Easter Eggs And References You Missed In Secret Invasion
Not since "Captain America: The Winter Soldier" has the Marvel Cinematic Universe (aka the MCU) attempted to make a paranoid political thriller where the heroes don't know who can be trusted. Rest assured, fans who love this genre won't be disappointed by "Secret Invasion," the MCU series starring Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson).
Fans in search of Easter eggs in this series will have their work cut out for them because Marvel isn't doing any hand-holding. Case in point: in the weeks leading up to the show's premiere, Marvel released a sneak peek at the first five minutes, but the clip could only be accessed with a password. And (at least until eagle-eyed fans made this information available to the public) that password could only be found by piecing together six interconnected photos that Marvel posted on social media, only to delete shortly afterward. Fans could only figure out the password using reposted versions of the deleted images. Talk about sneaky!
That moment pretty much set the tone for the entire series; "Secret Invasion" is so intricate that it has Easter eggs within Easter eggs. The show is loaded with enough clues and hidden connections for fans to fill an entire wall with newspaper clippings like Prescod (Richard Dormer) does in the opening sequence of the show.
Are you ready to become a conspiracy theorist? If so, here are all the Easter eggs and references hidden in Marvel's new conspiracy thriller.
The writing on the wall
The various scraps that Prescod has collected on his conspiracy board reveal a lot about what the Skrulls have been up to. For instance, Prescod mentions that the Skrulls were behind five terrorist attacks in five different countries. Three of them he describes to Everett Ross (Martin Freeman): Argentina, Colombia, and the Philippines. The other two can be gleaned from studying the wall — the fourth target was an Oktoberfest celebration in Munich. The location of the fifth attack is probably London since another headline mentions people injured in a London explosion.
One newspaper clipping reads, "Surges in Nationalist Party support after terror attack: Colombia's Ex-Rebel politician sees huge rise in young voters." As some fans have pointed out, this could either indicate that many of these "young voters" are actually Skrulls or only the politician is a Skrull, but he managed to convince a coalition of Colombians to vote for him by playing on the fear sparked by the Skrulls' terrorist attack.
If you look closely, you'll also spot a CIA document with a mugshot of somebody who is presumably a Skrull. The document is labeled "Treadstone – Operation." This might be alluding to "The Bourne Identity" and the other films in the Bourne franchise. "Operation Treadstone" is the name of the black ops organization that trains Jason Bourne to be an assassin. Perhaps "Secret Invasion" was giving a tip of the hat to another espionage thriller.
Opening credits inspired by Edvard Munch
Though they were, in fact, designed using AI, the animated opening credits of "Secret Invasion," which give fans glimpses of Skrulls with their faces morphing, are designed to look as if they have been hand-painted. In fact, it's worth noting that the TV series actually contains a motif of fine art and painting. Nick Fury's Moscow safe house has a poster on the wall promoting an art show at the Brixton Community Gallery called "Island Art." Meanwhile, a Skrull operative in Episode 1 poses as a man named Poprishchin (Uriel Emil), who restores old paintings. However, fans may not realize that the opening credits are actually inspired by classic artwork.
The opening credits were clearly designed in the style of Expressionist paintings from the early twentieth century. Paintings from this movement were known for their unnatural colors, thick layers of paint, and distorted faces, all of which are present in the animated sequence from "Secret Invasion." The opening credits may remind viewers of the work of artists like Ernst Ludwig Kirchner and Erich Heckel – but especially Edvard Munch, who is famous for the iconic painting "The Scream." Expressionist paintings embraced the subjectivity of art, so they are a fitting choice for "Secret Invasion," where Fury and the other characters can no longer believe their own eyes and ears.
Sonya could be descended from a Howling Commando
Nick Fury's grudging ally Sonya Falsworth (Olivia Coleman) is a character created for the "Secret Invasion" TV series. She doesn't appear in any of the Marvel comics, but her last name is awfully familiar.
