this is just further proof that we’re not really going to get Avengers until really Kang Dynasty. One thing that I want to bring up that is about an Avenger who is not going to be in the show is that we have a different president in this show than we will in a confirmed presidential role in a future movie. So by that I mean we have a different actor who is who’s confirmed to play the president in this show in this show and of course, we all know that the great and wonderful majestic icon, Harrison Ford, is confirmed to play the president in a Brave New World, which we’ve all gotten the set pictures and the release date. So that’s all super exciting. But that tells me, you know, I guess it could be an election year. But more than likely, if the president is potentially playing a real role, either the president is a Skrull or the president’s going to bite it because of a Skrull, which is like insane. So that’s something I also want to lay out as a prediction that we’re going one of two ways with the president, because there’s no way they’re going to do something as run of the mill as an election in this universe. I think that either way, it’s going to be something tragic happening to the president, and that’s how we’re going to see it go from this guy who’s in this show to Harrison Ford when we hit Brave New World next year.

Katie: I love that you brought this up for two reasons. First off, this is so stupid that I have to say the president was actually a New Girl. If anybody doesn’t remember, he dated Jess in the first season. He was her students dad, the really rich one whose name is escaping me. But that was his him. But two: the more pertinent thing to this podcast and to the topic at hand is I agree that he’s going to eat it. And mainly because if you and listen, I have watched all the trailers inside now because quite frankly, Marvel seemingly forgot to market this show. And so we’ve only had a few of the same kind of thing. And I’m not saying I need like all new clips, but like we there has been a lot of noise for Secret Invasion and I’ve watched the trailers inside now and if you put things together and there’s a scene where a motorcade gets blown up and of course, I’m assuming that’s the presidential one, because who moves in motorcades like that, 90% of the time? And then there’s another scene where you see a bunch of people with guns after cars are blown up, which is the same scene protecting two individuals as they’re shooting at something off screen. The assumption is one of those individuals is the president. And then I believe there’s even one more scene from the same time frame that actually puts him like directly confirms that he’s there and that he’s in that scene. As I said, the Skrulls appear to already be wanting to cause national problems. I’m not shocked that if you can get them to blow up each other, why not? So, you know, they blew up Russia. I wouldn’t be shocked that they’re going to sit here and assassinate the US president. And right there you already made the Cold War a hot one. And here we are with two of the biggest nations already starting to fight and bringing in a bunch of other nations due to treaties. So that’s my overarching theory of what the Skrulls are attempting to do. And so I think we’re going to see the president for sure bite the dust. And that’s how we see Harrison Ford’s character come in and to be fair, remember, we just got confirmation that the new Captain America, whose new name is-

Taylor: Brave New World.

Katie: Brave New World, I was like, it’s the book, isn’t it? Is also coming out in 2024 May of 2024. So we’re already less than a year out from this film. So I’m going to just be like, yeah peace out. Rest in peace, Mr. President. 

Taylor: Yeah, I think there’s a lot to unpack there. First being, I really like your idea of the Skrulls kind of working their invasion secretly in two ways, right? Not only are they taking over the bodies of a high ranking officials, people who are making the decisions for the world essentially, but also sowing the seeds of chaos and discontent. You know, in a recent clip that was released where we got to see I think it’s the first 5 minutes of the show, you actually see Agent Ross talking to another agent in the agent’s explaining there are five terrorist attacks in the last year and they were all claimed by different groups but really, I think they’re all the Skrulls acting together and it’s coordinated. And then he talks about, okay, this country invades that country and this country invades that country, and next thing you know, everybody’s at war, you know? And he was naming countries and like Latin America. So not only are they going after some of the major world powers potentially in the US and Russia, but also some of the other countries that are maybe not as grand on the world stage, but can also really sow the seeds of discontent. So I love how that kind of ties in with that whole theory of that agent as well, and how they’re kind of coming at this war from two different fronts. I do want to point out an alternate theory to the president dying because while I think he’s going to die at some point in the series, obviously he has to write like we need to make room for Harrison Ford. I don’t know that he’s necessarily going to die there. I’d like to point out that-

Katie: Oh, I don’t either. I’m just saying that’s a precarious moment.

