The Ending Of Marvel's Secret Invasion Explained
Contains spoilers for "Secret Invasion"
Marvel's Disney+ series "Secret Invasion" kicks off with the shocking revelations that Skrulls have infiltrated world organizations and governments at the highest levels. Living up to its name, the series delivers a high-stakes spy war that primarily takes place in the shadows. And if viewers noticed that "Secret Invasion" has a much darker noir-thriller style than other Marvel Cinematic Universe installments, that's because John Le Carré's spy stories were a huge inspiration.
One of the most exciting things about this series, though, is that it sees longtime MCU star Samuel L. Jackson takes the lead as Nick Fury in a deeply personal mission. The series reveals more about the inner workings of the former SHIELD boss and his mysterious personal life than ever before, including the fact that he's been married for years. This was thrilling for Jackson, who told Rotten Tomatoes TV he enjoyed peeling back the curtain of his character. "We're very used to seeing Nick at work or in the field ... but you never see Nick Fury take his house key out and open his door," he said.
This is the Nick Fury-led story we've all been waiting for, but it can get pretty complicated in parts — especially when the fate of the human race hangs in the balance — so stick with us as we break it all down. This is the ending of Marvel's "Secret Invasion" explained.
What you need to remember about the plot of Secret Invasion
"Secret Invasion" moves quickly, taking place over the span of a few weeks. The series also shifts between the past and the present to depict unseen parts of Nick Fury's life and explain how he lost the trust and respect of the Skrulls after failing to find them a home like he promised in "Captain Marvel." Now, three decades later, there are now over a million Skrulls on Earth, and most are hidden and living peacefully. However, many also defected to Gravik's (Kingsley Ben-Adir) terrorist regime, including Talos' daughter G'iah (Emilia Clarke), before she started feeding her father information and ultimately defected back to their side.
The darker tone of the series is visible immediately when Gravik kills an unsuspecting Maria Hill (Cobie Smulders) in front of Fury at the end of Episode 1. Another loss comes in Episode 4, when Gravik does the same thing with Talos (Ben Mendelsohn) during his attack on President Ritson (Dermot Mulroney) in England. In the attack, Gravik, who has made himself into a Super-Skrull, and his soldiers are posed as the Russians to set the scene for a world war. This is just part of his plan, though. Gravik hopes to force Fury into giving him Avengers DNA, too. "If I don't give Gravik the Harvest, then Rhodey is going to incinerate the Skrull compound, including all the Skrulls and humans trapped inside. Russia will retaliate, and the world will lose its mind," Fury surmised at the end of Episode 5.
What happened at the end of Secret Invasion?
The stakes couldn't be any higher when Episode 6 of "Secret Invasion" begins. President Ritson is poised to declare war on the Russians thanks to his adviser Rhodey (Don Cheadle), who is being impersonated by the Skrull Raava (Nisha Aaliya). G'iah, Fury, and MI6 agent Sonya Falsworth (Olivia Coleman) work to stop the Skrulls, and G'iah impersonates Fury and faces Gravik while Sonya helps the real Fury trap Rhodey. Gravik uses the Harvest serum on himself, not expecting it to work on Fury (G'iah), whom he believes is about to die from radiation poisoning. However, G'iah absorbs the same new powers that the serum gives him and soon reveals herself to Gravik, ultimately killing him with a beam of energy.
While speaking to Gravik as Fury, G'iah says, "I should have taught you that you never give up the fight." And as the episode reaches its climax, this line marks the turn in the tide. Afterward, G'iah goes to free the human prisoners from the Skrull compound, including the real Colonel Rhodes. Meanwhile, now that he knows he's been acting under the advice of a Skrull terrorist, Ritson aborts the attack on Russia and prevents a global crisis. Fury makes plans to head off-world and find the Skrulls a home for real this time. Back in the U.K., Sonya becomes the head of the British Secret Intelligence Service.
The real reason Fury never found the Skrulls a home
After he helped reunite Talos and his family in "Captain Marvel," Nick Fury and Carol Danvers (Brie Larson) promised to help find the Skrulls a new planet to call home. Although neither of them did that, Fury continued to use the Skrulls to help him advance his career at SHIELD. "Nick had a whole Skrull spy network because they could shape-shift and go places that people couldn't go," Samuel L. Jackson explained to Vanity Fair. "They kept their word. They worked for him, but he hasn't done what he said he was going to do. They want a home. They want to live. They want to live like they are. They want to live in their skin. They don't want to live in ours," he added. Gravik's faction of Skrull extremists was born out of Fury neglecting his promise, and this is part of what makes him such a compelling villain.
So why didn't Fury find them a home and prevent this from happening? The answer is finally revealed in Episode 6 when Fury (G'iah) admits he searched for years but didn't find a planet suitable for them and that ultimately he failed to "change the hearts and minds" of the people of Earth into accepting the Skrulls. And the sad truth, it seems, is that Fury just gave up.
What is the Harvest?