Sonya shares a last name with James Montgomery Falsworth, a character from the comics who takes on the mantle of the British superhero Union Jack. Observant fans will know that James Falsworth has already appeared in the MCU, as one of the Howling Commandos in "Captain America: The First Avenger," though he wasn't called Union Jack in the film. It's likely that Sonya is meant to be directly descended from this ally of Captain America. It's worth noting that Joseph Chapman, a character in the comics who later succeeded Falsworth as Union Jack, has actually fought Skrulls. Perhaps the MCU intends to combine elements of both characters with Coleman's take on the character in "Secret Invasion."
Twitter users have spotted this detail, and some have even predicted that Sonya will become the MCU's version of Union Jack. In response to a post pointing out the Howling Commando connection, @MiamisOG tweeted "female union jack?" However, not all fans are optimistic that Union Jack will become a major player in the MCU. "Knowing the MCU, Union Jack would just end up being a namedrop and nothing more," tweeted @venom0408.
A nod to Pulp Fiction
A scene from Episode 1 of "Secret Invasion" is an homage to "Pulp Fiction." After all, it wouldn't be the first time the MCU has referenced that film. Nick Fury's tombstone in "Captain America: The Winter Soldier" bears a pseudo-Biblical quote that was recited by "Pulp Fiction" character Jules Winnfield – played by Samuel L. Jackson, naturally. While the show's creators may not have officially set out to reference "Pulp Fiction," Jackson is most definitely channeling Jules here.
The sequence where Fury interrogates Poprishchin will remind viewers of the scene from "Pulp Fiction" in which the hitman Jules enjoys messing with the heads of his soon-to-be victims. Just like in "Secret Invasion," Jules walks right in like he owns the place. He feigns interest in his victim's Big Kahuna burger and then cruelly eats the burger in front of him. Fury doesn't get quite as personal, but he does kick back in a precious antique chair that belonged to King Louis XV, which clearly makes Poprishchin uncomfortable. In both cases, Jackson's character sends a very clear message: he is in total control. Meanwhile, Talos (Ben Mendelsohn) lingers in the background, not having quite as much fun as Fury, just like John Travolta's character from "Pulp Fiction."
With all these nods to the classic film, it's no wonder that some fans have speculated that "Pulp Fiction" and the MCU are actually in the same universe, with Jules simply being a false identity assumed by Nick Fury (or vice versa).
Cold War parallels
Anybody watching "Secret Invasion" will immediately get Cold War vibes, because the show has strong connections to Cold War espionage. The show's creators wear their influences on their sleeves. Executive producer Jonathan Schwartz has said that the series was inspired by spy thrillers set in the Cold War, such as the novels of John le Carré and the TV series "The Americans."
Like in the Cold War, the threat of nuclear war looms over "Secret Invasion," though there's one thing that distinguishes it from real-life events. During the Cold War, there was always one thing that gave both sides pause: the possibility of mutually assured destruction, in which the Americans and the Soviets would nuke much of the planet, leaving nobody alive to enjoy the victory. This possibility prevented both world powers from going too far. There are no such assurances here; the Skrulls actually want mutually assured destruction. The humans can blow each other sky-high, for all they care, because the Skrulls are unaffected by radioactivity. This makes "Secret Invasion" even scarier.
Talos uses the same fake identity he used in Captain Marvel
Marvel fans will spot another Easter egg in the scene with Poprishchin during the first episode. You'll notice that Talos uses the same face that he used in "Captain Marvel" (that is to say, Ben Mendelsohn's real face) and he even uses the same name. When Talos infiltrated SHIELD and first met Fury back in 1995, he used the name "Keller." Now, when Fury and Talos confront Poprishchin, Fury calls his partner "Agent Keller." Clearly Talos is recycling the same fake identity. The only real difference is that Talos wore glasses with his disguise in 1995, but no longer wears glasses during "Secret Invasion."
