There are spoilers ahead for the season finale of Secret Invasion!
In the penultimate episode of Marvel’s Secret Invasion series, it was revealed that Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) was very busy shortly after returning from oblivion in Avengers: Endgame. As Fury recalled, during the Battle for Earth, nearly every hero bled, including Captain Marvel. In the aftermath, Fury sent a team of Skrulls, including Gravik (Kingsley Ben-Adir), to collect DNA samples. Their finished work was called “the Harvest,” and it’s something that Gravik has desperately wanted to complete his invasion plans.
Gravik had previously been able to enhance himself with Extremis and DNA from a select group of familiar beings, including a Flora Colossus (AKA Groot). His former ally, G’iah (Emilia Clarke), also exposed herself to the first, lesser Super-Skrull treatment, which was how she had Extremis powers of her own. Early in the Secret Invasion finale, Gravik then empowered himself with DNA from the Harvest as well to become a true Super-Skrull. The problem for Gravik is that G’iah also received powers from the Harvest.
Now, considering she was the only survivor of their fight, G’iah may now be the most powerful character in the MCU! After all, it’s pretty difficult to imagine anyone who can stop someone with the combined power of Captain Marvel, Hulk, Thor, Thanos and many more.
Let’s take a closer look at just how much power G’iah is now packing and who her sources are.
Whose DNA was in the Harvest?
We’ll go into other entries we saw on listed below, but there were a few powers on display in the battle between Gravik and G’iah that are easily identifiable. Some of these were used by Gravik specifically, but we know G’iah must have them now herself since they both used the Harvest to gain these powers.
Captain America
In the immediate aftermath of his exposure to the Harvest, Gravik had enhanced musculature similar to Steve Rogers’ physical transformation in Captain America: The First Avenger. Gravik may not have appreciated the significance of that, but human scientists have been trying to replicate Rogers’ Super Soldier Serum since World War II with little success. Now, the Serum is a part of G’iah as well.
The Hulk
Note that G’iah localizes the strength of the Hulk in one of her arms. The Hulk’s powers were born out of an attempt to recreate Captain America’s Super Soldier Serum so G’iah has both the original Super Soldier Serum and this later, very amped up variant. Unlike Cap, Hulk’s abilities are often tied to his rage. Hulk’s strength increases exponentially when he gets angry, and that was presumably part of the manifestation of his power in this scene.
The Abomination
Gravik’s next physical manifestation of powers pulled from the Hulk’s adversary, The Abomination. We know that Abomination wasn’t present at the Battle for Earth, so this suggests that Fury’s DNA collection has been going on for years. Abomination of course was a prisoner of the US government for quite a long time, meaning it wouldn’t have been difficult to obtain his DNA.
Drax
G’iah briefly manifests the arm of Drax the Destroyer, which presumably conveys his strength and his ability to resist most major injuries. However, G’iah seemingly didn’t rely on that power in the battle.
Ghost
When Gravik throws a car at G’iah, she calls upon the powers of Ghost and becomes intangible and even briefly turns invisible. Considering that Ghost herself is rarely solid, it raises some interesting questions about when and where her DNA was collected, though given she did work for S.H.I.E.L.D., it would have given them an opportunity to take advantage of the situation when the opportunity presented itself.
Frost Giant and Korg
As part of her transformation, G’iah was able to simultaneously use powers from a Frost Giant and Korg. We did see Korg briefly in Endgame’s final battle, but the Frost Giant must have come from somewhere else – though one possibility is from Loki‘s DNA, either when he was a S.H.I.E.L.D. prisoner or via his own spilled blood, in the aftermath of injuries he received inside Stark Tower during the Battle of New York. G’iah also displayed an innate ability to reshape her Frost Giant flesh into a weapon, which suggests that most of these powers can be called upon instinctually.
