The MCU Dropped Its Big Skrull Reveal Way Too Soon

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Warning! This article contains SPOILERS for Secret Invasion episode 2.
The Marvel Cinematic dropped its big Skrull reveal in Secret Invasion way too soon. Samuel L. Jackson's Nick Fury is front and center in Secret Invasion, with the character returning to Earth for the first time after the Blip to help Ben Mendelsohn's Talos and Cobie Smulders' Maria Hill to stop a Skrull invasion on the planet. The shape-shifting powers of the Skrulls, as well as their connection in Secret Invasion to the Fantastic Four, make the alien invasion a major threat.
Despite the danger that the Skrulls, led by Kingsley Ben-Adir's Gravik, pose to humanity, Fury is adamant about not calling for external help to deal with the problem, instead embarking on a solo mission to stop the Skrulls. That all comes from Fury himself being responsible for the invasion, as Gravik started it all due to Fury not finding the Skrulls a new home after decades. While the invasion is personal to Fury, he might need some help, as the MCU's big Skrull reveal early in the series made the situation more complicated for the humans.
Secret Invasion's Skrull Count Reveal Should Have Been A Huge Twist

Secret Invasion episode 2 revealed that there are way more Skrulls on Earth than anticipated. During a train ride, Talos tells Fury that all surviving Skrulls not in another colony came to Earth, revealing that there are around 1 million Skrulls on the planet. Secret Invasion's Skrull count reveal is a huge deal, with such a large number of shape-shifting aliens on Earth making the Skrull invasion an even bigger threat than Fury thought he was up against.
The problem with the reveal is how it came about, with Talos casually telling Fury during a conversation. The reveal that there are 1 million Skrulls on the planet deserved a bigger moment, with Fury thinking that he has the upper hand against Gravik's forces, only to find out that the situation is way more serious than he could have imagined. While the reveal of the Skrull count on the planet still shocked Fury and the audience, the moment was ultimately not focused on as it should have been.
Why Secret Invasion Revealed Its Skrull Twist So Soon

The early reveal of the Skrull count on Earth was likely done to shift the focus from how many Skrulls could be part of Gravik's operation to who they might be impersonating. Secret Invasion episode 2 started to delve into that territory, revealing a handful of Skrulls in key positions, as well as teasing an Avenger to be a Skrull. The number of Skrull on Earth makes it clear countless figures could be imposters, and raises the stakes for the show instead of leaving audiences wondering about the scope of the threat.
The reveal that the Skrulls have taken over the identities of powerful players in the MCU would have been downplayed if the audience was led to believe that only a handful were on the planet. However, after the big status quo change for the Skrulls in the MCU, Secret Invasion can present even bigger surprises as Fury attempts to thwart the invasion.
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