It makes sense that Talos would dig up his old identity rather than make a new one. Why reinvent the wheel? This makes it easier for Talos to remember his fake name and cover story. However, much like a person using the same password for every single account on every single device, Talos may have gotten careless. Recycling this identity is probably a mistake, because Poprishchin eventually sees through the disguise and recognizes him as Talos. It seems like Poprishchin must have worked with Talos in the past, perhaps as far back as 1995 (which is plausible, considering that Skrulls have long lifespans), so maybe he finally remembered where he'd seen that face before. (It was probably the glasses that threw him off.)
The many faces of Gravik
Most of the Skrulls on "Secret Invasion" are only shown wearing the face of a single human. In fact, the major Skrull characters like Gravik (Kingsley Ben-Adir) are shown only in their human form as the story begins, because they're in such deep cover they choose not to show their real faces even when they're with fellow Skrulls. However, Gravik has multiple fake identities, a fact that he flaunts during the Moscow terrorist attack because he knows Fury is watching and he wants to rub it in. Here are all of Gravik's fake identities from Episode 1, and where you've seen them before.
The first, of course, is the face that Gravik uses to get Fury's attention: the girl with the rainbow ball. Before the terrorist attack, she's seen running through the streets of Moscow, right before Sonya kidnaps Nick Fury. Meanwhile, some fans have pointed out that another passerby from that same sequence is also Gravik. The woman sitting on a bench overlooking the river is the same person whose face Gravik wears during the attack. Finally, there's the man from the bar who tells Fury, "You'll never be the man you once were." This suggests that Gravik has overhead the conversation between Fury and Maria Hill (Cobie Smulders). Perhaps that's what gives him the idea for the worst possible way to torment Fury: by having Maria, who already feels betrayed by Fury, be shot by somebody who looks exactly like Fury.
The Skrull Council is made up of world leaders
If you've been paying attention, then you'll know that some members of the Skrull Council shown in Episode 2 have appeared elsewhere in the series. Most of these Skrull leaders hold some kind of important position in human society, whether they're world leaders or well-known television figures. In the news coverage of the Moscow bombing, the Skrull who adopted the name Pamela Lawton (Anna Madeley) can be seen denouncing the attacks; She is posing as the U.K. Prime Minister. Meanwhile, Sergio Caspani (Giampiero Judica) is revealed to be the NATO Secretary General. Even Chris Stearns (Christopher McDonald), a talking head from an American news channel, is a Skrull. The only council members who don't seem to have infiltrated major institutions are Jack Hyuk-Bin (Christopher Goh) and Shirley Sagar (Seeta Indrani). Also, President Ritson (Dermot Mulroney) is noticeably absent from the council, but that doesn't necessarily mean he's not a Skrull. And if he isn't a Skrull, he is probably one of Gravik's next targets.
Fans familiar with the 2008 "Secret Invasion" comics will know that the news reports (and the subsequent reveal that these people are all Skrulls) parallel a scene from the comics. In "Secret Invasion" #5, there is an entire two-page spread devoted to showing all of Earth's leaders on live TV, cheerfully announcing that they have been Skrulls all along. While the corresponding scene from the Disney+ series is not nearly as chilling, it certainly has a similar effect.
Easter eggs in the Skrull DNA database
The scene where G'iah (Emilia Clarke) goes snooping around the Skrull DNA database is a smorgasbord of Easter eggs.
The list of DNA Harvest samples should be very familiar to Marvel fans. For example, one of the DNA specimens comes from a Frost Beast from Jotunheim. The sample labeled "Extremis" references the genetic experiment conducted by Maya Hansen (Rebecca Hall) and Aldrich Killian (Guy Pearce) in "Iron Man 3." Another specimen belongs to none other than Groot (Vin Diesel) himself. This would explain the brief clip from the "Secret Invasion" trailer that shows Gravik shooting tendrils from his arm that look suspiciously like Groot's: He is probably using some of Groot's DNA to produce similar powers. The last DNA sample is labeled "Cull Obsidian," who fans will recognize as a member of Thanos' Black Order from "Infinity War." This also sheds some light on another small detail from the trailer: A mysterious case labeled "SPECIMEN SAMPLE: CULL."
