Thanks to Marvel’s Secret Invasion, a new theory suggests that some significant heartbreak is coming for Nick Fury with some key twists and reveals about his loved ones. Throughout the MCU, not much has been revealed about Nick Fury’s personal life. Although this makes a lot of sense for the former head of SHIELD to have more secrets and a large redacted history compared to most, Secret Invasion has begun to pull back the layers of Nick Fury’s past, both with the alien shape-shifting Skrulls and with those who are closest to him (and where the two intersect).
As seen in Secret Invasion episode 2, Nick Fury is on his own, having been officially fired by Col. James Rhodes from his new position in the MCU as the head of SABER. Having extremely limited resources in the face of a massive Skrull infiltration seeking to ignite World War III, the odds are very much stacked against Fury who’s already lost Maria Hill. As such, it’s understandable that Nick Fury has seemingly gone home, greeting his never-before-seen wife Priscilla Fury (played by Charlayne Woodard). However, the twist that she’s in fact as Skrull herself has created two compelling theories about the episodes of Secret Invasion still to come.
Theory 1: Nick Fury Knows His Wife Is A Skrull
The ending of Secret Invasion episode 2 may have led some to think Priscilla was keeping her status as a Skrull a secret from Fury. However, it stands to reason that Fury knows his wife is a Skrull, especially if they’ve been together for an implied 30 years. Having been shown in the flashback to 1997 with Fury’s promise to the Skrull refugees, there was certainly a loaded look between the two. It also seemed as though she was placed as Gravik’s protector after the young Skrull’s parents has been eliminated by the Kree Empire.
It would certainly be strange if Fury didn’t know the truth about Priscilla. After all, Fury is one of the world’s greatest super-spies in the MCU. Instead, it makes a lot more sense that no one else knows the truth about Priscilla aside from perhaps those closest to Fury such as Talos and/or Maria Hill (when she was alive). It would also follow that the existence of Fury’s wife in general was highly classified, much like Hawkeye’s family who were kept secret and anonymous to keep them safe while Clint Barton worked with SHIELD and later as one of the Avengers.
Theory 2: Gravik Is Fury’s Adoptive Son
In that same vein, it certainly seems as though Gravik could be Fury’s adoptive son given the implied connection in the flashback with Priscilla having become his guardian of sorts. Fury and Gravik clearly have a history with the comment from Talos in the premier that he took Fury’s absence the hardest. The unkept promise from Fury combined with parental abandonment after the deaths of his biological parents would certainly explain why Gravik has gone to such extremes as an adult, motivating a full-on covert war between Skrulls and humanity as a result.
Exiling Talos from the Skrull Council, Gravik has since become the new Skrull General with absolute authority. He even has plans to counter the Avengers with a Super-Skrull program amid his goal to end humanity via nuclear fallout, the reason why he and his fellow Skrulls have been pitting Russia and the United States against each other. However, it likely all stems from a very personal vendetta that began with Fury not returning to Earth even after he came back from the Snap.
This adoptive son theory fits with Gravik’s relationship with the young Priscilla as seen in the 1997 flashback. However, it would also explain why Gravik is so willing to trust G’iah despite who her father is (Talos). In this scenario, Gravik would know that paternal links don’t matter when you have a goal.
That being said, it’s become quite clear that Gi’ah is no longer on board with Gravik’s plans to wipe out humanity with a complete takeover of Earth. His tactics have become far too brutal, so much so that Nick Fury might have no choice but to end Gravik permanently, a dark possibility made even more tragic when and if it’s ultimately revealed that the two of them had a father/son relationship that’s since become a bitter rivalry over the fate of their respective species.
Fury Knowing His Wife Is A Skrull Explains Why She’s A Secret
Secret Invasion already confirmed that the government has long been wary of the Skrull population on Earth, and they don’t even know that there are now close to a million Skrulls living on the planet thanks to the summons Talos made during the Blip. If the government knew about Skrulls and their threat, Fury could hardly publicize the fact that he’s married to one. While it would certainly be a wild ride if it’s revealed that Fury didn’t know that his wife was a Skrull this whole time, it would undoubtedly create far more questions than answers.
Instead, Fury knowing all about his wife’s true nature is what makes the most sense for Secret Invasion, as it also explains why she’s been kept secret and has never been seen before in the MCU. Likewise, it also explains why Fury has refused to give up on the Skrulls even after Talos lied to him and kept his own secrets regarding his shape-shifting race. It’s in Fury’s best interest to do all that he can to protect both his spouse’s race and his own.
It’s clear that Nick Fury came to love the Skrull people over the years, and the flashbacks to 1997 proved that he adopted some of their customs such as their forehead touch as a greeting/sign of affection. Likewise, it follows that he must have at least tried to find a world suitable for the Skrulls and simply came up empty, while also being waylaid due to all the threats facing his own world throughout the MCU timeline. As such, the theory that Fury knows he married a Skrull combined with Gravik being his adopted son is as heartbreaking as it is quite likely for Secret Invasion going forward.