The second episode of Secret Invasion revealed why the Avengers aren’t part of the Disney+ show.
The Secret Invasion adaptation is almost nothing like its comic book counterpart. While both revolve around a secret Skrull occupation on Earth, the original source material is a much bigger event that involves the entirety of the Marvel universe.
So, instead of a story focusing on the Skrulls and various government factions, parties like the Avengers or the Fantastic Four play integral roles.
When it comes to Marvel Studios’ recent Disney+ series, superheroes are nowhere to be seen. Instead, the story focuses on characters like Samuel L. Jackson’s Nick Fury, Ben Mendelsohn’s Talos, and Emilia Clarke’s G’iah.
Nick Fury Avoids the Avengers
Warning - the rest of this article contains spoilers for Secret Invasion.
After the events of the first episode of Secret Invasion, Nick Fury is on the run. He’s currently one of the most wanted people in the world.
Naturally, the former head of SHIELD reaches out to Don Cheadle’s James Rhodes to warn him and touch base. It’s here where he reveals his reasoning for not including the Avengers in this global debacle.
As Rhodey and Fury secretly meet up, War Machine tells Nick they should call some of their superhero friends.
Fury is quick to rebut the idea, making it clear they “can’t jump the gun on that:”
“No… we can't jump the gun on that… You know, we get them in a fight with the Skrulls, and the next thing you know, they find themselves duplicated and turned into terrorists.”
A Reasonable Explanation for No Avenging Superheroes
While excuses like this tend to feel like cheap answers for why writers can't use crossovers, this one at least makes a little sense. Furthermore, it’s exactly what Nick Fury would think logistically in a situation like that, right or wrong.
Though, without involving any other superheroes, it gives the story little opportunity to utilize the comic’s favorite twist: a superhero that audiences have known for years has secretly been a Skrull the entire time. Though, it certainly isn’t impossible to still incorporate something like that.
If it were to happen, the most likely candidate would be Don Cheadle‘s James Rhodes.
The real question is, what will the superhero community feel about not being kept in the loop about a massive invasion of Earth’s population by an alien species?
Secret Invasion is now streaming on Disney+.