That's not all. G'iah's login screen displays the message "Override Accepted ACT HTTP-616." The numbers are clearly meant to allude to Earth-616, the universe where many of the stories in Marvel comics take place. Meanwhile, the profile for the Skrull Beto (Samuel Adewunmi) is labeled as "DNA Echo / Sequencing Result 838." This must be a nod to Earth-838, an alternate universe that was featured in "Dr. Strange in the Multiverse of Madness" and home to the Illuminati.
A bull in a butcher's shop
Aside from being a really cool location for an interrogation scene, the butcher's shop from Episode 2 of "Secret Invasion" is also the source of an Easter egg. If you look closely, you will glimpse a logo on a white coat hanging in the front of the shop: It depicts the stylized shape of a bull. That same logo is planted in the background of the previous episode. When G'iah is sneaking around Moscow on her way to meet up with Poprishchin, there is a refrigerated truck in the background that bears this same logo. You can even see men in white coats lugging slabs of meat from the truck.
If the entire butcher's shop is a front for one of Sonya's operations, then this would suggest that when Fury and Talos were tailing G'iah, Sonya wasn't far behind. Of course, it seems like Sonya is running her operation right under the nose of the owner, who is surprised when Sonya waltzes into his shop despite it being locked. Either that, or he is simply paid to let the MI6 use his shop and not ask questions. In which case, it might simply be an astonishing coincidence that the butchers were unloading meat just a few feet away from a Skrull.
Priscilla Fury was foreshadowed in the MCU
So wait — Nick Fury has a wife? This plot twist at the end of Episode 2 may seem like it came out of nowhere, but it was already canonically established in the MCU. Nick Fury alluded to his wife Priscilla (Charlayne Woodard) in a throwaway line from "Captain America: The Winter Soldier." "My wife kicked me out," he told Steve Rogers (Chris Evans). It's understandable why fans didn't give this line much thought. After all, it seemed like Nick Fury wasn't necessarily telling the truth — he was just trying to make idle chatter so he could silently signal to Steve that Hydra was listening in on their conversation. Some fans were convinced that Fury had no wife and was simply talking in code; his wife kicking him out could have simply been a way of saying "Hydra has locked me out of SHIELD and is trying to kill me."
Well, it turns out Nick Fury didn't pull that story out of nowhere. He actually does have a wife, and it wouldn't be surprising if she did kick him out at one point. The moment from "Secret Invasion" where Priscilla scolds Fury for not wearing his wedding ring (and all the marriage problems that this implies) is actually in-character for Fury in the comics. In some iterations of his character, he is not exactly the best husband. For example, a storyline from "Ultimate Comics: Avengers" reveals that he cheated on his wife Monica countless times.
Gravik is essentially the Super Skrull
Although there is no Gravik in the Marvel comics, fans will know that he's based loosely on Kl'rt the Super Skrull. Like Gravik, Kl'rt is the first Skrull to gain superpowers, replicating the powers of each member of the Fantastic Four in the comics. Since the Fantastic Four have yet to make their debut in the MCU, however, "Secret Invasion" finds a different way to include the Super Skrull. Rather than stealing the powers of the Fantastic Four, Gravik borrows special abilities from minor characters in the MCU. In Episode 3, he uses the same regenerative healing powers as Aldrich Killian and the other test subjects of Extremis. And thanks to the trailer, we know Gravik will show off some Groot-like tentacles in a later episode. Eventually, fans might also see powers associated with the Frost Beast or Cull Obsidian.
Some fans have observed that the four DNA samples noted in the show could give Gravik powers that vaguely resemble the powers of the Fantastic Four. The way Gravik shoots tendrils from his arm is not unlike the stretchy powers of Mister Fantastic. Meanwhile, "Iron Man 3" showed that humans with Extremis can not only heal themselves but also breathe fire, which calls to mind the Human Torch. So far, any connection to the Thing or Invisible Woman would be a stretch, but maybe it will become apparent once we see more of the Super Skrull.
