The newest trailer for the long-awaited Secret Invasion series on Disney+ may have offered a tease at the status of the Avengers team in the MCU, following the end of the Infinity Saga.
Despite the MCU producing an entire phase of movies since Avengers: Endgame, the titular team itself has not assembled again after that movie's climax.
Smaller subgroups have certainly worked together, and the team has been referenced numerous times. However, none of Phase 4's films saw Earth's Mightiest Heroes fighting together as one cohesive team.
In fact, Kevin Feige teased at D23 last year "that there currently is a world without the Avengers," leading fans to wonder if the team has, at least temporarily, disbanded in the MCU.
Granted, two more Avengers films are in production, so it likely isn't a permanent end to the team. But, the newest trailer for Secret Invasion does corroborate the claim of a lack of Avengers at the moment.
A Status Update for the Avengers
In the most recent trailer for the upcoming Secret Invasion series, Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) makes a comment that seems to corroborate Kevin Feige's D23 revelation "that there currently is a world without the Avengers" in the MCU.
Around a minute into the newest trailer, Fury can be seen reading a newspaper about the Attack on New York, the colloquial, in-universe name for the events of the first Avengers film.
Behind this clip, someone dubbed an "agent" by the subtitles asks "Where are the Avengers?"
The trailer then cuts to Fury himself, cryptically saying that "this war is one I have to fight. Alone."
While this is not a confirmation that the Avengers are disbanded, it is strange that the person who fought so vehemently for the team's creation is now insisting to take on evils on his own.
Is Nick Fury Really Fighting Alone?
Fans of the Avengers will be quick to assert that no, Fury is never fighting alone. Even when the Avengers aren't actively working as a unit, they will always come together and fight.
However, if the team doesn't know of the threat at hand, and Fury insists on keeping this "invasion" a "secret," then a disbanded Avengers team may not realize it's time to re-assemble once more.
The whole premise of Secret Invasion seems to be pulling from its source comic, focusing on an invasion of Skrulls onto Earth that happened under everyone's noses. If Fury is one of the only ones to know about the looming war, maybe he really will fight it without the Avengers backing him up.
But, as the trailer indicates, he will have allies in Maria Hill, Talos, and more. Even if the Avengers are not there, Fury is never truly alone.
Secret Invasion premieres on Disney+ on June 21.
Gillian Blum has been a writer at The Direct since 2022, reporting primarily from New York City. Though she covers news from across the entertainment industry, Gillian has a particular focus on Marvel and DC, including comics, movies, and television shows. She also commonly reports on Percy Jackson, Invincible, and other similar franchises.