Taylor: Totally, Totally. I think it could also work out, though, that perhaps he is actually kidnapped and replaced by a Skrull because there’s another scene in which Fury actually shoots a rocket launcher at a helicopter. And you see inside the helicopter and it’s really tough to see, but the guy kind of looks like the president. So it almost makes me wonder if Fury’s there when the president gets kidnapped, replaced by a Skrull and now he’s trying to kill the Skrull version of the president because truly, like, what is a better position to have as a secret invading force than the president of the United States.

Katie: Or counter counter theory that motorcades are already taken over by Skrulls and the person shooting at them is not the Skrulls, it’s Fury.

Taylor: Also, very valid we don’t know at what point- I think we’re both getting at the same thing, that at any point the president can and will be replaced.

Katie: Yes.

Taylor: And then he will probably- the real president will probably later die, paving the way for Harrison Ford. 

Katie: Yeah, I think we’re both on the same page with this. This is definitely going Skrull take over body President route.

Taylor: Good English. Good use of the English language right there.

Katie: What does Kevin say why more words when less work or something like that. Kevin from the Office. Anyway, going into something that I picked up from the trailer that I really, really like as a theory and I want to just put out there is first off, if you all were paying attention, our DODC buddies made an appearance. 

Taylor: I did not, but I was going to ask because when we were talking shady organizations, there’s nobody shadier than the DODC.

Katie: Oh, my favorite terrible organization. And that’s saying something because of Hydra has made an appearance and it’s subtle, but if you look, there is a scene from the trailers where there’s a suitcase and on the side of the suitcase. It has the Department of Damage Control logo on it. But it’s almost not that that’s the most important part to my brain. It says inside of it, on the side of it, it says specimen sample, colon, Cull. And that’s all you see. And now, you know, some people might be like, oh, huh, that doesn’t seem important, but it does because we have a buddy named Cull Obsidian who is part of the Dark Order who lost a hand.

Taylor: Oh, my God. I was like, Why does that sound familiar? Yeah, one of the children of Thanos.

Katie: So here’s my thought process that they might have his hand in there. But then my other concern is, well, we have Super Skrulls who can mimic abilities.

Taylor: Oh, my God, I do not need another Cull Obsidian around here.

Katie: Just a thought process. Just want to put it out there. Just wanted the listeners to hear that one. 

Taylor: Yeah. No, that’s good. I think what I’m less I mean, I’m concerned about the Skrull thing for sure, but I think what I’m less concerned about is what the DODC is doing with the potential blood/DNA of someone as powerful and alien as Cull Obsidian. Just knowing that, you know, the idea of science experiments in the MCU going wrong is pretty much 100% of the time, so concerns.

Katie: Yeah, well, and I am not shocked they’ve made an appearance, but I’m I will say I’m very excited because the DODC has been one of the few things I feel like we’ve been able to count on in everything, specifically the shows. They’ve made the most appearances in the shows, but obviously they made an appearance in No Way Home as well. They have been a consistent storyline we’ve been following and so I’m very excited that once again they’ve wormed their way into yet another show. But yeah, I just wanted to point that out just get ready because those annoying people are going to be in appearance again. 

Taylor: Can I toss something out really quick?

Katie: By all means.

