One of the Avengers: Endgame cast members reflected on the surprising Skrull reveal in the latest episode of Secret Invasion on Disney+.
Secret Invasion is filled with shocking revelations poised to impact the rest of the MCU.
The show’s debut episode killed off Colbie Smulders’ Maria Hill while the other installments confirmed that Nick Fury is married to a Skrull and that there are Super Skrulls waiting to strike.
Avengers: Endgame Opens up About Shocking Skrull Reveal
Warning – The rest of this article contains spoilers for Secret Invasion Episode 4.
Speaking with Marvel Entertainment, Avengers: Endgame star Don Cheadle, who portrays the MCU’s James Rhodes aka War Machine, discussed Secret Invasion‘s latest reveal of him being a Skrull.
Cheadle first admitted that “it’s fun to fold that [Skrull reveal]:”
“It’s fun to fold that in and know that that’s what’s happening underneath all of these Rhodey scenes. Rhodes is not who he appears to be.”
In Secret Invasion Episode 4 “Beloved,” it was revealed that Rhodey is being impersonated by a female Skrull named Raava (played by Nisha Aaliya).
It is unknown how long Rhodey has been a Skrull, but Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige teased that fans will come to “understand exactly how long he’s been a Skrull” before hinting that he has been a Skrull in “some” of his previous MCU appearances.
In the latest MCU crossover series, Rhodey is a trusted envoy and adviser to United States President Ritson.
Aside from the character’s important government role, Secret Invasion Episode 4 further proved that not everything is what it seems to Rhodey when he asks Nick Fury’s wife, Priscilla, to kill the former SHIELD director.
This led to an intense confrontation between Rhodey and Fury inside the former’s hotel room. After sneaking in, Fury strongly hints at Rhodey that he is aware that he isn’t who he appears to be, but the fake Avenger refuses to acknowledge it.
Cheadle described the relationship between Rhodey and Fury as a “sort of [a] cat-and-mouse game:”
“It becomes sort of a cat-and-mouse game between the two of them, about what he has on Fury and if he’s going to release information about Fury. Fury has to play it the right way while still trying to protect and save the planet.”
When Did the Skrulls Replace the MCU’s James Rhodes?
Don Cheadle’s latest comments combined with Kevin Feige’s previous remarks suggest that James Rhodes aka Rhodey has been a Skrull for a while, potentially even during the events of the Infinity Saga.
Some have claimed that the Skrulls replaced Rhodey after the Avengers’ airport battle in Captain America: Civil War. This theory makes sense, considering that Rhodes was in a vulnerable position after being paralyzed from the waist down.
Others have speculated that the Skrulls abducted Rhodey sometime before the events of Avengers: Infinity War or even during the five-year gap between that movie and Avengers: Endgame.
The reveal of when and how Rhodey was replaced is essential since it will allow fans to have a different viewing experience when rewatching certain MCU movies that feature War Machine.
Hopefully, Secret Invasion will eventually reveal when the Skrulls replaced Don Cheadle’s James Rhodes sooner rather than later.
Secret Invasion is streaming on Disney+.
