The penultimate episode ofSecret Invasionis here, seeing the opponents of Gravik (Kingsley Ben-Adir) form a strengthened unification, while Gravik’s own ranks grow restless, with many of them beginning to revolt. StarringSamuel L. Jacksonas Nick Fury,Emilia Clarkeas G’iah, andDon Cheadleas Colonel Rhodes, this episode also (thankfully) much more prominently featuresCharlayne Woodardas Varra/Priscilla andOlivia Colmanas Sonya Falsworth, who has been the absolute highlight of the series.Episode 5provides a great deal of action amid plenty of personal, intimate scenes that dive deeper into the inner turmoil of these characters. That all comes with plenty ofhidden gems, of course, so here’s everySecret InvasionEaster egg you may have missed.
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The Harvest
Now that Gravik’s plan is becoming further shown in the light, it’s clear thathe doesn’t intend to stopat the few samples of DNA he has acquired thus far, and now we knowwhy he’s kept Fury alivedespite multiple opportunities to take him out. Fury is the only one that knows the location of The Harvest, a collection of the Avengers' super DNA, which Gravik seeks to add to his set of Super Skrull powers. Later on, when the Battle of Earth is referenced, you’ll learn whose DNA was harvested and how it was obtained.
The go-to guy for Natasha Romanoff (Scarlett Johansson) is apparently Fury’s go-to guy as well.O-T Fagbenle(ofThe Handmaid’s Talefame) returns to the MCU as Mason, after first appearing in 2021’sBlack Widow. Romanoff was on the run from basically everyone during the events ofBlack Widow, and Fury is currently at a point in which there’s virtuallyno one he can trust, so this Mason may be the most trustworthy individual in the Marvel franchise.
Skrull Tradition
WhenG’iah(Clarke) and Varra (Woodard) are offering Talos (Ben Mendelsohn) anintimate impromptu funeral, we get to learn a bit about the implied traditions of Skrulls. Although Talos apparently “wasn’t much for pageantry,” proper Skrull practice would have included a full procession and a prayer spoken in their native language. After Varra recites the prayer, G’iah simply adds, “Travel well to your beyond, Father.” This gives us a little more insight into the Skrulls' idea of an afterlife, implying that, while they may believe in a form of existence that continues after death, it may be a more personal version than a singular “Heaven.”
Varra’s Home, Her Work, and the Superhuman Gene
While giving G’iah a tour of her and Fury’s home, Varra provides more than just a glimpse into theromantic history of her marriage. She established this home with Fury’s comfort and values firmly in mind, and while he’s spent the decades out fighting his many fights, Varra’s evidently been up to plenty of her own work at home. She has an entire laboratory of sorts, likely aiding her in her studies surrounding the superhuman gene, which is alluded to by a framed book sleeve on her wall — a book she wrote titledDecoding the Superhuman Gene.Varra’s work brings the MCU ever closer to mutantsand the X-Men.
The Widow’s Veil
The Skrulls aren’t the only ones who canchange their faces. The Widow’s Veil, as Falsworth refers to it, appears once again inSecret Invasion, where it’s used by Fury to disguise himself and sneak his way through customs security. We’ve seen it used throughout the MCU, includingCaptain America: The Winter Soldier,Black Widow, andAgents of S.H.I.E.L.D., where it was called a nano-mask.
The Battle of Earth
When Fury is revealing to Falsworth the timeline surrounding The Harvest – how and by whom the Avengers' DNA was gathered – he does a lot more than simply referenceAvengers: Endgameand the MCU’s most legendary battle. Not only does he confirm the dangerous reality of the Avengers' blood having been left behind on the battlefield, including Carol Danvers (Brie Larson), Fury reveals that Gravik led the Skrull collectors that Fury sent to retrieve the DNA samples. This may take a bit of assumption, but the timeline Fury has laid out would suggest that the Rhodey (Cheadle) that said goodbye to Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) in his final moments was, in fact,the real Rhodey. If Gravik had already been at the point ofinstructing his Skrull followers to infiltrate Fury’s allies(like Rhodey), he surely would have been keeping the Avengers' DNA for himself at the same time.
The Blip, the five years that half of the universe spent eliminated from existence, is referenced more than once in this episode. Varra offers G’iah some comfort, revealingher final words to Furybefore he was taken by the Thanos' Snap, suggesting that one shouldn’t hold on to guilt for not expecting more time to reconcile with a loved one. This idea of guilt surrounding the failure of finality seems to be a recurring theme, with Fury later admitting, “If that ain’t enough, maybe I am just dust.” Much like Thor (Chris Hemsworth) went through following Thanos' triumph inAvengers: Infinity War, Fury holds a great deal of shame for having failed the universe in the fight against Thanos.
Fury’s Tombstones
When Fury and Sonya Falsworth are visiting the Fury’s decoy tombstone in Finland where he’s hidden The Harvest, Falsworth inquires, “Don’t you have another one of these?” Falsworth asks Fury, to which he responds, “I got these all over the place, you know? Dead men need options.” This is a direct reference to another tombstone of Fury’s that we’ve seen before, one Fury visited himself with Sam Wilson (Anthony Mackie), Steve Rogers (Chris Evans), and Natasha Romanoff (Johansson) inCaptain America: The Winter Soldierafter his staged death.
Fury’s Iconic Eye Patch
It’s about as unsubtle as an Easter egg could possibly be, but it can’t go unmentioned.It’s actually rather refreshing; it’s a commonly revisited trope for these shows tofinallysuit their heroes in their classic garb in the penultimate or final episodes. Here we haveSecret Invasion’s version of it, with Fury’s big moment being the simple donning of his signature eye patch. As Varra said, what Fury really values is privacy, security, and light. Much like Talos, he was never much for pageantry.