Taylor: And it’s not necessarily directly related to Secret Invasion, but it is directly related to a result of Secret Invasion. So I think it’s safe to say that Brave New World is going to take place MCU timeline wise, after Secret Invasion. We all know that Harrison Ford has taken over the role of General Ross after William Hurt’s passing. He is going to become president. That as a result of this show, one thing that I saw on Twitter or online somewhere that someone pointed out that I thought was absolutely brilliant is in that recent photo that that Marvel released when they announced date of Brave New World and the new name, they showed a picture of Mackie and Ford sitting kind of off camera together and just chilling. And they were like, oh my God. We look at Harrison’s pant. Harrison’s pants have rips in them, and the rips are very, they were saying, very reminiscent of what a Hulk transformation post Hulk transformation looks like. So bringing it all the way back to the DODC. See if we know that Ross, who was sick in Black Widow, you know, he’s obviously experimenting with Hulk like things. Perhaps he’s getting some scientific help from the DODC. And now I’m not saying he’s getting Cull Obsidian specifically, but what I think this shows is that the DODC is not only tracking and potentially trying to capture enhanced  individuals, but they’re also harnessing their abilities or their genetic signature in whatever way is possible. If that’s the case, the DODC might actually be the source of Ross and his experiments that turned him into Red Hulk.

Katie: I like that. But also in conclusion, once again, the DODC sucks.

Taylor: Yeah, they’re the worst.

Katie: So that’s what I got from that. I love the theory, but I also got that once again, they’re confirming they’re just not it. We don’t like them.

Taylor: At least they’re consistent.

Katie: Exactly. At least we know they’re going to show up here. I have one last thing before we get to our final segment. And this is just a theory I want to put out there. It’s very simple, very to the point. Obviously, they’re not going to waste Amelia Clark that would be stupid. So I’m expecting G’iah to be coming out of this unscathed to a degree. However, I also don’t think she’s going to be on the wrong side forever. And so my theory, which I don’t know if it’s really that unique, is that I’m going to I think Talos is going to die. He’s going to bite it. And I think that’s going to be her turning point is her father being killed. Seems like every hero or villain’s turning point. Either a hero turns bad because of losing a loved one or a villain might turn good. Who knows? But I think that might be that point. They’re the only ones, in my opinion, who have semi emotional stakes in this. Everybody else is just trying to save the world. But you know, their family on two opposing sides of, you know, a pretty major war. So I’m going to say it because I don’t expect her to eat it, that Talos is going to. And that’s either or she’s going to get worse. But I do think that by the end she will be on the good side. 

Taylor: Yeah, no, I think that’s a good theory. I actually hadn’t gone that far to about, you know, that I think I do think that Amelia Clark was going to turn good, you know, just knowing the kind of gravitas she brings as an actress, you know, I think she is probably going to be here for the long haul. You don’t bring someone in like that for just a show. And I don’t mean that in like just a show versus just a movie. I’d just be like one property. So I think definitely your idea of her turning sides to become a hero definitely makes sense. I do like then taking that a step further and saying, what is that moment that really changes her mind? Oh, it’s that her dad died and she wants to kind of carry on his legacy of protecting Earth and being kind of a good steward and a quote unquote, good Skrull. So I really like that. One other thing that I wanted to bring up that is I don’t really have a theory around it, but I really want to hear what your thoughts are because maybe it’ll help jog something in me is there’s a scene or it’s actually a couple of scenes, I should say. It’s the same footage, a couple of different ways in a few different of the trailers where they’re in this room and what in one of the scenes you see G’iah in the room with these glowing bodies, like almost like see through caskets. And then you also see Falsworth and Fury, unclear if it’s the same scene and just different angles or if they’re there at different times. But I’m like, very curious what you think those are. 

Katie: Okay. So I had an initial reaction to what I thought they were and then when I was kind of doing my research into it, just kind of hearing some other people’s thoughts, they thought something differently. I’ll say first what they thought. They thought they were Skrulls or Super Skulls being, you know, experimented and or like made.

Taylor: That’s kind of where my head was immediately.

Katie: See, mine didn’t go there immediately. I like it. I wouldn’t be against that being the storyline. I actually kind of assumed they were the humans that were being replaced. 

Taylor: Oh, I like that. 

