The Marvel Cinematic Universe has experienced a mixed reception since the conclusion of the Infinity Saga with Avengers: Endgame. While projects like WandaVision, Loki, and Spider-Man: No Way Home have garnered critical acclaim and audience enthusiasm, others have struggled to maintain the franchise’s previously consistent quality. No MCU production, however, has received as much universal criticism as Secret Invasion, the 2023 Disney+ series starring Samuel L. Jackson. The show’s poorly received plot, disappointing visual effects, and underwhelming execution led many fans to express their desire for Marvel Studios to simply erase it from MCU continuity altogether. Despite these pleas, Daredevil: Born Again has officially confirmed that Secret Invasion remains firmly part of the MCU canon through a subtle but unmistakable reference in its fourth episode.
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WARNING: Spoilers below for Daredevil: Born Again Episode 4
In Daredevil: Born Again Episode 4, Matt Murdock (Charlie Cox) visits detention to meet with Leroy Bradford (Charlie Hudson III), a petty thief charged with stealing food from a bodega. When confronted with overwhelming evidence against him, including surveillance footage and a witness willing to testify, Bradford makes a desperate final excuse: “Could it have been a Skrull?” Matt’s deadpan response of “…Nope” confirms that knowledge of the alien species has reached everyday citizens, including small-time criminals looking for convenient alibis.
[RELATED: Daredevil: Born Again Reveals What Spider-Man Has Been Doing Since No Way Home]
Before Secret Invasion, knowledge of Skrulls was confined to high-level operatives like Nick Fury and cosmic heroes like Captain Marvel (Brie Larson). However, Secret Invasion ended with President Ritson (Dermot Mulroney) declaring Skrulls “military combatants” after discovering his advisor James Rhodes (Don Cheadle) had been replaced by a shape-shifter. That public revelation fundamentally changed the MCU’s status quo, creating a world where ordinary people now live with the knowledge that anyone around them could potentially be an alien impostor. Well, it should have changed things, because the MCU never touched that plot point until Daredevil: Born Again.
How Daredevil: Born Again Acknowledges What Even The Marvels Ignored
Daredevil: Born Again’s Skrull nod is particularly notable because The Marvels — the theatrical film that followed Secret Invasion and featured Nick Fury — largely ignored the events and character development from the Disney+ series. In Secret Invasion, the Skrull terrorists are motivated by the fact they have no home in the cosmos, meaning they want to claim Earth for their own. Yet, The Marvels opens with the Skrulls settled in a new planet, erasing the most significant plot points of Secret Invasion. In contrast, Daredevil: Born Again, a street-level series with no cosmic connections, has done more to validate Secret Invasion‘s place in the MCU canon than the direct follow-up film did.
The casual way Bradford mentions Skrulls demonstrates how thoroughly knowledge of these aliens has spread. Skrulls are no longer just a concern for superheroes and government agencies, but an alien species everyone is aware of after President Ritson’s mediatic tantrum. Of course, there are still many issues with the canon that Daredevil: Born Again can’t solve, as explaining exactly how the Skrull threat impacted people beyond throwaway references. Still, it’s curious to see Marvel Studios is making an effort to recognize that Secret Invasion did happen.
New episodes of Daredevil: Born Again come to Disney+ every Tuesday.
How do you feel about the Skrull Easter egg in Daredevil: Born Again? Do you think Marvel Studios will find a way to make Secret Invasion more relevant in the future? Let us know in the comments!
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Image Credit: Paramount Network Television