As "Secret Invasion" progresses, it becomes clear that Gravik is looking for something of Fury's to help him become the perfect Super-Skrull. You might think he has succeeded in this when he regenerates after Fury shoots him in the cheek. G'iah reveals this is the result of the initial DNA samples he got from Cull Obsidian, an adopted child of Thanos, and Flora Colossus, also known as the Groot species. However, Gravik knows there's something more powerful out there: the Harvest. And when G'iah tells Fury that's what he's after, it's obvious by Fury's reaction that the situation has become even more grave.
It's not until the end of Episode 5 that we finally learn what the Harvest is. Fury explains to Sonya that almost every Avenger shed blood during the Battle of Earth and he sent Gravik's team to collect the DNA samples after the battle. Fury then had them mixed together to create the Harvest — essentially a new super soldier serum that can recreate the powers of some of Earth's mightiest heroes ... and villains. The Harvest is composed of a host of DNA, including Captain Marvel, Mantis, Korg, a Frost Beast, Smart Hulk, Black Panther, Valkyrie, Thor, and even Thanos himself. This is what gives Gravik and G'iah the abilities they fight each other with during their final battle in Episode 6.
G'iah killing Gravik proves Captain Marvel is the strongest Avenger
The most important component of the Harvest is Carol Danvers' DNA — at least, according to Gravik, who's gone to extreme lengths to get it. When he puts himself through the machine to receive the DNA, he unintentionally gives the same powers to G'iah. However, he believes he's with Nick Fury, who will die any minute from radiation poisoning, so seems to think exposing him to the serum wouldn't have any impact.
Thinking himself invincible and Fury weak and on the brink of death, Gravik finally claims his opportunity to kill Fury. But G'iah, who's already a Super-Skrull but who Gravik believed was dead, blocks his punch. The pair test out their new powers in a fight to the death. Featured most prominently are Hulk and Korg's strength, the ice of Frost Beast, Mantis' psychic empathy, and Captain Marvel's powers. The latter prove to be the strongest. We know that Gravik has the power to regenerate, but nothing can save him from a Captain Marvel-level energy beam, which leaves a gaping hole in his chest.
Since G'iah tested out the other powers in her fight against Gravik and Fury specified that Carol Danvers' DNA is a key component of the Harvest (which he guarded with his life), this finally ends the question of who the strongest Avenger is.
Why doesn't Nick Fury call in the Avengers?
If you've been watching "Secret Invasion" and wondering why Nick Fury hasn't called in any Avengers to help, you're not alone. While the whole team might not be around anymore, there are still plenty of heroes he can turn to. Since "Secret Invasion" is the first installment of Phase 5 of the MCU and is set after the events of Phase 4, Fury now has two Hulks on hand, plus a new Black Panther, two Hawkeyes, Thor, Ant-Man and the Wasp, Spider-Man, Doctor Strange, Wong, the new Captain America, and, of course, the severely absent Captain Marvel. They'd probably want to know that their friend Rhodey had been kidnapped by Skrulls, after all.
However, Fury never makes that call for the simple reason that this is a very personal fight for him. Not only is he mired in his failed promise, but he's fighting to save his wife, Priscilla (Charlayne Woodard), and honor Talos' sacrifice. "This is personal," he tells Sonya. "We can't keep depending on these superheroes to swoop in and save our asses. None of them have lived the life I have. None of them can defend the world the way I can." He continues, "The only power I have was planted between my ears by a single mother and wrapped around my finger by a woman far greater than I could ever hope to be. If that ain't enough, then I don't know what hope we have."
The president declares war on the Skrulls
After discovering that he was being manipulated by a Skrull — Raava, impersonating Rhodey — President Ritson stops any U.S. aggression toward Russia before it's too late. However, he knows how close the world came to an all-out war and holds the Skrulls responsible — and not just the ones from Gravik's extremist faction. Ritson threatens their lives on a public broadcast detailing his plan to go before the Senate to present an emergency bill declaring all aliens "enemy combatants."
This is a huge overreaction to a rogue group of Skrulls, given that there are over a million on Earth, and Fury tells Ritson just that. Fury calls out his hateful speech, saying, "You took a bad situation and made it worse. That's real one-term president stuff." Although it seems like a somewhat empty threat from Fury, or perhaps just a keen observation, it is actually an indicator of what's to come. As anyone who has been keeping up with upcoming Marvel content will know, "Captain America: Brave New World" is due to be released in 2024, and joining Anthony Mackie and Sebastian Stan in the feature is Harrison Ford making his MCU debut as President Thunderbolt Ross. So it looks like Ritson's impulsive, hateful actions will result in a change of leadership after all.
Secret Invasion sets G'iah up to achieve what her father couldn't
After killing Gravik in Episode 6 and the death of her father Talos in Episode 4, G'iah becomes the de facto new leader of the Skrulls. In the final moments of the series, she is confronted by Sonya Falsworth, the newly appointed head of the SIS, who offers her a deal; unlimited resources in exchange for help. "I will use you, and you will use me, and together we will make this planet safe for both our people," Sonya poses.