Katie: Yeah. Because I mean, like, I don’t know, maybe this is to the fact that I don’t I haven’t read the comic line itself, but every time I’ve been reading it, they’re not like they killed the humans, they just were replacing them. So I was like, okay, well, if you’re replacing humans, where the heck are they going? And so my thought process sort of was like, okay, well, they would want to keep them alive, but they would want to keep them somewhere that obviously they’re not in the way and they’re possibly creating problems. So I just assumed they had them hooked up to like they’re pretty much put into a coma, hooked up to all the things that they would need to keep them alive. Because if you look like when G’iah first walks into the chamber, she, she seems very shocked by what she’s seeing. And so I don’t know that could very much also be a turning point to realize, like all these humans that have been replaced by Skrulls. So that was my first thought. A lot of people were throwing out that it was Super Skrulls in the process of being made. Also a good theory. I just I assumed they were the humans.

Taylor: Yeah. To your point, you know, like I said, my initial inclination was, yeah, they’re going to be Skrulls or Super Skrulls that makes no sense to me. But I like your idea of like them having these like human stasis chambers where they can keep them all one place, you know exactly where they are. They’re still alive. It almost is interesting because it gives them some sense of morality and a sense that like, yeah, they’re replacing these people, but they’re not killing them. So like, I don’t know, it was their plan to like, put them back when they were done. Like to what end, you know?

Katie: I don’t think so. I think, quite frankly, the Skrulls are okay- well, first off, I they’re replacing people at a speed where it’s like, I’m not sure they know what to do with the bodies if they killed them. Like, quite frankly, like, what do you do with them? You can’t just throw them out into space. Skrulls aren’t dumb. They know there’s a lot of other species out space that would see just a slew of bodies floating away from Earth. Also a very dark image. 

Taylor: Yeah, I was going to say, okay Katelyn replaced the space junk with the bodies. 

Katie: No, I know. As it came out of my mouth, I was like, oh, that went really dark very quickly. Sorry about that. But my point just being is, where do you put all these bodies? On top of that, I think the Skrull’s idea is probably, you know, take over the Earth, whatever, and either make humans, the minority or send them out to go salvage for themselves and find a new planet because you know what? The humans who were supposed to help them didn’t do crap for them.

Taylor: Yeah, no, that’s fair. That’s fair. I think that’s really interesting. I actually really like that theory. I’m jumping ship onto yours because I think it it adds a new layer that I really like and imagine the shock value like, you know, and this goes perfectly into our next segment, which is we’re going to pick two characters that we think it would be like insane to be revealed as Skrulls. And I’ve always imagined this scene as like, you know, they have the character cornered and suddenly it goes from being and this isn’t one of my examples because I’m not sure who I’m going to pick quite yet. But like, say, it goes from being Sam because we just talked about him, oh my gosh, it’s a Skrull, that’s crazy. But instead it could actually be, oh, let me just remove all of the kind of covering I don’t know what you would call it, but let me see the face. And suddenly you see the face of Sam in stasis and you’re like, oh my God, this Sam who I’ve been seeing, isn’t real because this is the real Sam. So there’s now like, if your theory is correct, there’s actually two ways to reveal someone as a Skrull. And so without further ado, Miss Kate, who are your two characters that are your picks? 

Katie: Oh, God. You know, you said you weren’t sure who you were going to pick. I had one that I was like, yeah. And then I’ve kind of been throwing around the last one. First off, I just want to say I don’t think if these characters are Skrulls, I think the shock factor would be that they’ve been Skrulls for a lot longer than we think they’ve been.

Taylor: Yeah, I agree. 

Katie: That’s mainly what I think is going to be the bigger effect. I think the obvious one that a lot of people have already said it’s pretty obvious is Rhodey as the only Avenger that’s going to be making an appearance that we are confirmed. Clearly all the hints are telling us there’s no Avengers is probably leading us to believe that there won’t be many cameos in this show. I’m going to go with him. I also just I don’t know, it’s just a gut feeling. But the one that I’ve been throwing around, I’ve been torn. I actually really wanted to say Agent Hill, but then I was like, I don’t think so because she was a Skrull, technically. 