Priscilla name-drops a Black Widow villain
A scene near the beginning of "Secret Invasion" Episode 3 confirms that Fury is indeed married to a Skrull. Her real name is Varra, and fans will recognize her as the same Skrull from Episode 2 who introduced Fury to young Gravik (Lucas Persaud) in 1997.
The flashback in Episode 3 reveals that Varra (aka Priscilla) has been spying for Fury, and when she shows Fury her findings, she alludes to a character from another MCU movie. Passing him a bloodstained envelope, Priscilla says, "This should put Dreykov's men on their heels." She is of course referring to General Dreykov (Ray Winstone), the primary villain of "Black Widow." The title card at the beginning of the flashback places it in 1998, a full decade before the events of "Iron Man." At this point, Fury hadn't yet recruited Natasha Romanoff (Scarlett Johansson), and in fact, Natasha would have been a teenager, still completing her training to become a Widow. Yet Dreykov's Red Room operation would have still been very much underway at the time, and it makes sense that SHIELD was trying to gather intelligence on him.
This sequence also proves that Talos was right –- Nick Fury only became director of SHIELD and saved the world multiple times because he was standing on the backs of his loyal Skrull spies. Who knows if Fury would have been able to foil Dreykov's plans -– or later recruit Natasha –- without the intelligence that Priscilla collected for him?
The hostage exchange makes a callback to Captain Marvel
The sequence where Nick Fury and Bob (David Bark-Jones) take hostages is yet another example of a twist that was foreshadowed in a previous MCU film. When Fury and Talos are sneaking around the house of the Skrull posing as Robert "Bob" Fairbanks, Talos tells Fury via earpiece, "Sorry, Nick. I was busy kicking Bob's a**." At a glance, this dialogue sounds innocent enough, but Fury knows right away that something is amiss. It turns out that Bob is holding Talos at gunpoint, hoping to lure Fury into a trap, but Fury doesn't fall for it.
Funnily enough, fans who paid close attention during "Captain Marvel" would also know that something isn't right. When Carol Danvers (Brie Larson) meets Fury in 1995, she can't help but overhear his full name: Nicholas Joseph Fury. Naturally, she's a little curious, but Fury quickly shuts that down. "Everybody calls me Fury," he says. "Not Nicholas. Not Joseph. Not Nick. Just Fury." He adds that even his own mother calls him "Fury."
If you already know that Fury's first name is a touchy subject for him, then it's easy to spot Bob's deception from a mile off. Unlike Talos, Bob hasn't known Fury for decades, so he couldn't possibly have known that trying to get onto a first-name basis with him is a big no-no. This mistake proves to be Bob's undoing.
Rhodey was foreshadowed to be a Skrull
The ending of "Secret Invasion" Episode 3 all but confirms that Rhodey (Don Cheadle) is a Skrull. Priscilla asks for Gravik on her phone, and then a voice that's clearly not Gravik replies, "Yeah, well, you're talking to me." Fans immediately recognized the voice as Rhodey.
Of course, this may only confirm what many viewers already suspected. Countless fans have predicted that the only Avenger in the show would be a Skrull –- in part because it makes story sense, but also because Rhodey has been acting odd from the start.
For one, Rhodey admits that he's known about Skrulls for 15 years, yet he's still very dismissive of Fury's warning that an invasion is underway -– just like the Skrull impersonating Ross. What's more, firing Fury seems way out of line, even for Rhodey, who plays by the book but never flaunts his power as a government official. At times, Rhodey seems unable to contain a smile, like he's not just doing this out of necessity and is actually enjoying himself. Other fans have pointed out that Rhodey recommends calling the Avengers. This should set off alarm bells because as Fury points out, the last thing they want is the Skrulls impersonating any Avengers. Dragging the Avengers into the fight is exactly what the Skrulls want so that they can defame the heroes (like they do with Fury) and maybe even replicate their powers. The clincher, however, is when Rhodey addresses Fury as "Nick," though Fury doesn't seem to notice.
