Secret Invasion ending explained: is there a post-credits scene and more questions answered
Full spoilers follow for Secret Invasion episode six
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Full spoilers follow forMarvelStudios' Secret Invasion.
Secret Invasionhas run its course onDisney Plus– and we suspect you have plenty of questions about what its final episode means for the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU).
TheMarvel Phase 5project wasn’t one of the studio’s best efforts – read ourSecret Invasionreviewto find out why. But, while the Nick Fury-led thriller series largely flattered to deceive, it has laid the groundwork for a number of upcoming Marvel movies and TV shows. Its importance to the wider MCU, then, shouldn’t be underestimated.
There are other important questions that need answering about the show, too, including whether there’s aSecret Invasionafter credits scene, if there’ll be a second season and more. Below, we answer those questions (the ones with definitive answers, anyway) and other burning queries you might have aboutSecret Invasion, which won’t go down in history as one of thebest Disney Plus shows, in our opinion.
This is your final warning: majorSecret Invasionspoilers are incoming, so turn back now if you’ve not watched its sixth and final episode.
Is there an end credits scene in Secret Invasion?
No,Secret Invasion’s last episode doesn’t have a post-credits stinger.
The show ends with Nick Fury and Vara reuniting and leaving Earth to head back to SABER – the human and Skrull operated aerospace defence system. That’s after Fury and US President Ritson have a tense conversation over the phone about the latter’s xenophobic plan to wipe out every last Skrull on Earth, based on events that transpired throughoutSecret Invasion’s six-episode run.
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Regardless, once the credits have rolled, there isn’t an after credits scene for fans to watch. Given thatSecret Invasionwas billed as the MCU’s first ever crossover eventahead of its release, that’s disappointing. After all,Secret Invasion’s ending appears to set up multiple MCU Phase 5 projects (more on these shortly), so it would have been interesting to seesomefootage from one of those films or TV shows.
Will there be a Secret Invasion season 2?
The short answer is: we don’t know yet, but we’d be surprised if there is.
Secret Invasionwas always billed as a limited series, which usually means its six-episode run is all we’d get. As we mentioned above, it also acts as the jumping off point for other Marvel projects, rather than setting up another Fury-starring adventure, so it’s highly unlikely thatSecret Invasionwill return for a second season.
And, to be frank, it doesn’t need another installment. Regardless of your opinion on whetherSecret Invasionwas good or bad, it told a self-contained story with a mostly definitive ending. Gravik and Raava (the latter of whom was masquerading as James ‘Rhodey’ Rhodes), the two Skrull antagonists in the series, were killed by G’iah and Fury respectively in episode six. The Skrull terrorist threat was eliminated before they instigated World War III. Fury and Vara returned to SABER, the original Rhodes and Everett Ross were freed from Skrull captivity, and G’iah and Sonya Falsworth agreed to start working together to keep humanity and any remaining Skrulls safe.
Outside of assembling the narrative frameworks for forthcoming Phase 5 productions, then,Secret Invasionappears to be done and dusted. Of course, Marvel could decide to make a second season if it makes sense to do so. In our view, though, you can considerSecret Invasionto be a ‘one and done’ scenario. And speaking of those aforementioned MCU projects…
How does Secret Invasion set up The Marvels?
The first MCU production thatSecret Invasionsets up isThe Marvels, which is slated to fly into theaters on November 10.
We already knew thatSecret Invasionwould act as a primer for the final Marvel movie of 2023.The Marvels' first trailerrevealed that Nick Fury would be part of its supporting cast. Monica Rambeau, one of the film’s protagonists who was last seen inWandaVision, is part of Fury’s SABER team that investigates an issue with the Universal Neural Transportation Network (UNTN) – aka the collective name given to wormholes/space-jump points that appear in the MCU.
Now,Secret Invasion’s finale has gone one further and added an intriguing plot-based breadcrumb trail that leads intoThe Marvels. When Fury and Vara reunite before they head to SABER, Fury mentions that the Kree – the main villains inCaptain MarvelandGuardians of the Galaxy Vol. 1– have ‘agreed’ to enter peace talks with the Skrulls. Remember, inCaptain Marvel, it was revealed that the Kree had destroyed Skrullos, the Skrulls' homeworld. After failing to find the Skrulls a new planet to call home, Fury gave them refuge on Earth, which led into the political paranoia-fuelled events ofSecret Invasion.