Taylor: Oh, yeah.

Katie: Yeah in Far From Home. And so I was like, that was a good Skrull. I don’t know of a bad Skrull would have replaced her.

Taylor: But that’s also interesting because you see a scene where she’s like, I’ve been calling you basically like Fury, why don’t you pick up my phone calls? But then where was she?

Katie: She’s probably been underground. He did not take her with him. 

Taylor: Well, no, I know that. But I guess my thing is, it’s just weird that, like, they were playing Hill and Fury as if Hill and Fury were doing their own thing together. You know what I’m saying?

Katie: Yeah. No, she’s probably been, like, underground, staying out of the limelight because she also had been tied to the Avengers and they’ve been gone. So that’s why I was like, I’m a little iffy with her. The only reason I would have said yes to her is because, you know, that’s Fury’s right hand man. But I just I don’t see it. Actually. The one I want to go with, which is a character we haven’t even said once in this episode is actually Valentina.

Taylor: I thought about her. I did.

Katie: Yeah. I mean, my thought process with that is, first off, her ex-husband’s in this show on the run.

Taylor: And she’s confirmed to be in it. If you look at the cast list, Julia Louis-Dreyfus is confirmed to be in this show.

Katie: Right. And I mean, duh like she’s the head of CIA and-

Taylor: Also, it’s her ex-husband on the land with Nick Fury. So there’s that. 

Katie: Exactly. And I just like, you know, she’s a relatively newer character to us that we are yet to figure out how we feel about her. She’s another one that’s been a consistent person popping up in the shows, in the movies. So, I mean, I wouldn’t be too shocked. The head of CIA? Being a Skrull? Yeah, I see it.

Taylor: I really want to pick some off the wall people. And I know you said no cameos, but I think that it’s entirely possible. And I think the way let me just say, this is what I wanted to see, like, before I understood kind of how they were paring down the scale of Secret Invasion. I wanted some big, big names to be revealed as Skrulls.

Katie: Yeah, me too.

Taylor: So I refuse to think that just because they’re scaling this down that we can’t get it right. Like, who’s to say we can’t just simply have- and again, I don’t think it’s Sam he’s not on my list, that I’m still formulating as I’m talking, but I’m just going to keep using him as an example because that’s what I’ve been using this whole segment. I still think we could see a Mackie on the table or a Mackie quick changing into a Skrull without necessarily, you know, a ton of like it obviously it’s a huge cameo, but it just won’t feel the same as like him walking into a room as Captain America, if that makes sense. So I think that’s still on the table. So with that in mind, I think this is so hard. I’ve been like as you were talking, like going through my like rolodex of characters of like who would be fun to see, like as a Skrull. What if it’s what if it’s Wong like as the Sorcerer Supreme? Like, if you want to talk about really, really important characters who are running things right, they’ve obviously got the political realm taken care of. They’re trying to get the president of the United States, if they have Rhodey, they have a major military figure. What if they also understand like we understand that there are many facets of power in this universe. There’s the magical, there’s the multiversal, there’s the space, there’s the, you know, the actual political stuff. What if it is like a Wong?

Katie: I don’t like that.

Taylor: Rude. 

Katie: No, not because I’m trying to like rain on your parade, but simply because I’m not saying it’s not possible. They don’t they aren’t aware of like the magical essence and things like that. But I will say this show itself is staying fairly grounded, as grounded as you can be with like essential alien invasion. And so I just don’t quite see them bringing in a magical being in this specifically down the road, whatever, maybe, but just not here. 

Taylor: Alight. So that was my, like, left field mulligan. I have a really, really good one that I think fits into your feedback. And like when you said the word grounded, I was like trying to think about this realm. What if it’s Sharon Carter? CIA agent, Powerbroker would explain potentially her switch to the dark side.

