‘Secret Invasion’ Easter Eggs: 5 Things You May Have Missed in Episode 1

The Marvel Cinematic Universe is back in spy mode with the launch of Secret Invasion. Don’t expect to see any capes, visit any realms, or throw up the devil horns to any sick needle drops any time soon. We’re in dark and gritty territory now as Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) tries his damnedest to prevent a hostile takeover of Earth by the shapeshifting Skrulls.

Even without the Avengers assembling, there is one good old Marvel standby that will be present in Secret Invasion, though — and I’m talking about Easter eggs. You can’t have a spy thriller without plenty of clues and lots of misdirection! Secret Invasion looks like it’s going to be ripe for dissection and analysis, more so than any Marvel show since Loki.

Judging by Episode 1, an installment titled “Resurrection,” our hunch is right on the money. There’s a whole lot to break down in the premiere episode of Secret Invasion — and we’ve done just that. Below you’ll find a whole lot of teases, hints, clues, and references that you may have missed in Secret Invasion Episode 1 — and consider this your SPOILER warning.

1. Know Your Skrulls!

   Secret Invasion is all about the Skrulls, quite possibly Marvel’s most enduring alien species. I mean, they’ve been around since 1961 and debuted in what’s widely considered to be the second-ever Marvel comic (Fantastic Four #2). If we’re watching Secret Invasion for Easter eggs, then we gotta start with the Skrulls — even if all of the Skrulls bear little resemblance to their comic counterparts, and that’s not just because of the shapeshifting.

   First up is Talos (Ben Mendelsohn). Talos the Untamed debuted in Incredible Hulk #418 and differs greatly from the version we see in the MCU. In the comics, Talos was born without the ability to shapeshift and compensated by becoming a feared warrior. He even fought the Hulk to prove his mettle.

   Then there’s Talos’ daughter G’iah (Emilia Clarke), a member of Gravik’s resistance. In the comics, G’iah is the name of a Skrull spy who was stationed on Earth and paired with a mate, with whom she had three daughters.

   Gravik’s right-hand Skrull is Pagon, played by Killian Scott. Pagon’s actually one of the most important Skrulls in the original Secret Invasion storyline, which kinda mirrors his elevated status on the show. In the pages of New Avengers, Pagon was killed while posing as Elektra and revealed to be a Skrull, thus making them the first Skrull imposter discovered by the Avengers. Considering that we haven’t even met the MCU’s Elektra yet, don’t expect to see this plot point repeated.

   During the induction/briefing/transformation scene, we see a Skrull named Kreega played by Irmena Chichikova next to Gravik. It’s a blink-and-miss-it cameo and we only know her name thanks to the credits. She’s important because in the comics, Kreega is a Super-Skrull variant from Marvel’s Mangaverse. Super-Skrulls are Skrulls who have had a selection of superpowers genetically grafted onto them, the most famous of which possesses all the powers of the Fantastic Four. Did the MCU just take a name from the comics like all the others, or is there more in store for Kreega?

   Further proof that the show’s just plucking names from a list of canonical Skrulls, we have Zirksu (Mark Lewis). In the comics he’s a Skrull soldier who acted as D-list hero 3-D Man’s primary antagonist — and on the show he… drives a car.

   Definitely worth pointing out that Gravik, the show’s primary villain, does not have a comic book counterpart and seems to be an original creation for the show. Of course that could change at any moment since the Disney+ shows love a big villain reveal.

3. The Falsworth connection

   While Olivia Colman’s MI6 operative Sonya Falsworth may be new to the MCU and lack a proper Marvel Comics counterpart, she is part of a fascinating and extensive dynasty. Also complex. Did I mention complex? I had to make a crude family tree just to write this entry.

   As I mentioned, there is no Sonya Falsworth in the comics. However, there is another Falsworth in the MCU: James Montgomery Falsworth, played by JJ Feild in Captain America: The First Avenger. Here he is with Bucky (Sebastian Stan).

   In the comics, James Montgomery Falsworth is the superhero codenamed Union Jack. He has a son, Brian Falsworth, who also becomes Union Jack — and is also one of the first gay superheroes in Marvel Comics. His partner: Roger Aubrey, the superhero known as Destroyer.

   James Montgomery also has a daughter, Brian’s sister Jacqueline. She became the superhero Spitfire, who is either a mutant or a vampire or some combination of both depending on what comic you’re reading.

   As for how Sonya fits into this family tree, there are two options. James Montgomery — the character from First Avenger — had a brother named John Falsworth, who became the vampiric villain Baron Blood. Sonya could be his descendant (likely granddaughter). Come on — don’t you want to see this weirdo in the MCU?

   Or if the MCU wants to keep things simple (lol) they could focus on James Montgomery’s line. While his daughter Jacqueline’s lineage has been heavily explored in the comics (so many vampires), Brian’s hasn’t. Maybe MCU Brian had a daughter named Sonya, thus giving Sonya gay dads and that is something we need to see.

   Or, y’know, she could just be a distant Falsworth cousin or something.

4. Present day — NOT!

   The episode opens with a title card establishing the time as “present day” — but that’s not referring to our present day. That’s referring to the MCU’s “present day,” which is actually… 2025. Remember that 5-year jump in time that happened in Avengers: Endgame? Yep, we’re still dealing with that. And because the climax of the episode takes place on Russia’s Unity Day, we know this episode is set on November 4, 2025.

   But as was discussed during the Secret Invasion press conference, the usage of “present day” is meant to simplify all of this for viewers. Producer Jonathan Schwartz said the series is set in “what we’re calling ‘the present day MCU,'” which is code for “post-She-Hulk, post-Blip” — essentially “present-day MCU” means “this takes place after the last thing you watched (She-Hulk: Attorney at Law) and before the next thing you’ll watch (The Marvels, in theaters this November).

5. Those mind-sucking pods

   Remember that row of mind-sucking pod contraptions in the Skrull HQ? The ones that give Skrulls access to the mind and memories of the humans they’re posing as? You can clearly see the art/arms dealer Vasily Poprishchin (Uriel Emil) in one of them way before he — or rather a Skrull posing as him — shows up later in the episode. It may be worth studying the blurry faces of everyone else in those pods so you can keep an eye out for more Skrull imposters.

6. Oh yeah, ‘Spider-Man: Far From Home’

   During his impromptu meeting with Sonya Falsworth, Nick Fury tells her that his drink of choice is bourbon. Sonya says that he’s getting “bottom shelf piss” for “destroying my very expensive flat,” to which Fury corrects her by pointing out that all of her “city” was destroyed, not just her apartment. Sonya is referring to the events of Spider-Man: Far From Home and Mysterio’s attack on London. She associates Fury with this event because Fury was there — well, as far as she knows. We know that Fury was actually Talos posing as Fury while the real Fury was out in space, but whatever — details!