When Secret Invasion hits Disney + in 2022, it will bring with it Marvel’s greatest mystery game. In Marvel Comics, the "Secret Invasion" event revealed that many well-known Marvel characters had been Skrulls all along. MCU characters whom fans have watched for years will suddenly become suspects in a guessing game of Skrull infiltration in the star-studded Secret Invasion.
Which beloved hero or villain could secretly be a Skrull? It makes sense the shape-shifting alien race would assume the identities of those closest to Earth’s most powerful heroes. Could these doppelgangers have been around as early as the MCU’s Phase One?
Maria Hill
Viewers already know Maria Hill was a Skrull from the post-credits scene in Spider-Man: Homecoming. But the real question is, for how long has she been hiding in plain sight as Shield leadership? Was Hill a Skrull since the early days of the Avengers' formation?
If so, she has had a hand in bringing together the world's superheroes since the early days. It also means she has been guiding the direction of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s leadership in a way that benefits an eventual Skrull invasion.
Happy Hogan
It makes sense that the Skrulls would attach one of their own to the world's most brilliant philanthropist, playboy, superhero. Hogan is Tony Stark's most trusted advisor and has been with Stark before the events of Iron Man. Since Stark's death, Hogan has been part of the remaining leadership team at Stark Industries.
This would give the Skrulls an all-access pass to Stark tech once the invasion commences, putting them at a deciding advantage against anyone who opposes them.
Sharon Carter
In The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, the character of Sharon Carter was presented as a potential antagonist of the remaining Avengers with her devious scheming on Madripoor. So, it's already in her wheelhouse to potentially go rogue as a villain.
It's possible as a Skrull, she was manipulating the events of Civil War in the direction that best suited her plans. As the niece of Peggy Carter, a founding member of the heroic S.H.I.E.L.D., her recent criminal actions make more sense if she was found out to be a Skrull with devious intentions.
Phil Coulson
When Phil Coulson was killed by Loki in the first Avengers film, it was the galvanizing moment for the superhero team to come together. And while he was later revived in the Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D series, that show has not been included as canon in the MCU. It's uncertain if Coulson is alive or dead, so he could return in future MCU properties.
If he's alive, he could have faked his death to make sure the Avengers' attention was aimed at Loki and away from his infiltration of S.H.I.E.L.D. as a Skrull.
Thaddeus Ross
In the comics, Thaddeus Ross has been both a hero and a villain to the Avengers team. At one point he even becomes the Red Hulk in his war with the Hulk. So, it's not far off to believe Ross could already be a villain waiting to reveal his true motives.
If he was indeed a Skrull in hiding, he would be one of the more powerful as he has connections to world leaders and even oversees the Avengers team through the Sokovia Accords. This would make him one of the more powerful shape-shifting spies once the invasion commenced.
Valentina Allegra De Fontaine
As one of the newer characters introduced into the MCU fray, it is ambiguous so far as to Valentina Allegra De Fontaine's true motives. So far she has appeared to recruit various MCU characters with stains on their reputations for a new team, as she did in the Black Widow post-credits when De Fontaine met with Yelena Belova. Her recruitment process could be part of a larger plan to form a team to eventually fight on the side of the Skrulls if there was even more than meets the eye to her appearance.
De Fontaine is coated in mystery, and it hasn't been divulged who exactly she is forming a new super-team for. Might it be for her Skrull leaders?
Hank Pym
The ramifications would shock the entire MCU if one of the founders of S.H.I.E.L.D. and the inventor of Pym Tech turned out to be a Skrull. In the comics, Hank Pym was a much darker character than how he has been portrayed in the films. If his character was revealed to be a Skrull, it would parallel his source material as a man capable of dark secrets.
When dealing with Marvel Comics as source material, weirder things have happened than the original Ant-Man being a space alien with shape-shifting abilities.
Okoye
How better to keep an eye on the mysterious technology of Wakanda than by having the leader of the Wakandan Royal Guard be an alien spy? Okoye is Wakanda's fiercest Dora Milaje warrior, and if she turned out to be a Skrull, Shuri and company are in trouble.
Will she reveal her true identity as early as the aptly titled Black Panther: Wakanda Forever? With Chadwick Bosman's Black Panther absent due to the actor's passing, it could set up a power struggle as the throne sits empty.
Jimmy Woo
Ever since his first appearance in Ant-Man, Jimmy Woo's law enforcement character has appeared more frequently, most recently in WandaVision while investigating the case of a missing person. This would add to the theory of the Skrulls instilling agents around the MCU's most powerful characters, with the recent news that Wanda is in possession of the Darkhold.
Woo is just the kind of unassuming character to get lost in the background of things, giving him an up-close view of what the MCU's movers and shakers are up to.
Erik Selvig
If Eric Selvig turns out to be a Skrull, it means the alien race has been sending out spies since the early days of Phase One. Selvig has been an ally to Thor and the rest of the Avengers in his time in the MCU. If he is a Skrull in disguise, it also means Skrulls are capable of being geniuses in various fields of study, as Selvig is a respected astrophysicist.
It would be worrisome for someone with as much intel on and personal experience with the original Avengers to be on the side of an alien invasion.