Secret Invasion: Skrulls From The Comics Most Likely To Show Up On Marvel's Show

Based on the 2008 limited comic book series by Brian Michael Bendis and Leinil Francis Yu, "Secret Invasion" is the first Marvel Studios Disney+ series of 2023. Starring Samuel L. Jackson, Emilia Clarke, Olivia Coleman, Ben Mendelsohn, and Cobie Smulders, "Secret Invasion" pits Nick Fury — last seen in 2019's "Spider-Man: Far From Home" — against a rogue legion of shapeshifting Skrulls who are infiltrating Earth society for a sinister purpose. 

While not much is known about the plot, "Secret Invasion" promises to deliver plenty of thrills and surprises. The original series had a seismic impact on Marvel Comics after it was revealed that several major heroes, including Spider-Woman and Hank Pym, had been captured and impersonated by evil Skrulls. Now, Marvel Studios fans are left to wonder if any of their favorite characters have been replaced by Skrulls — or if they were secretly aliens all along. But as the 2019 "Captain Marvel" film proved, appearances can be deceiving, and the Skrulls are heroes as well as villains. If Phase Five of the Marvel Cinematic Universe introduces some notable green faces from the comics, they could be friends as easily as foes. 

Here are the Skrulls most likely to appear in Marvel's "Secret Invasion" series.

The Skrull who is perhaps most likely to appear in "Secret Invasion" is Queen Veranke, the original antagonist of the "Secret Invasion" comic book event. Fully revealed in 2008's "New Avengers" #40, she first appeared in "New Avengers" #1 in disguise as the superheroine Jessica Drew, also known as Spider-Woman.

Princess Veranke was a religious fanatic obsessed with a prophecy foretelling the end of the Skrull Empire. Emperor Dorrek VII exiled Veranke for her extremism; as a result, she survived the destruction of Throneworld, seemingly fulfilling the prophecy. Ascending to the throne, Veranke planned a secret invasion of Earth that saw Skrulls infiltrating Earth's super teams and replacing heroes with Skrull agents. Veranke replaced Spider-Woman — fighting alongside the New Avengers for several missions, she even exposed the corpse of the Skrull that had impersonated the assassin Elektra to Iron Man in hopes of sowing suspicion among the heroes. Though she struck several blows to Earth's heroes, Veranke was seemingly slain by Norman Osborn in "Secret Invasion" #8, ending her mission. Years later, 2022's "Spider-Woman" #18 revealed that Veranke had been revived and imprisoned, and she was set loose by the Kingpin to have her revenge on Jessica Drew.

Spider-Woman has yet to be introduced to the MCU, which raises an intriguing question for fans: if Veranke appears in "Secret Invasion," which character has she possibly replaced? The evil Skrull queen could already be hiding in plain sight.

Though she lived a short life marred by tragedy, the Skrull princess Anelle gave birth to a son who would change the fate of the universe. Created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, Anelle first appeared in 1967's "Fantastic Four" #37. The only child of Emperor Dorrek VII, Anelle was an anomaly in the royal family because she favored peace over continuing the centuries-long war with the Kree.

As revealed in the 2006 comic "Young Avengers" #11, Anelle had a forbidden love affair with the Kree superhero Captain Mar-Vell. Their union was brief, but they conceived a son, Dorrek VIII, whose existence could either unite or destroy the warring empires. To protect her baby from the emperor's wrath, Anelle sent him to Earth with his nursemaid to reunite with Mar-Vell. Unfortunately, Anelle never saw her lover or her son again. Mar-Vell passed away from cancer, and Anelle died when the planet-devouring Galactus destroyed Throneworld, the seat of the Skrull Empire, in "Fantastic Four" #257.

Don't let the codename fool you –- despite his green skin and super strength, Hulkling isn't a Hulk, he is half-Skrull. First appearing in "Young Avengers" #1 by Allan Heinberg and Jim Cheung, Teddy Altman was recruited by Iron Lad because of his impressive shape-shifting powers. Initially believing himself to be a mutant, Teddy discovered his true lineage in "Young Avengers" #10 after being abducted by the Super-Skrull. Hulkling is Dorrek VIII, the secret son of Princess Anelle and Captain Mar-Vell, who was sent to Earth for protection and raised by his nursemaid after the untimely deaths of his biological parents.