Katie: Well, we knew we had an explanation for her switch to the dark side.

Taylor: Right, that makes sense. But what if it’s really a Skrull or even if the Skrull took over after she became the Powerbroker, they’re now able to manipulate their way back into the CIA. They’ve got all of her underground contacts. They’ve got you her pedigree as a Carter, her connection to Captain America.

Katie: I’m not against that because I already don’t like her.

Taylor: Yeah, well, I mean, that means the real Sharon still out there. You know that, right?

Katie: Yeah, but I think the Carter’s need to disappear. So however that happens, just, just do it quick.

Taylor: I hate to break it to you, but I don’t think that’s going to happen.

Katie: But I guess if we need to include Sharon Carter in anything, I you know, I’m not against it here. I think her being taken over by a Skrull could make a lot of sense. She’s got a lot of places that she has her hands in, so I’m not against it. My only thing is maybe she’s a little too meta. I don’t know if this Skrulls things that deeply into some of these organizations are looking much more big picture, like starting wars with governments not necessarily hitting these underground kind of environments, but you never know.

Taylor: Well, yeah, but don’t forget, she’s a CIA agent again now. She was reinstated. So even if they’re not able to get Valentina or even if they are able to get Valentina, what would be better than to not only have your CIA Director, but then a few agents potentially. I mean, think about it. if she’s reinstated, she’s potentially a high ranking agent again, you know, so now you not only have the big boss, but bosses underneath her as well who can have that sway, have that access and all that, and then say they step into her life and realize, oh, my gosh, now she has all these underground contacts, too. I mean if they’re working in terrorist cells, she’s the perfect Rolodex for that. Realistically, she’s an arms dealer. Yeah, you know, I think now that I think about it more and more, I think this Sharon theory is growing on me in terms of being like one of my favorite theories coming out of this episode. I think the more I think about her different connections and what the Skrulls need in terms of the people that they would target, in terms of their contact, their power, etc., and knowing that she’s really involved in this more grounded world and has connections to Fury and all of that, like the more I like her as a potential body swap.

Katie: I’ll accept it. It’s better than your Wong one, that was kind of whack.

Taylor: Yeah, that was not my favorite either. I kind of panicked and said the first name that came to mind.

Katie: Wong can do no wrong in the Wong Universe.

Taylor: Yeah, you’re right. I also like that Wong can do no wrong rhymes.

Katie: I did that on purpose, but I didn’t actually. 

Taylor: It’s another another one of those moments, it’s a gift and a curse.

Katie: It’s a gift and a curse.

Taylor: Alright and on that note, we are going to call it a wrap on our Secret Invasion predictions. I would just like to point out that I think at no point in this episode did we see Secret Wars when we did not mean to say Secret Wars.

Katie: Wow, that never happens. That is a major win for us. So if you’re listening, just give us a quick round of applause wherever you are, unless you’re driving, in which case, please keep both hands firmly on the wheel at ten and two. And if you’re looking forward to our coverage of the show itself, please subscribe on your podcast platform of choice if you haven’t already. Also, definitely make sure to check out the website and blog where we’ll have extra content for you on there, as well as the home page where you can support the show via the affiliate links, if that is something that you would like to do.

Katie: Get yourself also following us on Twitter at SisAssembledPod and Instagram at SistersAssembled keeping yourself updated with the show as new things come out, such as episode, news and blog post. And you know, this shouldn’t be a surprise to anybody but the very next episode we will be digging into the Secret Invasion episode number one. So get yourself ready if you haven’t had a chance to watch all the trailers or the things that have been released, you know, go out and do that. You’ve already checked one box by listening to our predictions episode, so just get yourself familiar with some of it. Get ready. It looks like it’s going to be a really, really good show and we’re really excited over here. So get hyped. But as always, Marvel just blew your min, so let’s talk about it.