Warning - This article contains spoilers for The Falcon and the Winter Soldier.
The finale of The Falcon and The Winter Soldier , "One World, One People," has concluded the six-week season on Disney+. This was Marvel Studios' second series to release following WandaVision starring Elizabeth Olsen and Paul Bettany earlier this year.
Unlike WandaVision , this series did a lot less to keep fans guessing and more to entertain with high-flying, brutal action and push the MCU forward in several ways (Sam Wilson as Captain America, John Walker/U.S. Agent recruited by Valentina Allegra de Fontaine, Zemo sent to the Raft, etc).
One major question that fans speculated on after Episode 3 was who is the Power Broker? The Direct perviously speculated that it was Agent Sharon Carter , which was all but confirmed to be true in the season's finale. In a conversation between Sharon and Flag Smasher leader Karli, they revealed that the two did work together and that Karli betrayed Sharon aka the Power Broker.
Karli explicitly name-drops Madripoor's ruler when saying, “You just want me, because you want your muscle back. Without us super soldiers, how much power does the power broker really have?” Even though this seems to be a confirmation of what Carter has really been up to all this time, there may be another layer to her schemes.
WHY SHARON CARTER IS A SKRULL
During a mid-credits scene of "One World, One People," Sharon Carter is (finally) pardoned by the U.S. Government and even offered her old position back at the CIA. Afterward, she makes an interesting phone call and says the following:
“Start lining up our buyers. Super soldiers might be off the menu, but we’re about to have full access to government secrets, prototypes, weapons, you name it, it should be something for everyone.”
In theory, this could align with her business as Power Broker on Madripoor, but why is she in need of all the heavy-duty artillery? Sounds like there could be an invasion on the horizon...
Since Avengers: Endgame released in 2019, Spider-Man: Far From Home and WandaVision have been the only two MCU projects released before this star-spangled series. One thing Far From Home and WandaVision have in common is they both feature a Skrull reveal.
During the post-credits of Far From Home, Nick Fury and Maria Hill are revealed to be Talos and Soren respectively. In a mid-credits scene of WandaVision, an FBI Agent revealed herself as a Skrull to Monica Rambeau and recruited her for an off-Earth mission.
Could this third post-credits tease be yet another Skrull reveal?
Of course, this would be a way more subtle reveal, but the point of Secret Invasion is for fans to be surprised by some Skrull reveals. In the comics, Hank Pym, Spider-Woman, and Captain Marvel (Mar-Vell) were revealed to have been replaced with Skrull imposters. As the Secret Invasion cast continues to shape up , the hype is building for this series that is set to throw the entire MCU off course.
"Government secrets, prototypes," and "weapons" would all serve well in a secret invasion.
Having a Skrull working from the inside of the CIA could be an invaluable tool to whatever faction of Skrull will seek to invade Earth. As Power Broker, it is hard to imagine why all of that would be necessary just to rule Madripoor.
This would also open up the possibility that the real Sharon Carter from Captain America: Civil War is elsewhere or dead. Sure, audiences are made to believe that Sharon ran off to Madripoor, went off the grid, and was on the run from the U.S. government. It's a nice story, but why would she seek attention as the Power Broker? Why not lie low and try her best to get pardoned by the government?
Based on the events of The Falcon and the Winter Soldier , it seems like Carter had given up on returning to the states and moved on with her life.
The issue with this is consistency with the character throughout the MCU. In Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Carter was an Agent of SHIELD, sent on assignment to protect Steve Rogers. She fought HYDRA and instead of giving up on the fight, she joined the CIA to continue her journey at SHIELD.
In Civil War , she was an invaluable ally to Steve Rogers and Sam Wilson, returning their heroic gear and doing so in the name of her recently passed Aunt Peggy.
The story of Sharon Carter gets foggy over the seven years between the events of Civil War and The Falcon and The Winter Soldier. She may have used that time to earn the title of Power Broker, but it remains unclear whether she dusted away after Thanos' initial snap.
Theoretically, in the time since she was last seen in Civil War, she was either killed or captured by Skrulls and replaced to use her connections in order to serve their greater mission.
Sharon Carter's phone call indicates she is looking to weaponize an army, possibly a Skrull army. If this theory proves to be true, Emily VanCamp will join a star-studded cast when Secret Invasion eventually premieres on Disney+.
