5 years after the Mad Titan’s defeat in Avengers: Endgame, the MCU has revealed yet another reason that “Thanos Was Right” in Marvel’s new Secret Invasion show. Seeking to balance the universe from overpopulation and what he saw as inevitable extinction, Thanos collected the Infinity Stones to erase half of all life in the universe at random, believing he was saving the remaining half. While the Avengers were able to time-travel and collect Infinity Stones of their own from the past to undo Thanos’ victory in the present, the aftermath of Avengers: Endgame is still being felt in Marvel’s Phase 5 (and there have been undeniable consequences).
A core belief in the MCU that has continued to pop up is the controversial idea that “Thanos Was Right”, a tagline first seen in Marvel’s Hawkeye series via graffiti as well as a printed mug. However, there have also been more tangential connections in other Marvel projects, and Marvel’s new Secret Invasion show has joined the conversation. Inherent within the plot of the show’s primary antagonist Gravik (Kingsley Ben-Adir), the alien Skrull leader’s mission might not be necessary had Thanos’ Snap not been undone by the Avengers.
Gravik’s Secret Invasion Plan Mirrors Thanos’ Villain Motivation
As revealed in Secret Invasion’s premiere episode, several of the shape-shifting Skrulls living on Earth have grown tired of the unkept promises made by Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) and Carol Danvers (Brie Larson), both of whom promised to help the Skrulls find a home of their own. After all, those promises were made 30 years prior as seen in 2019’s Captain Marvel which was set in 1995. Led by Gravik, a Skrull rebellion has now begun in 2015 after Fury’s primary Skrull ally Talos (Ben Mendohlson) has been exiled from the Skrull Council.
Immune to radiation, the Skrulls have been operating out of Russia and its many abandoned nuclear power plants, orchestrating terrorist attacks that will likely only escalate as Gravik seeks to claim Earth for Skrull-kind. The end goal looks to be inciting a nuclear war between the United States and Russia, one that only Skrulls would benefit from as the resulting radiation covering the world would only harm humans, allowing Skrull’s to become the dominant power on Earth. As such, the discussions about limited resources on planets seem linked to the Skrull’s decision to irradiate the Earth and destroy humanity’s ability to live on it.
The idea of not sharing/there being too many inhabitants on a planet to share peacefully seems inherent in both the plot of Avengers: Endgame with Thanos and now with Secret Invasion with Gravik. It’s the most likely reason why the Skrull still don’t have a world of their own. It stands to reason that any Skrulls alive after Thanos’ Snap would have thrived as they likely would have found a new planet to call home rather quickly.
Every Way The MCU Proved Thanos Right After Endgame
Secret Invasion is by no means the first Marvel project to provide evidence for the “Thanos Was Right” argument. Avengers: Endgame itself proved global pollution had decreased during the Blip with Captain America’s comment about seeing whales swimming through New York’s Hudson River. Also, Falcon and the Winter Soldier’s plot was largely focused on the Flag-Smashers, a radical group that formed in defense of refugees who were forced out of their homes and jobs after those who’d been snapped returned after their 5-year absence.
Additionally, conflicts over resources and an arms race for greater power have continued as seen in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. Now, the Skrulls are determined to claim a new home by any means necessary in Secret Invasion. Unfortunately, it all points back to Thanos having a point despite the horrific nature of his solution in the MCU.