A bench is dedicated to a member of the Carter family
One scene from Episode 4, "Beloved," shows Talos and G'iah sitting on a park bench. The bench is meant to be a memorial, because it's engraved with the words "Carter 1933-2000." Unfortunately for Marvel fans, the first name of this person is obscured, so that means they can only guess which character this Easter egg is referring to.
It is definitely not Peggy Carter (Hayley Atwell). If Peggy had been born in 1933, she would have only been a kid during the events of "Captain America: The First Avenger." However, it's very possible that Peggy Carter had a younger sibling. In fact, the TV series "Agent Carter" shows that Peggy has a brother named Michael (Max Brown). Although Michael is presumed dead for much of the series, Season 2 reveals that Michael is still alive, which means it's at least plausible he could have lived until 2000. Of course, "Agent Carter" is not necessarily canon, and once again the dates don't add up, since Michael wouldn't have been old enough to serve during World War II if he was born in 1933.
Regardless, Peggy Carter almost definitely had some kind of sibling in the MCU, even if it's not Michael. In "Captain America: Civil War," Sharon Carter (Emily Vancamp) mentions that Peggy is her aunt. Vancamp later clarified that Peggy is technically Sharon's great-aunt. The most likely way this could have happened would be if Peggy Carter had a sibling, who would be Sharon's grandparent.
Rhodey makes a callback to his last meeting with Fury
Once Fury confirms in "Beloved" that Rhodey is indeed a Skrull, he gives Rhodey a surprise visit. He breaks into Rhodey's home and reclines at his table, holding a bottle of Pappy Van Winkle bourbon.
The exchange may remind viewers of a sequence from Episode 2, where Rhodey was waiting at a tavern (also with an expensive drink) to tell Fury he was fired. It's a similar backdrop and a similar confrontation, except now their roles are reversed. Here Rhodey is on the defensive, since he is clearly concerned that Fury is onto him, and he is rightfully suspicious of the drink Fury places in front of him. "Should I be worried about poison?" he asks Fury. This is the exact same question Fury asked Rhodey in Episode 2. Rhodey may be anxious that his cover could be blown, but at least he has the presence of mind for a witty comeback. Fury replies with an equally witty response. "Poison? No!" he says, before cheerfully correcting Rhodey. "Nanotech," he explains.
Ironically, that is exactly what's in Rhodey's drink. The next scene reveals that Rhodey's drink contains something that Talos calls "liquid location tracker." Yet because Fury readily shares this information, Rhodey assumes there is no way Fury is being serious. By the end of the scene, Rhodey lets down his guard and begins sipping the drink. This is a classic example of hiding in plain sight — something that you'd think a Skrull, masters of that tactic themselves, would catch.
One agent's arm is in a sling
Let it never be said that the MCU doesn't make great efforts to maintain continuity.
During the tavern scene in Episode 2, Fury gets into a little scuffle with an unnamed member of Rhodey's security detail. When the man tries to grab Fury and escort him out the door, Fury breaks from his grip and twists the man's arm behind his back. Observant fans have pointed out that this same character appears again in Episode 4, in the scene where Rhodey greets President Ritson. The agent's arm is in a sling, clearly the result of his encounter with Fury. This man is not invincible, after all, nor does he have Extremis, so it makes sense that he would sustain injuries from the fight.
This little Easter egg is a nice reminder that you should never mess with Nick Fury. Plus, it's good to know that the background characters in a Marvel show don't automatically regenerate the moment they're no longer onscreen.
Rick Mason gets a cameo
Many Marvel fans were hoping to see an Avenger besides Rhodey in "Secret Invasion." While Episode 5 doesn't offer any Avengers, it does at least provide a cameo of an MCU character you've probably forgotten about — which counts for something.
