The latest episode of Secret Invasion teased the Harvest. Here’s exactly what it is and how it involves Avengers: Endgame‘s team of heroes.
Secret Invasion may be the first MCU project to omit superheroes altogether, but their powers have been pivotal to the series as Kingsley Ben-Adir’s Gravik and his rebel Skrulls seek to create a new race of Super Skrulls to help further their invasion of Earth.
The four hero and villain powers featured in the Super Skrull serum up until now include Guardians of the Galaxy‘s Groot, Iron Man 3‘s Extremis, Thor: The Dark World‘s Frost Beast, and Avengers: Infinity War‘s Cull Obsidian.
Secret Invasion’s Major Avengers Connections Explained
Warning – The rest of this article contains spoilers for Secret Invasion Episode 5, “Harvest”
Secret Invasion Episode 5 revealed Gravik, on his mission to create his race of Super Skrulls, is in search of the Harvest – something with major ties to Avengers: Endgame which was hidden by Nick Fury.
Explaining the Harvest to Olivia Colman’s Sonya Falsworth, Fury revealed after “nearly every Avenger spilled blood” in Endgame‘s Battle for Earth, he sent in a group of Skrulls, including Gravik, to collect their DNA samples:
“Nearly every Avenger spilled blood in the Battle for Earth. Even Carol Danvers. In the aftermath, some were sent in to collect that DNA. Some with the ability to blend in. Nobody knew about them but me and the collectors.”
The Harvest was hidden by Fury within his own grave in a Scandinavian cemetery, with the sample displayed as a green liquid in a small vial.
As Fury revealed the Harvest contained the blood of “nearly every Avenger” present at the Battle for Earth – at least those with superpowers whose DNA would be of use – fans now know of all 15 heroes included:
Captain America
Access to Captain America’s DNA would unlock the Super Soldier Serum to the Skrulls, allowing them to optimize their strength, stamina, and speed.
Thor
Although Thor’s Asgardian DNA would certainly be of use, it would likely not let the Skrulls use his lightning or most of his powers as they stem from magic.
Hulk
One can only imagine what a Hulk Skrull could look like, with the giant, super-strong stature bound to make for an imposing threat, especially given the base would come from Endgame‘s refined Smart Hulk who maintained his intellect.
Scarlet Witch
After WandaVision, it’s unclear how much of Wanda’s powers came from birth versus HYDRA experimentation, but any taste of her reality-bending abilities would be deadly in the hands of the Skrulls.
Spider-Man
Perhaps the greatest thing the Skrulls could gain from Spider-Man is his powerful Spider-Sense, as his web-slinging would not be on the table since the MCU’s Peter Parker had to create his own mechanical web-shooters.
Groot
The Skrulls already got their hands on Groot’s tree-branching powers through a sample obtained from vines left in Wakanda during Avengers: Infinity War.
Star-Lord
Peter Quill’s Celestial powers may have been wiped away with the death of his father Ego, but the origins of his blood may still have benefits.
Drax
Drax may not have the broadest powerset, but his people certainly have some extreme strength that the Skrulls would love to get their hands on.
Gamora
Turning to another batch of alien DNA, Gamora once again doesn’t have much in the way of powers but has shown off a range of above-average attributes.
Rocket
Rocket may just be a raccoon at heart, but there’s no telling what advanced enhancements the High Evolutionary may have left in his DNA, beyond the obvious and visible cybernetic ones.
Mantis
The Celestial-hybrid Mantis brings a unique powerset to the table, with her empath abilities allowing her to read and manipulate minds, which could be very helpful to the Skrulls in integrating their way into human society.
Valkyrie
A touch of Asgardian DNA certainly wouldn’t go amiss to the Skrulls, with Valkyrie able to bring strength, speed, stamina, and perhaps some longer life into the mix.
Captain Marvel
Technically, Captain Marvel was the only hero directly confirmed to be in the Harvest as Fury noted “even Carol Danvers” spilled blood in the battle. Her cosmic powers include strength, durability, flight, cosmic blasts, and much more.
Black Panther
The powers of the Black Panther’s Heart-Shaped Herb could give the Skrulls enhanced strength, speed, stamina, durability, reflexes, and agility.
Winter Soldier
Bucky Barnes was one of the few successful recipients of the Super Soldier Serum, which essentially pushes the user to maximum human potential, and possibly even further in the body of a Skrull.
How the Avengers’ Powers Could Play Into Secret Invasion’s Finale
Whether Nick Fury will be able to keep the Harvest out of Gravik’s hands remains to be seen. But if he were to fail, the resultant hybrid of all these heroes will undoubtedly leave a threat almost impossible to defeat without help.
Gravik has already shown off his ability to do plenty of damage just by taking advantage of Groot, Cull Obsidian, Extremis, and the Frost Beast, so adding any more into the mix will only further add to that threat.
Nonetheless, as no Avengers are expected to appear in the Secret Invasion finale, Fury will presumably find a way to keep the Harvest out of Gravik’s hands and bring an end to his Skrull invasion.
The first five episodes of Secret Invasion are streaming now on Disney+.
