Avengers: Endgame: Could Iron Man Have Been A Skrull?

Before we get too far, this post will have major spoilers for Spider-Man: Far From Home. If you have yet to see the movie, proceed with caution. You've been warned! Now that we got the spoiler warning out of the way, let's talk about that Far From Home post-credits scene and what it means for the very future of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

If you've seen the movie, you'll know by now that Samuel L. Jackson (Nick Fury) and Maria Hill (Cobie Smulders) weren't actually those characters in Far From Home. Rather, they were Skrulls sent to Earth to work the mission on direct orders from the real Fury, who was apparently building something — SWORD, perhaps? — in space. So now that we can go through full movies and storylines thinking characters are someone else, the question begs to be asked — what other MCU characters have we seen since the events of Captain Marvel that have actually been Skrulls?

One of the first characters fans may first think of the recently-departed Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.). While many would think Stark being a Skrull in Avengers: Endgame would completely ruin the ending of the film, another contingent of fans may hope it was a Skrull so we can see Downey again at some point in time.

At the very least, it's a peculiar situation because we know Stark and Fury are two of the characters with a serious working relationship, no matter how cagey they may be. To add another layer of depth to the situation, the new EDITH system Stark gifted Peter Parker (Tom Holland) in Far From Home was unable to recognize Fury and Hill as Skrulls. In turn, that leads us to one of two scenarios: Stark was completely unaware of Skrulls, despite knowing dozens of other alien races existed or Stark knew about Skrulls and somehow prohibited the software from picking them up so as not to reveal the secret to Parker or any other people who may have gotten their hands on EDITH.

If Fury and the Skrulls first met in 1996, that means he had been actively working with them for at least 27 years as Far From Home takes place in 2023, not too long after the events of Avengers: Endgame. That means the events of all other MCU movies — with the exception of Captain America: The First Avenger — so we'll just be over here trying not to be paranoid.

What other characters do you think are Skrulls? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below or by tweeting me at @AdamBarnhardt to chat all things MCU!

Avengers: Endgame and Spider-Man: Far From Home are both showing in theaters. Captain Marvel is now available wherever movies are sold.