Unfortunately, it doesn’t seem like every member of the Kree Empire will be happy with the impending peace talks with the Skrulls. Dar-Benn,The Marvels' primary villain, is a member of the Kree Accusers, a militia who decimated the Skrulls during the Kree-Skrull War. We suspect Dar-Benn won’t be pleased with the Kree’s desire to sign a peace treaty with their former foes, which might persuade her to take matters into her own hands. That could lead her to searching for (and finding) the second Kree bangle – the first is owned by Kamala Khan/Ms Marvel – which kickstartsThe Marvels' main plot.
We’ll have to wait for November to find out if we’re right, but we’re sticking to that theory for now.
What other MCU projects does Secret Invasion set up?
There are three other upcoming Marvel films thatSecret Invasion’s last episode sets up.
The first isCaptain America4 – or, to give it its full name,Captain America: Brave New World. As part of the superhero movie’s story (the production of which has been halted due to the actors andwriters strikes), Thaddeus ‘Thunderbolt’ Ross gets installed as the new US President. That means President Ritson has been removed from office over his genocidal Skrull plan, or he gets bumped off early in Cap’s next adventure. Either way,Secret Invasion’s finale has a small hand in establishing how events will play out inBrave New World.
Next,Thunderbolts. This movie’s plot will largely be dictated by what plays out inBrave New World, butThunderboltswill haveSecret Invasion’s fingerprints all over it, especially from a political paranoia perspective.
Armor Wars, a Rhodes-starring flick, will benefit fromSecret Invasion’s ending, too. Its final episode showed the real Rhodey being rescued by G’iah from the Gravik’s terrorist compound.Armor Warswill see Rhodey go on a mission to retrieve Stark technology that’s fallen into the wrong hands, so we’ll see Rhodey take flight as superhero alter-ego War Machine as he tries to track down said tech.
However,Secret Invasionposes some interesting questions about how much Rhodey knows about recent MCU events. How long was he held by the Skrulls? If it was pre-Avengers: Infinity Warand/orAvengers: Endgame, does he know about the Blip and that long-time friend Tony Stark is dead?
Heck, he might even have been out of action sinceCaptain America: Civil War– remember, Rhodey was paralyzed from the waist down after he’s accidentally shot by Vision in that film. If he was placed in a coma after that, it’s possible that the Skrulls infiltrated the Avengers compound and swapped him out Raava (the Skrull who impersonates Rhodey in Secret Invasion). All Raava would have to do inAvengers3 and 4, plusFalcon and the Winter Soldier(which Rhodey cameod in) is slowly pretend to be on the mend from his accident before making a full recovery. Given Rhodey is wearing what appears to be a hospital gown in the finale, too, we can’t help but think he was replaced post-Civil War, and not afterEndgameas many fans have predicted.
The real Rhodey, then, might have a lot of catching up to do, including potentially getting over the trauma of learning Stark died defending Earth from Thanos and company. Hopefully,Armor Warswill explain much more about how long Rhodey was imprisoned for inSecret Invasion.
For more Marvel-based coverage, find outhow to watch the Marvel movies in order. Additionally, read our ranking of thebest Marvel moviesand get the lowdown onLokiseason 2, the next MCU TV series that’ll air on Disney Plus in late 2023.
As TechRadar’s senior entertainment reporter, Tom covers all of the latest movies, TV shows, and streaming service news that you need to know about. You’ll regularly find him writing about the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Star Wars, Netflix, Prime Video, Disney Plus, and many other topics of interest.
An NCTJ-accredited journalist, Tom also writes reviews, analytical articles, opinion pieces, and interview-led features on the biggest franchises, actors, directors and other industry leaders. You may see his quotes pop up in the odd official Marvel Studios video, too, such as thisMoon Knight TV spot.
Away from work, Tom can be found checking out the latest video games, immersing himself in his favorite sporting pastime of football, reading the many unread books on his shelf, staying fit at the gym, and petting every dog he comes across.
Got a scoop, interesting story, or an intriguing angle on the latest news in entertainment? Feel free to drop him a line.
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