Secret Invasion Easter Egg Reignites A Marvel Netflix Controversy

With so many TV shows and films existing within the Marvel Cinematic Universe, in addition to the increasing prevalence of the multiverse, there are many questions about what's in the mainline MCU and what's tangential. This topic always comes up when discussing the Marvel Netflix series, like "Daredevil," "The Punisher," and "Jessica Jones." Those shows originally aired on Netflix before moving to Disney+, but there are many questions about whether what happened in those series is canon to everything else. 

It's especially pertinent seeing how Daredevil (Charlie Cox) appeared in "Spider-Man: No Way Home" and "She-Hulk," while Kingpin (Vincent D'Onofrio) showed up in "Hawkeye." Those two will be back officially in "Daredevil: Born Again," but is this a new series or picking up where "Daredevil" left off? Some fans think the Netflix series could, indeed, be canon based on a "Secret Invasion" Easter egg. 

Twitter user @a_gonzas posted a screenshot from "Secret Invasion" while pointing out, "Fun fact: FXN News is a MCU newschannel that first appeared in #Daredevil Season 3." A Skrull disguised as a news anchor, played by Christopher McDonald, works for FXN News, while a different FXN reporter can be seen in "Daredevil" hounding Karen Page (Deborah Ann Woll). The implication could be the Netflix Marvel series are canon because they share a news organization. But like the Skrulls themselves, there could be more here than meets the eye.

With the introduction of the multiverse in the MCU, it's clear that the Netflix shows, mainline movies, and Disney+ series can intersect in various ways. The main question is whether the Matt Murdoch we saw in "No Way Home" is the same one we saw in "Daredevil" or if this is a variant with a similar backstory that can still be altered depending on the needs of the plot. But many assume the "Secret Invasion" reference confirms a link, as another Twitter user stated, "THERES LITERALLY A NETFLIX DD REFERENCE IN SECRET INVASION HOW ARE YALL CONVINCED IT AINT CANON."

To be fair, it's possible Netflix's "Daredevil" exists in a separate continuity. After all, with a multiverse of infinite possibilities, there are likely many universes with FXN News around. Plus, there are going to be some changes from the Netflix shows. For starters, Sandrine Holt will play Vanessa Fisk in "Daredevil: Born Again." Ayelet Zurer played that role for three seasons of "Daredevil." Additionally, Mahershala Ali played Cottonmouth on the first season of "Luke Cage," but he's set to play Blade in an upcoming movie, which has continually faced production setbacks.

Granted, just looking at the continuity within projects we know exist within the main MCU can get tricky. There are many ways Marvel can play this going forward, and for the time being, it seems as though the company isn't confirming anything one way or another. But eagle-eyed fans will continue spotting Easter eggs to support their suspicions.