Hulkling had a sporadic superhero career but was virtually inseparable from his boyfriend and teammate Billy Kaplan, also known as Wiccan –- one of the Vision and the Scarlet Witch's twin sons. As the half-Kree heir to the Skrull throne, destiny called Teddy to unite both galactic empires in the 2020 "Empyre" crossover event. Teddy is the compassionate ruler of the Kree/Skrull Alliance, with Wiccan at his side as his husband and royal wizard.

With the Marvel Cinematic Universe introducing members of the classic Young Avengers team, including Hawkeye (Kate Bishop), Patriot, Speed, and Wiccan, it is only a matter of time before Hulkling appears as well. Annette Benning played a gender-swapped Mar-Vell in 2019's "Captain Marvel" film – could she have a child or grandchild living on Earth?

Boasting a multitude of scientifically-enhanced powers, including flight, super strength, and the ability to generate waves of bio-electricity and ice from his hands, Paibok the Power Skrull is a fearsome foe for the Fantastic Four. Yet for all his raw power, Paibok's greatest blow against the team was a secret espionage mission that targeted one of their oldest and closest allies.

Paibok debuted in 1991's "Fantastic Four" #358 as a captain in the Skrull army. When more overt attacks against the Fantastic Four failed, Paibok devised a plan in which a Skrull would abduct and replace the human artist Alicia Masters, who was romantically involved with Ben Grimm. Paibok selected his ex-lover Lyja for the mission, possibly to punish her, and she was eventually exposed for her deceit. Upon gaining his bio-engineered abilities, Paibok the Power Skrull became a persistent enemy for the Fantastic Four and other cosmic Marvel heroes. He formed the Fearsome Four in "Fantastic Four" #377 and tussled with Drax the Destroyer in the Guardian of the Galaxy's self-titled 2006 miniseries.

The Skrulls' extraterrestrial ability to perfectly mimic the appearances of other beings has been a boon to Marvel Comics writers over the decades. Revealing a character to be a Skrull can be a convenient narrative Band-Aid, whether reviving a popular character from the dead (as with the slain Avenger Mockingbird in "Secret Invasion" #8), or retconning a controversial storyline with an explosive cliffhanger. The latter led to the creation of Lyja in 1991's "Fantastic Four" #357.

The 1984-85 "Secret Wars" comic book event ended with Ben Grimm leaving the Fantastic Four, resulting in an ill-advised love affair between Ben's best friend, Johnny Storm, and his ex-girlfriend, Alicia Masters. Johnny and Alicia married in "Fantastic Four" #300, but years later, it was revealed that the romance was a sham -– "Alicia" was really a Skrull agent named Lyja who had secretly replaced her years earlier.

Despite her orders, Lyja had fallen in love with Johnny, and she risked her life to save him during the rescue mission for the real Alicia Masters in "Fantastic Four" #358. Though Johnny was outraged by Lyja's betrayal -– which included lying about being pregnant with his baby twice – they briefly resumed their rocky romance, and she has since become an ally to Fantastic Four.

As a race of alien shapeshifters, the Skrulls have innate flexibility –- with a little will power, you can transform yourself and become whoever you want. In the case of Ethan Edwards, you can even become a pastiche of the most famous superhero of all time: Superman.

Introduced in "Marvel Knights: Spider-Man" #13, Ethan's origin puts a modern spin on the Superman mythos. Like Kal-El, Ethan is the survivor of a doomed planet –- Throneworld, the seat of the Skrull Empire devoured by Galactus. Ethan's father was the scientist who created the Super-Skrull; imbuing his infant son with special powers, he sent him away to Earth –- but unlike Superman, Ethan was sent to conquer his new home, not defend it.

Raised by a midwestern couple, Ethan knew nothing of his birthright and believed that his superpowers were a gift from God. Styling himself as the caped crusader "Virtue," Ethan became a reporter at the Daily Bugle and was briefly mentored by Spider-Man before deciding he could better use his powers as a missionary. Later, Ethan embraced his Skrull heritage — in 2011's "New Avengers Annual" #1, he joined the short-lived supervillain team the Revengers to avenge the Skrull Empire's botched invasion. More recently, as part of 2021's "King in Black" event, Ethan joined a Kree/Skrull Alliance team led by Talos. Taken over by an evil Symbiote, Ethan was eventually saved by Emperor Hulkling and Wiccan.

