Secret Invasion's Big Avengers Showdown Tease Is Setting Fans Up For Disappointment

Warning: This article contains spoilers for "Secret Invasion" Episode 3, "Betrayed."

Marvel's tense espionage thriller "Secret Invasion" gives Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) the center stage for a dark tale about home and identity. The series reveals that millions of alien-shapeshifting Skrulls secretly live among us and even occupy powerful global political offices. These rebel plans take an even more sinister shape when Gravik (Kingsley Ben-Adir) unveils his Super-Skrull project, which can elevate the species into formidable warriors with superpowers strong enough to combat even the Avengers. 

Unfortunately, it's doubtful that any other heroes (aside from Don Cheadle's Rhodey, aka War Machine) will be showing up to help Fury in "Secret Invasion." After the devastating events of "Avengers: Endgame," the members of the team are scattered across the universe, leaving Fury few options to call for backup. With that in mind, Gravik's villainous tease will leave audience members disappointed if none show up to fight against his forces, which will almost certainly be the case.

The lack of superhero abilities in the series has also led to a decline in viewership that may even signal fans' fatigue with the MCU. Gravik's menacing setup in Episode 3 could sting even more without any significant payoff, especially if "Secret Invasion" does conclude in an underwhelming way.

Without the colorful and scene-stealing Avengers around, "Secret Invasion" finally gives us the vulnerable Nick Fury that "Avengers: Endgame" failed to show. The series is able to explore the traumatic effects of being blipped away that even led Fury to camp out in the S.A.B.E.R space station. "Secret Invasion" also dives into the aftermath of his absence, which led the Skrulls to feel betrayed and seek revenge by rebelling against the humans.

Gravik's rage reaches new levels when he's attacked by Talos (Ben Mendelsohn) and showcases his fiery new powers. Fans of "Iron Man 3" will remember where those dangerous abilities originated from, which teases a big MCU villain debut. The rebel leader also learns that Talos' daughter G'iah (Emilia Clarke) is actually a double agent and shoots her in retaliation. After this, it's clear we've reached the point of no return as even more Skrulls display suspicious behaviors.

These moving parts may give the impression that a big surprise Avenger will show up to fight Gravik's Super-Skrull in the remaining episode of "Secret Invasion." However, Samuel L. Jackson himself has been quite candid about the Avengers' omission with Vanity Fair, "What he's not doing is calling in his super friends. So that's part of the whole dilemma. I mean, people want them and he's not bringing them."

While this may be a downer for some fans, it's also what makes "Secret Invasion" so unique and intriguing. It sounds like it's up to Fury and his friends to defeat the foe without any additional help from the superpowered squad.