Intrigued by the offer, G'iah goes with her, but this arrangement holds one key difference to the one her father made with Fury all those years ago. There will be no friendship or love lost between this pair. But with this clean slate, G'iah might finally be able to achieve what Talos couldn't in successfully leading the Skrulls, finding a safe home for all their people where they can truly be themselves, and creating peace between the Skrulls and the humans.
What we see at the end of the episode proves this is going to be a hard task, though. Sonya takes an aide to a room full of Skrull pods, saying, "This is how the enemy got so good." While it's not clear exactly what this means, it's possible that Skrulls have taken over the bodies of hundreds of official personnel. In that case, G'iah definitely has her work cut out for her.
What happened to the real Rhodey?
From the moment Col. James "Rhodey" Rhodes appears in Episode 1 of "Secret Invasion," it's clear something is wrong. He's sterner than usual and abruptly fires Nick Fury in the wake of Maria Hill's death without offering him any compassion. This isn't the War Machine we know, so when it's revealed that he's been replaced by the Skrull Raava, everything starts to make sense.
However, it's not clear how long Rhodey was held captive for. Initially, it was speculated that his capture took place at some point after the events of "The Falcon and the Winter Soldier," but has it been longer? When she saves him, G'iah tries to explain to Rhodey that he'd been held captive for "a very long time." And Marvel boss Kevin Feige outright said to the Independent that we've seen Raava impersonating Rhodey in some Marvel projects before now. If you pay close attention to the hospital gown that he's wearing, this could have been from when he got an MRI in "Captain America: Civil War" or when he was in recovery, meaning he's been gone all this time.
Thankfully, he's free now. But we can expect to see some pretty big changes for Rhodey going forward. If Raava was already impersonating him when he took the job with the president, will he even want it now? We certainly imagine he's going to have something to say about this ordeal in his upcoming feature, "Armor Wars."
Nick Fury is officially out of retirement
Given that Nick Fury still helps to prevent the Earth's certain destruction even after being fired by Skrull Rhodey, it's probably not a surprise to see him get back to work. This man was never going to go quietly into retirement. This was alluded to in Episode 5 when Fury put his eyepatch back on. Samuel L. Jackson said Fury not wearing it at the beginning was an indicator of his character's journey. "He just doesn't wear the patch. The patch is part of who the strong Nick Fury was," he told Vanity Fair. "It's part of his vulnerability now. You can look at it and see he's not this perfectly indestructible person. He doesn't feel like that guy."
At the end of the series, Fury has a renewed sense of self and duty. He's headed out on a mission to right his wrong and do what he should have done all along: find a home for the Skrulls. He reveals to Priscilla that the aerospace defense agency SABER (whom he worked for before returning to Earth) is backing the mission that will see him enter into peace talks with the Kree, who have offered an olive branch to the Skrulls. What's more, press photos for "The Marvels" confirm Fury's role with SABER will become official again.
What happened to Priscilla?
One of the biggest surprises in "Secret Invasion" comes in Episode 2 when it's revealed Nick Fury has been married for decades. Fury married Priscilla, who is actually a Skrull named Varra, after the events of "Captain Marvel." While it seems they had many happy years together, which included a honeymoon in Finland, they're estranged when the show begins.
"Secret Invasion" presents a series of twists and turns about Priscilla and Fury's relationship. Priscilla is involved with Gravik's rebellion but ultimately denies his orders to kill Fury, though the price is putting her life on the line instead.
Despite that the odds are stacked against them and that they literally come from different worlds, Varra and Fury are just a couple struggling to find their way back to each other after trauma. In the end, they both take a few steps toward each other, which leads to Varra showing up and revealing her true self to Fury before he leaves for his new mission. When he sees her as a Skrull for the first time, he promises to love her only as she is. This marks a fresh start for the couple, who vow to do things differently in every regard, and Fury asks Varra to come on the mission with him and help negotiate the peace talks with the Kree.
What does the ending of Secret Invasion mean for the future of the MCU?
While "Secret Invasion" provides a compelling conclusion to the threat of Gravik's terrorist Skrulls, it leaves plenty of unanswered questions and room for storylines to continue down the line. This might happen sooner than expected, since "The Marvels," which premieres in November 2023, is a sequel to five MCU projects: "Captain Marvel," "WandaVision," "Avengers: Endgame," "Ms. Marvel," and "Secret Invasion." Since the movie takes place after the series, Nick Fury and Varra's peace talks with the Kree will have begun or been completed, too.
G'iah might be one of the Skrulls set to appear in "The Marvels," too, since she's not just their leader but also the most powerful character in the MCU now. It's possible she'll have a target on her back across the galaxy with anyone seeking to use her blood to recreate the Harvest serum for themselves. Rhodey's storyline from "Secret Invasion" will also continue, but in "Armor Wars" rather than "The Marvels."