Avengers: Endgame is going to mark the culmination of the MCU as we know it, but it will also be the beginning of the new MCU, which is going to take a totally different route than the first three phases of the Marvel Cinematic Universe did. With Captain Marvel coming into the picture, there is a lot of room for Marvel to try out some different things. They could potentially set up a thrilling Secret Invasion Storyline with ease, and if not that, they could bring back the Russos for a Secret Wars storyline.
While we have no clue as to where Marvel could be headed post-Avengers: Endgame, we do know it for a fact that a lot of new heroes are going to show up, and Captain Marvel will lead the MCU from the front along with Black Panther. Doctor Strange, will for the third big gun, and these three will be the new Captain America, Iron Man and Thor of the shared Universe, while Spider-Man will also tag along with his solo features.
Avengers: Endgame is going to end with a bombasting bomb, and we don’t know where it could be leading the MCU. But with the introduction of Skrulls in Captain Marvel and reports of their presence in Avengers 4, there could already be a map leading us towards the Secret invasion storyline.
That being said, a Redditor named C_Kern has given us a way of how this infamous storyline may be introduced and portrayed within the MCU. Here’s what he wrote:
“The scene from the Captain Marvel trailer where we see Carol Danvers supposedly being tortured, or captured, is actually the post credit scene of Captain Marvel. I believe that she is being held captive by the Skrulls. What happened after Fury paged Danvers just before turning to dust is that when he contacted her, she had been captured. The Skrull(s) on guard notice her pager light up. They track the signal to Earth, and then they decide to take Danvers` form as Captain Marvel. The one who takes her form stages an “escape from a whole Skrull army” by inflicting mild self-harm, and lightly damaging a pod, and set course for Earth. Of course, this will all be revealed in their Secret Invasion film, as we won`t really know she`s a Skrull. In Avengers 4, I believe we will see an injured “Captain Marvel” crash land to Earth in a Skrull pod. “Captain Marvel” gains the trust of the Avengers and S.H.I.E.L.D. by helping to defeat Thanos and retrieve everyone in Soul World. So the battle we see has nothing to do with Skrulls. That`s where the post credit scene for Avengers 4 would come in, as we see “Captain Marvel” in an empty room smile, as her face morphs into a Skrull`s face and says, “Let the invasion begin.””
The Redditor does set up an insane possibility here. It might just be thrilling to see Captain Marvel deliver the final dialogue with an evil smile, but we know that this exactly won’t be the case. The Redditor also presumes that all the decimated MCU characters are in the Soul World, which may also not be true.
The fact that this theory doesn’t stand point in the MCU is because it was revealed in the recent Captain Marvel prelude comic that Nick Fury doesn’t want to call Captain Marvel willingly. This suggests that things between Fury and Carol towards the end of the Captain Marvel film end with a sort of rift. Fury could be the Iron Man of Civil War, while Captain Marvel could be the Captain America, and that is why Fury never really calls up Captain Marvel, only until now.
Bringing in a Skrull Captain Marvel would lose the purpose of establishing her as the next leader of the MCU. She has to be the strongest MCU hero and give Thanos a run for his money. That cannot be done with a Skrull imposter of Captain Marvel. So, I do believe that a Secret Invasion storyline is what’s next on the cards, but it will certainly not be in the way the Redditor proposes.
Avengers: Endgame comes out on April 26.
