Summary

• Elektra was the first Marvel character revealed as a Skrull, creating distrust within the Avengers and kicking off the invasion.
• Black Bolt's Skrull imposter was a placeholder to buy time until the real Black Bolt could be weaponized.
• Jarvis, Iron Man's butler, turned out to be a Skrull with masterful tactical skills, impacting SHIELD technology and Tony Stark's suits - and that's just three of the 10 most shocking Skrull reveals in Secret Invasion.

Secret Invasion is one of Marvel Comics’ most iconic storylines to date, as it utilized the Skrulls to the fullest extent of their planetary threat-level while also throwing fans into a high-stakes mystery with more twists and turns than one could count. Brian Michael Bendis and Leinil Yu brought to life a story that made fans question everything they thought they knew about the Marvel Universe, including and especially the beloved characters who populated it.

The anxiety and discomfort of not knowing if a fan-favorite Marvel hero is actually a Skrull with designs to take over the world fueled this storyline, making the reveals that much more impactful when they finally came. While there was no shortage of shocking moments throughout the entirety of Secret Invasion, there are a few that stand out among the rest. Here are the 10 Skrull reveals in Secret Invasion that left fans stunned.

10 Elektra Was The First Classic Marvel Character Revealed To Be A Skrull

New Avengers #31 by Brian Michael Bendis and Leinil Yu

When Elektra was seemingly killed by Echo, she shifted into a Skrull, revealing to everyone that she wasn’t Elektra at all, but an extraterrestrial imposter. This was the first shocking moment that set the stage for Secret Invasion, and believe it or not, that was canonically deliberate.

The Skrulls wanted their Elektra imposter to be discovered in order to create distrust within the Avengers’ ranks - a moment that officially kicked off the invasion, and shocked Marvel’s characters and readers alike.

9 Black Bolt’s Imposter Was A Placeholder For The Skrull’s Real Plans

New Avengers: The Illuminati #5 by Brian Michael Bendis and Jim Cheung

When the corpse of the Elektra-Skrull was brought before the Illuminati, Black Bolt revealed himself to be Skrull as well. While that was a shocking moment that only added more paranoia to the already tense situation, the fact that Black Bolt was replaced actually wasn’t the most important aspect of his replacement.

The Skrulls captured the original Black Bolt in order to use his sonic scream as a weapon, all while one of their own took over his life as a placeholder, effectively just buying time until the real Black Bolt could be weaponized.

8 Jarvis’ Skrull Imposter Proved How Dangerous Iron Man’s Butler Can Really Be

Secret Invasion #1 by Brian Michael Bendis and Leinil Yu

During the official start of Secret Invasion, Jarvis reveals himself to be a Skrull in the most terrifying way possible. Using the knowledge and access he’s accumulated over the years working for Tony Stark and the Avengers, the Imposter-Jarvis implanted a virus in Stark Enterprises technology which impacted SHIELD technology (including helicarriers), as well as Iron Man’s suits.

This replacement truly spoke to the masterful tactical skills of the Skrulls while also being one of immense personal impact for one of Marvel’s most prominent Avengers, Tony Stark.

7 Mockingbird’s Skrull Replacement Ended Up Being A Happy Ending For Hawkeye

Secret Invasion #8 by Brian Michael Bendis and Leinil Yu

Mockingbird was Hawkeye’s wife before she was presumed dead in Avengers West Coast #100, which is why he was so happy to see her again during Secret Invasion. Though that happiness quickly faded when Clint discovered that this wasn’t the Bobbi Morse he was in love with, this was a Skrull imposter. However, at the end of the event, it’s revealed that Mockingbird had never been dead, and the Skrull who abducted/replaced her effectively saved her life.

This was a double-reveal, as not only was a Skrull pretending to be a hero everyone thought was dead, but that hero turned out to actually not be dead after all, making this stunning revelation a happy one for Hawkeye.

6 Sue Storm’s Skrull Replacement Is A Callback To The Skrull’s Marvel Comics Debut

Secret Invasion - Fantastic Four by Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa and Barry Kitson

Sue Storm’s Skrull replacement wasn’t so much of a surprise to fans (since her abduction and subsequent replacement was shown in real time), it did create an interesting scenario for the Fantastic Four. As a Skrull, Sue not only transported the Baxter Building to deep space, but she also created paranoia and doubt within Marvel’s First Family - ie, telling Johnny that Ben was a Skrull. Fans knew that Sue was a Skrull, but the other of the Fantastic Four didn’t, making the moment they found out all the more exciting.