Ebony Maw
Gravik briefly turned the tide of battle when he used the telekinetic abilities of Thanos’ most formidable follower, Ebony Maw. Considering that Ebony Maw held his own against Iron Man and Doctor Strange, his powers have to be considered one of the deadliest weapons in G’iah’s new physical arsenal.
Mantis
At a desperate moment in the fight, G’iah grew antennae and took on the abilities of Mantis. It’s worth noting that Mantis is half-Celestial, and her mental powers are formidable when she makes physical contact with her victims. And once again, G’iah seemed to know exactly which ability to use when she commanded Gravik to “sleep.”
Captain Marvel
Both Gravik and G’iah used Carol Danvers’ formidable Captain Marvel powers against each other, which include enhanced strength, flight, and energy manipulation. Captain Marvel has been described as one of the most powerful heroes in the MCU, and now G’iah retains her powers as well as every other ability that she picked up from the Harvest. To paraphrase an expression from another cinematic universe, the hierarchy of power in the MCU may be about to change.
Blood Work
When Gravik verified the DNA in the Harvest, we saw onscreen confirmations of many others, beyond the powers we know we witnessed in the ensuing battle between Gravik and G’iah, including Thor, Valkyrie, Gamora, Winter Soldier, and Black Panther. Many of those men and women would likely consider it a personal betrayal if they ever learn about Fury’s role in taking their DNA. Additionally, Fury’s collectors took samples from Avengers foes as well, including Corvus Glaive, Proxima Midnight, Cull Obsidian, a Chitauri, and even Thanos himself.
One notable absence from that list is Peter Parker. Because Marvel has to get clearance from Sony whenever they use Spider-Man in the MCU, they may have been prohibited from so directly evoking the character and his abilities here, in a way that would go beyond a quick, humorous name drop in the manner of Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness or Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania. And yet it seems highly probable that Peter’s blood was also collected, so it wouldn’t be too surprising if G’iah could stick to walls at this point. As for technology based heroes like Tony Stark, Scott Lang, and Hope van Dyne, their DNA samples were likely useless to the Skrulls.
A True Super-Skrull
In the comics, Kl’rt, the original Super-Skrull, was given the powers of the Fantastic Four: Mr. Fantastic, the Invisible Woman, the Human Torch, and the Thing. None of those characters have appeared in the MCU yet, but the lone remaining Super-Skrull in the MCU is far more powerful than her comic book counterpart.
With so many abilities now imprinted in her body, G’iah may be the most powerful Skrull who has ever lived. But that power came at a price, considering that she lost both of her parents to the conflict with Gravik, and the world is now fully aware that Skrulls are among them.
While G’iah can likely survive any assassination attempts on her life, the closing minutes of the show reveal that other Skrulls are not as lucky. To protect her people, G’iah will have to assume a leadership role. And she’s already made a dubious partnership with MI6’s Sonya Falsworth (Olivia Colman).
Unlike her late father, Talos (Ben Mendelsohn), G’iah doesn’t have any great affection towards Nick Fury. The fact that Fury handed over the Harvest to G’iah and allowed her to assume his shape to fool Gravik suggests that they can work together. But in the aftermath of U.S. President Ritson (Dermot Mulroney) declaring war on the Skrulls, that alliance may be on shaky ground.
What’s next for the Skrulls?
Spider-Man: Far From Home’s post-credits scene established that Fury was still working with the Skrulls decades after the events of Captain Marvel. But it wasn’t until the final episode of WandaVision that we saw the first hints of S.A.B.E.R., when one of Fury’s Skrull operatives invited Monica Rambeau (Teyonah Parris) to work with him. From the trailers for The Marvels, we know that Monica officially joined S.A.B.E.R., the new interstellar security agency headed by Fury. That’s the natural next appearance for the Skrulls.
As for G’iah’s next appearance, it’s hard to say when she will show up again. But given the immense powers she now possesses and the responsibility she has for her people, it would be odd if G’iah never returned. Whether she will be an ally to humanity or an enemy though remains to be seen.