We bet you've never given a second thought about Rick Mason (O-T Fagbenle) from "Black Widow." If you recall, Mason is the guy who Natasha called when she needed to lie low. When Natasha was on the run in "Black Widow," he provided her with a safehouse and multiple fake identities, including the unfortunate moniker of Fanny Longbottom. We suspect that nobody was expecting Mason to appear in "Secret Invasion," yet in Episode 5 he pokes his head into Nick Fury's jet, tossing Fury a fake ID and some sassy one-liners.
As a bonus, Fury mentions that he'd rather be on his Helicarrier, and Mason explains what became of Fury's gargantuan aircraft. "That's been mothballed," he says. The last we saw of Fury's famous Helicarriers, after Steve Rogers needed to destroy most of the fleet to stop HYDRA, was when Fury brought one out of storage to help the Avengers in the Battle of Sokovia. Unfortunately for fans, Fury won't be bringing out the big guns in this series, though we suppose we can hold onto the hope that we might see them in the future. Mason uses the term "mothballed," which indicates that the Helicarriers are being kept safe in case they might be needed again.
Fury uses tech from The Winter Soldier
In a scene at the Finnish airport, "Secret Invasion" introduces us to a character we've never seen before, a man called Mr. Kerhonen. Still, we know he must be important if the episode spends so long following this guy. The next scene reveals that Kerhonen is actually Fury in disguise, and he is using a special technology that we haven't seen since "Captain America: The Winter Soldier." The 2014 film features the same holographic mesh that Fury uses to change the features of his face to make him look like somebody else. Natasha used the same trick to pose as Councilwoman Hawley (Jenny Agutter) and sneak inside SHIELD headquarters. It turns out this tech has a name: the Widow's Veil.
Of course, the Widow's Veil is not as sophisticated as what we saw in "Captain America: The Winter Soldier" — a fact that Sonya gleefully lampshades. She points out that if such technology can convincingly change the face of the wearer, then surely it can also disguise the rest of Fury's body. Yet Fury needs to wear gloves just to conceal the skin on his hands. (When Natasha used this tech, her holographic mesh extended to cover her hands.) Fury replies that he's stuck with an older model. As smart as this technology is, it can't give the bald-headed Fury any hair; for that, he needs to wear a good old-fashioned wig.
Despite its shortcomings, the Widow's Veil is the closest Nick Fury will ever get to having the shape-shifting abilities of a Skrull.
Rhodey makes a nod to an SNL sketch
The MCU loves making references to other Marvel properties and to other iconic moments from pop culture. Still, we bet nobody expected "Secret Invasion" to allude to a political skit from "Saturday Night Live." A line from Episode 6 is, intentionally or not, a nod to a 1988 "SNL" sketch called "ABC Campaign '88: Presidential Debate," starring Dana Carvey as George H.W. Bush and Jan Hooks as moderator Diane Sawyer.
In the famous comedy sketch, the moderators ask Bush what he would do about homelessness in America, and Bush gives them the runaround. Rather than proposing any policies or goals to solve the problem, Bush keeps echoing the same vague slogans: "We're getting the job done. We can do more, but let's stay the course. A thousand points of light." Even when Sawyer assures him he still has plenty of time left to speak, Bush simply repeats, "Stay the course."
During a standoff in Episode 6, in which President Ritson is deciding whether he should believe Rhodey or Fury, Rhodey uses these exact same words. "Mr. President, listen," he says. "Just stay the course, all right?" This line from Rhodey implies that many real-life politicians are basically Skrulls (metaphorically speaking). Like Skrulls, politicians may wear friendly faces, but there's always an agenda behind their actions, and they are not above spewing empty platitudes or even outright lies to get what they want.
