Secret Invasion will shake up the MCU as characters are revealed to have been undercover Skrulls, but Captain Marvel may have already answered why the Skrulls are invading. As Nick Fury and his allies uncover the secretive alien operation to take over the planet, they will no doubt trace the origins of the invasion back to a key detail dating all the way back to the mid-90s, during the events of Captain Marvel. And the first encounters that Nick Fury and Carol Danvers had with the Skrulls during the events of this film may hold the key to why the alien shapeshifters are attacking Earth during the Disney+ series.

Marvel has been teasing the Skrull invasion for years, with the alien shapeshifters making their first live-action appearance in 2019's Captain Marvel. Now, Secret Invasion will reveal a clandestine operation to kidnap certain key human figures and replace them with Skrull imposters, all in an effort to remove humanity from the face of the planet and cede Earth to the control of the Skrull Empire. Much like the 2008 comic book storyline on which the Disney+ series is based, the Skrulls in Secret Invasion have a very specific purpose for attacking humanity, one which justifies their war in their own minds and makes their inevitable defeat all the more tragic.

RELATED: 1 Of The MCU's First Characters Could Be Secret Invasion’s Best Skrull Reveal

Captain Marvel Revealed That The Skrulls Are Refugees

A closeup of a Skrull in the MCU

Captain Marvel's Skrull twist will affect Secret Invasion after revealing that many of the Skrulls who were thought to be villains were actually refugees seeking a home planet after their own was destroyed during the Kree-Skrull War. Talos and his family, who have become close associates of Nick Fury in the years since the events of Captain Marvel, were among these refugees, who were willing to infiltrate Earth if it meant finally regaining a homeland. While this particular group of Skrulls left Earth with Carol Danvers in search of a different planet to call home, the other of their Empire aren't finished with humanity, as evidenced by Secret Invasion.

The Skrull's future is left open in Captain Marvel, with the film never answering whether or not they found a new home planet. Secret Invasion, however, has the chance to answer this cliffhanger, perhaps revealing that the Skrull Empire, much like in the comics, has decided to make Earth their new home. As such, Skrulls have begun infiltrating the planet in an effort to overthrow humanity and claim the planet as their own. While Talos and his group from Captain Marvel may not be involved in this act of war, their mission to Earth may have sparked the Empire's interest in the planet, leading to the events of Secret Invasion.

The Skrull's True Motivation Makes Secret Invasion More Tragic

Talos reuniting with his daughter

While audiences still know very little about Secret Invasion's plot, the revelation that the Skrulls are only invading Earth out of desperation would make the series far more tragic in nature than previously thought. The Skrulls' true motivation would add a healthy dose of nuance to the events of Secret Invasion, making their eventual defeat truly heartbreaking, as the continued existence of humanity requires the inevitable collapse of another alien species. Nick Fury and his allies will be forced to doom the Skrulls to extinction in the near future in order to preserve human life on planet Earth, marking a terrible choice with dire consequences, unless they can find some other way.

The truth behind why the Skrulls are invading Earth, while tragic, would also make Secret Invasion the MCU's most exciting series, dealing with genuine emotion and hard-hitting philosophical questions that will elevate the show beyond a simple superhero story. Giving the Skrulls a reasonable motivation would allow the series to truly question what humanity's continued existence is worth in the grander scheme of the universe, giving the show a memorable conceit that would set the bar for all future Phase 5 releases. Moreover, it would make Secret Invasion one of the most important entries in the Multiverse Saga due to its ongoing impact.

MORE: MCU Mutants Can Make Their Grand Debut In Secret Invasion

Key Release Dates