Cowardly and cruel, Dorrek VII was the first ruler of the Skrull Empire to clash with Earth's superheroes. The mastermind behind the attempted invasion of Earth in "Fantastic Four" #2, Dorrek was introduced in 1963's "Fantastic Four" #18, urging his scientists to create a Super-Skrull that could successfully mimic the combined powers of the Fantastic Four. Dorrek's hatred for Earth's first family of superheroes reached a critical point when his machinations led to the death of Mr. Fantastic's father, Franklin Richards. Despite their desire to avenge Richards, the team proved that they were far more honorable than their foes by saving Dorrek's daughter, Princess Anelle, when she was almost slain by a Skrull firing squad.

Dorrek vowed a ceasefire between the Skrull Empire and Earth as repayment for the Fantastic Four saving Anelle's life, but he soon broke his word. Fanning the flames of the long-simmering Kree/Skrull War, Dorrek kidnapped the Avengers Quicksilver and Scarlet Witch in "Avengers" #94 to coerce Mar-Vell into creating a weapon known as the Omni-Wave Projector. Dorrek's plan failed, and he inadvertently set into motion the events that led to his daughter Anelle falling in love with Mar-Vell and giving birth to his child. The emperor finally met his ignoble end in "Fantastic Four" #209. Despising him for his constant failures, Empress R'Klll assassinated her husband and assumed the throne.

It's not easy being green in the Marvel Universe, whether you're Jennifer Walters, also known as the sensational She-Hulk, or her erstwhile partner, the Skrull bounty hunter Jazinda. The daughter of longtime Fantastic Four villain the Super-Skrull, Jazinda was once an agent of the Skrull Empire. As depicted in 2008's "She-Hulk" #33, Jazinda left the Empire -– and her father -– after failing a critical mission. While retrieving a mystical gem for the empire, she was discovered by Kree soldiers and swallowed the stone to prevent the enemy from reclaiming it. The gem turned out to be a powerful Lifestone that bonded to Jazinda permanently.

Deemed a traitor to her people, Jazinda fled to Earth, becoming a bounty hunter for Freeman Bonding Inc. and working alongside She-Hulk. In addition to her shape-shifting abilities, Jazinda possesses an incredible healing factor due to her connection with the Lifestone. In "She-Hulk" #22, her first appearance, she even survives an attack by the supervillain Absorbing Man, who brutally snaps her neck.

In the original "Secret Invasion" comic book event, Jazinda has a dramatic confrontation with her estranged father, who intends to execute her and have the gem forcibly removed from her body. An impassioned plea from She-Hulk awakens Super-Skrull's buried love for his daughter; with Jazinda's life spared, she reunites with her friend.

"The Americans" has a close encounter with "Invasion of the Body Snatchers" in the 2019 miniseries "Meet the Skrulls!" by Robbie Thompson and Niko Henrichon. The series tells the story of the "Warners," a family of Skrull sleeper agents living in Stamford, Connecticut. Parents Klrr and Gi'ah raise their three daughters –- Alice, Madison, and Ivy -– as seemingly normal teenagers while simultaneously infiltrating Project Blossom, a secret government initiative targeting undercover Skrulls.

The capture and presumed death of youngest daughter Ivy Warner changes the family forever; Gi'ah begins to doubt her mission and the ethics of using their children as operatives even as Klrr sees their strategic potential. In "Meet the Skrulls" #4. Gi'ah and her daughters discover Ivy is alive and the key to Project Blossom, but they are betrayed by their handler Moloth, who kills Klrr. The surviving Warners later track down a Kree agent who had been a part of Project Blossom in "Road to Empyre: The Kree/Skrull War" #1, but upon seeing the agent with their family, Gi'ah is unable to execute them. With the end of hostilities between the two empires and the creation of the Kree/Skrull Alliance, the Warners are finally free to live their own lives beyond the shadow of war.

True to their origin as a young Super-Skrull-in-training, Xavin has already appeared on tv screens, but in a form viewers may not recognize. Introduced in 2005's "Runaways" #7, Xavin was betrothed to Karolina Dean, a member of the Majesdanian alien race now living on Earth with the teen superhero group the Runaways. Though Skrulls and Majesdanians were enemies, Xavin took Karolina to outer space hoping that their marriage could unify their people. Unfortunately, hostilities broke out at their wedding, and Xavin and Karolina fled back to Earth.

Though Karolina, who is a lesbian, initially believed that a relationship with the male-presenting Xavin was impossible, Xavin revealed that they are genderfluid and shapeshift between male and female forms. When Majesdanian soldiers came to Earth to try Karolina for her parents' crimes, Xavin impersonated Karolina and left in their beloved's place in 2009's "Runaways" #6. For years, Xavin's fate was unknown, but in 2021's "Runaways" #38, it was revealed that they had won their trial and were now a general in the Majesdanian army.