The bunker from Civil War now contains nuclear weapons
When Rhodey is urging President Ritson to plunge the planet into a nuclear war, we are given a brief glimpse of the bunker that contains the nuclear warheads. It will look awfully familiar to Marvel fans; it's visually very similar to the bunker where Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) and Steve Rogers fought at the end of "Captain America: Civil War." Fans will recognize the same array of platforms encircling the shaft and the same circular hatch at the top. While it's true that most bunkers probably look the same, it can't be a coincidence that the design is so similar to the one from "Captain America: Civil War." Obviously, that bunker didn't originally hold nukes, but it's certainly possible that the former HYDRA bunker could have been rebuilt or repurposed by the U.S. government in the intervening time.
The parallel was likely intentional on the showrunners' part, as this wasn't the first time they used a visual reference to "Captain America: Civil War." The title cards that appear on the screen in "Secret Invasion" to introduce new locations are in the exact same font as the title cards that appear in "Captain America: Civil War." Clearly, the creators of this show were trying to signal that "Secret Invasion" falls under the same genre as "Civil War" — grounded espionage thriller — and use those nods to show that the two belong in the same corner of the MCU.
Gravik and G'iah use Avengers powers
During the show's climax, Gravik and G'iah show off their new powers, which come from the DNA of several different Marvel characters. Both use Captain Marvel's abilities to fly and shoot beams of cosmic energy. Throughout the fight, Gravik's arms shapeshift into the arms of Korg (Taika Waititi), the Abomination (Tim Roth), Cull Obsidian (Terry Notary), and Ebony Maw (Tom Vaughan-Lawlor). He also flaunts Ebony Maw's telekinesis powers. Meanwhile, G'iah also borrows the DNA of Korg and Cull Obsidian, and she flexes a bicep that clearly belongs to Drax (Dave Bautista). While she's at it, she dodges Gravik by phasing out, a power she got from Ghost (Hannah John-Kamen), whom you may remember from "Ant-Man and the Wasp." G'iah even uses the empath abilities of Mantis (Pom Klementieff).
Several other character's abilities were not shown in the battle, but their DNA was still clearly part of the Harvest, according to Gravik's computer monitor. These include Captain America, the Winter Soldier, Black Panther, Thor, Valkyrie, Gamora, the Hulk, Thanos, and more of Thanos' minions (like the Chitauri and the Outriders).
If you examine the list closely, it does raise some questions about where Fury got some of the DNA samples. Fury explains in Episode 5 that he collected the DNA from the blood spilled at the Battle of Earth in "Avengers: Endgame." Viewers like YouTuber Cosmic Wonder have observed that a couple of the DNA donors — namely, Ghost and The Abomination — weren't even present at the Battle of Earth, so Fury must have gotten them elsewhere.
How long was Rhodey a Skrull?
Most fans knew right away that Rhodey was a Skrull, but many were wondering exactly how long he'd been one. Some have guessed that Rhodey was only replaced after his cameo in "The Falcon and the Winter Soldier." Others have speculated that Rhodey was a Skrull ever since "Iron Man 2." An Easter egg in Episode 6 of "Secret Invasion" gives us an answer — well, sort of. The series won't give us an exact period of time; G'iah simply tells him, "You've been held hostage for a long time." However, there are little clues that allow us to guess when Rhodey might have been replaced by an imposter.
Once Rhodey is released from his pod, we see he has difficulty walking. This proves that the real Rhodey was present in all the MCU movies up until "Captain America: Civil War," when he received his spinal injury. Now, in "Secret Invasion," we see Rhodey wearing a hospital gown, which suggests that maybe he was replaced while he was still recovering from the "Civil War" incident. Of course, viewers like YouTuber Heavy Spoilers have pointed out that Rhodey was wearing leg braces in "Avengers: Endgame," but his braces mysteriously disappeared in "The Falcon and the Winter Soldier." So perhaps the Skrull merely started impersonating Rhodey at the start of Phase 4.
We have no way of knowing for sure — at least until the release of "Armor Wars," which will presumably fill in what happened to Rhodey.