Not only was this storyline interesting (even if it wasn’t very shocking), but it was also a fantastic callback to the very origin of the Skrulls in Marvel Comics, as they first appeared in Fantastic Four #2, so taking the form of a founding FF member during their greatest Marvel Comics storyline to date was perfectly poetic.

5 Brother Voodoo Was The Skrull’s Ticket Into Wakanda

Black Panther #38 by Reginald Hudlin, Francis Portela, Kevin Sharpe, and Carlos Rodriguez

During the time of Secret Invasion, Brother Voodoo was a close advisor to King T’Challa, making the Skrull’s plan to replace him and have him be the key to their invasion of Wakanda especially brilliant. However, when ‘Brother Voodoo’ was killed by Cannibal (ironically, in an effort to keep his secret), he was revealed to be a Skrull.

This reveal stands out among the rest in of the terrifying length of the Skrull’s true reach. Wakanda is perhaps the most untouchable kingdom in Marvel canon, yet the Skrulls still found a way to infiltrate not only the country, but the very inner circle of the king himself. If not for this one hiccup in their plan, the Skrulls would have taken Black Panther off guard and perhaps even claimed Wakanda, which could have been a grim turn in the war for humanity.

4 Captain Marvel’s Skrull Actually Believed He Was The Original Mar-Vell

Civil War: The Return #1 by Paul Jenkins and Tom Raney

Mar-Vell - the original Captain Marvel - returned to Marvel Comics in this Civil War issue after being canonically dead since the iconic and truly heart-wrenching storyline The Death of Captain Marvel. While it wasn’t revealed right away, this Captain Marvel wasn’t the beloved Kree hero after all, but was instead a Skrull imposter. But more than that, this Skrull was a sleeper agent who actually believed he was the original Mar-Vell - even going so far as to turn on his fellow Skrulls to fight on behalf of humanity, just as Captain Marvel would have.

Captain Marvel’s return as a Skrull was a heartbreaking addition to Secret Invasion, as it made fans relive the tragic moment of his death all over again, while also giving him a tear-jerking last adventure (even if it was as a Skrull).

3 Longshot Was Replaced By The Living Representation Of A Skrull God

X-Factor #33 by Peter David and Larry Stroman

This issue of X-Factor reveals that Longshot wasn’t just replaced by a Skrull, but by the living representation of a Skrull god: Nogor the Talisman. Nogor’s presence on Earth acted as something of a bleson the Skrull invasion, which is why it was so important to take him out as quickly as possible, in order to lower Skrull morale and give the heroes of Earth a much-needed edge in the conflict.

Not only was it shocking that Longshot’s appearance had been taken by a Skrull - the same way every other reveal was a surprise - but that he was replaced by a Skrull prophet who spoke on behalf of their god. All things considered, this was pretty notably stunning.

2 Spider-Woman Wasn’t Replaced By Just Any Skrull, But The Skrull Empress

New Avengers #40 by Brian Michael Bendis and Jim Cheung

Since Spider-Woman was a new Avengers recruit at the time with a mysterious past, she was the perfect target for the Skrull Empress herself, Queen Veranke. With Spider-Woman’s appearance, Veranke infiltrated practically every organization on Earth that held significant power, including the Avengers, SHIELD, and Hydra. Plus, she even made anti and pro-registration tensions even worse to deliberately weaken the already fractured post-Civil War superhero community.

To make matters even more insulting, it was Queen Veranke herself who kicked off the Secret Invasion, as ‘Spider-Woman’ was the one who showed Iron Man and the Avengers the body of the Skrull pretending to be Elektra, which added a shocking twist to an already stunning reveal.

1 Hank Pym Was A Skrull For A Shocking Amount Of Time In Marvel Canon

Mighty Avengers #15 by Brian Michael Bendis, John Romita Jr., Klaus Janson, and Tom Palmer

While he was officially revealed as a Skrull in Secret Invasion #1 - and is perhaps the most shocking Marvel hero to receive the Skrull-treatment - the story of how Hank Pym came to be replaced by a Skrull wasn’t revealed until Mighty Avengers #15, which is a story that is far more stunning. The act of the replacement itself was standard, but it was the timeframe that should take fans aback. Pym was replaced shortly after Avengers: Disassembled, meaning Hank Pym didn’t fight in Civil War, his Skrull imposter did.

Hanky Pym - as Yellowjacket - was a central character in Civil War, as he fought in of the Superhuman Registration Act. His participation helped fuel that conflict, but Secret Invasion confirmed that it was all a ruse, making this one of the 10 Skrull reveals that left fans absolutely stunned.