A version of Xavin appeared in the second season of the Hulu "Runaways" tv series, played by Clarissa Thibeaux. Though they were betrothed to Karolina and maintained their shape-shifting abilities, this Xavin was not a Skrull, but a Xartan. With "Runaways" canceled, it is possible that a new or retconned version of Xavin could appear in "Secret Invasion" to reclaim their Skrull heritage.

The Skrulls have imitated countless superheroes over the decades, from the Fantastic Four and Spider-Woman to Mockingbird and Captain Mar-Vell. But the Skrulls have also impersonated real-life historical figures for their own ends. 2007's "Black Panther" #33, for example, features two Skrulls who have literally molded their lives around their heroes Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X.

The "Secret Invasion" collided with the British Invasion in the adult-oriented Marvel MAX miniseries "Wisdom," which introduced John the Skrull and his bandmates, the Skrull Beatles. 2006's "Wisdom" #2 reveals their origins: in the 1960s, four Skrulls were sent to Earth to replace the world-famous British rock band, but their impersonations were perhaps too good and, like the real Beatles, the group split up. Still living as "John Lennon," John the Skrull joined the British intelligence Agency MI13 to help protect the world from otherworldly threats.

The Skrull Beatles reappeared — in full "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" regalia –- to repel a Martian invasion in "Wisdom" #6. Unfortunately, the band's reunion was short-lived, and Skrull Paul, George, and Ringo were slain. During the "Secret Invasion" event, John the Skrull helped MI13 fight the invading Skrulls whom he considered conformists and fascists, but in "Captain Britain and MI13" #4, he was shot and killed, his violent death tragically echoing his namesake's.

One of the most tragic characters in the "Secret Invasion" saga is the Skrull warrior Z'Reg, also known by the superhero identity Crusader. Debuting in 2006's "Marvel Team-Up" #23, Z'Reg was a Skrull agent whose mission was derailed by the dissolution of the Avengers. He was also the neighbor of Curtis Doyle, a young man who possessed a ring made from a reality-warping fragment of the Cosmic Cube. Taking the generic codename "Crusader" (to avoid tipping off any enemies as to the source of his powers), Z'Reg mentored Doyle as a superhero until his untimely demise on the field.

Crusader was recruited in "Avengers: The Initiative" #8 with Doyle's cosmic ring still in his possession. In a fateful decision, Crusader hid his identity as a Skrull from his fellow Fifty State Initiative recruits, even as he suspected that a Skrull had replaced the camp director, Hank Pym. As part of the "Secret Invasion" event in "Avengers: The Initiative" #19, Crusader fought bravely for the sake of his new home and defeated the Skrull impersonating Pym. As he received congratulations from his teammates, however, Crusader was shot and fatally wounded by 3-D Man, who could see his true form. With his final words, Crusader wished that things could have ended differently before his cosmic ring teleported his body to parts unknown.

Since his first appearance in 1963's "Fantastic Four" #18, Kl'rt the Super-Skrull has proven to be one of the Fantastic Four's most persistent and deadly enemies. Another classic creation by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, Super-Skrull's raw power and unique sense of honor have helped him straddle the line between villain and anti-hero for decades.

A dedicated soldier in the Skrull army, Kl'rt is Jazinda's father and was once in love with Princess Anelle. Due to scientific enhancements, Super-Skrull wields all the powers of the Fantastic Four, including invisibility, flight, pyrokinesis, elasticity, super-strength, as well as a hypnotic stare. In his first encounter with the Fantastic Four, the Super-Skrull nearly overpowers them in his attempt to conquer Earth, but he is temporarily depowered and sealed inside an island crater. Super-Skrull has since fought powerful heroes such as Thor, Silver Surfer, Captain Mar-Vell, and the Inhumans.

Super-Skrull survived Galactus' destruction of the Skrull Throneworld. He was once crowned emperor of a new Skrull Empire at the end of the 2013 "Infinity" event, though he served Dorrek VIII, the superhero Hulkling and the son of his beloved Anelle, who is the true unifier of their people. Super-Skrull serves as a diplomat for the Kree/Skrull Alliance, a peacekeeping role given to him by Hulkling in "Empyre: Aftermath Avengers" #1 as punishment for his many intergalactic crimes. Whether Super-Skrull can atone for his misdeeds remains to be seen.