9 Reasons Avengers 5 Should Have Been Secret Invasion

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WARNING: This article contains SPOILERS for Secret Invasion episode 1.
Marvel Studios' Secret Invasion has had a solid start on Disney+; however, the series could have been even better if repurposed as the plot of Avengers 5, which has been announced as Avengers: The Kang Dynasty. Secret Invasion's story revolves around Samuel L. Jackson's Nick Fury returning to Earth after years in space — since returning from the Blip — due to being called back to the planet by Talos and Maria Hill to help stop a Skrull invasion. The shape-shifting Skrulls add an element of paranoia, as they could assume anyone's identity, and it becomes a guessing game for the heroes.
While Secret Invasion's extraordinary cast makes the story mostly work on the small screen, the series' ambitious plot would have been better served as Avengers 5, as it could flourish in the way it did in the comics. The missing Avengers make Secret Invasion's story feel too small. In the comics, the story included a wide array of Marvel heroes, and that had to be changed as the scope could not be confined to Disney+. That robbed the story of its most intriguing aspect, of which hero could be revealed as a Skrull, and many other elements could also have played out better if Secret Invasion had been Avengers 5.
9 Secret Invasion's Setup Is Less Rushed Than Kang's

Secret Invasion's plot was first set up by Captain Marvel back in 2019. In the movie, the Skrulls were shown in a more positive light than they are known to be in the comics, with the Kree being the evil ones. The film ended with Fury and Brie Larson's Carol Danvers having promised to find a new home for the Skrulls. 30 years later in the MCU, Secret Invasion shows Fury's space mission to find a home for the Skrulls has yet to yield any results, which is what leads Kingsley Ben-Adir's Gravik to start a Skrull invasion on Earth and take over the planet.
Avengers: The Kang Dynasty's setup had way less time to breathe than Secret Invasion's in-universe, with Kang being teased in Loki, seemingly dying in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, and the multiversal Council of Kangs set to take on the Avengers in the team's next movie, all in rapid succession.
8 Secret Invasion Would Avoid Kang's Comparisons To Thanos

Thanos was the main villain of the Infinity Saga; however, he took his time to be the main threat of an Avengers movie. Loki was The Avengers' villain, while Avengers: Age of Ultron focused on Tony Stark and Bruce Banner's creation of Ultron. Thanos would then take the front seat for Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame. Following the MCU's best villain is a difficult task, and it would have been better not to have Avengers 5 focus on the many Kangs — rather taking on Secret Invasion's more different kind of threat — to avoid inevitable comparisons to Thanos right out of the gate.
7 Civil War Proved Avengers vs Avengers Battles Can Be Incredible

Captain America: Civil War proved that the Avengers' battles among themselves are incredible visually and can be extremely emotional. Secret Invasion including Earth's Mightiest Heroes as the plot of Avengers 5 could have played with that notion. The Avengers would be infiltrated by the Skrulls, not knowing who in their ranks was not who they seemed to be, which would lead to chaos and multiple fights between members of the team, with the new iteration of the roster in the MCU providing a fresh take on Captain America: Civil War's angle.
6 The MCU Multiverse Is Already Too Complex

Marvel's multiverse rules in the MCU has become quite complex, with many having difficulties in separating time travel, alternate dimensions, and different realities as the MCU gets deeper into its Multiverse Saga. Another important fact to consider is that the multiverse is already becoming a tired plot point. After Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania — and even DC's The Flash — disappointed at the box office, audience reception towards the multiverse has started to dwindle, which is bad, as the MCU still has multiple years left in the Multiverse Saga. Secret Invasion would have provided Avengers 5 with a breath of fresh air, focusing on a more personal story.
5 Secret Invasion's First Big Death Deserved More

Secret Invasion episode 1's ending saw the death of Cobie Smulders' Maria Hill. The character had been in the MCU since 2012's The Avengers, serving as Fury's most trusted companion. Hill deserved a bigger send-off than what her fate on the show was. The character dying in a similar role as Phil Coulson in The Avengers would have been pretty impactful for Avengers 5, with the Secret Invasion story on the big screen being a more fitting ending for the long-running MCU character.
4 Avengers Movies Can't Only Get Bigger Each Time (They Need More)

The Avengers movies simply cannot get bigger each time. At one point, it will become unsustainable, something that Tom Holland's Spider-Man 4 is currently dealing with, as it is pretty much impossible for the movie to outdo Spider-Man: No Way Home's scope. Avengers movies have to diversify themselves in terms of scope, tone, stakes, and more. Secret Invasion's story would have been a nice step in that direction, providing a massively different style of story to Avengers: Endgame and what the upcoming two Avengers films — The Kang Dynasty and Secret Wars — will present.
3 There's No Avengers Setup In Kang Dynasty

Kang the Conqueror has appeared as an Ant-Man villain, with his variants also tormenting Loki in season 1 and the upcoming season 2 of the character's series, but there is no major connection between the villain and the rest of the Avengers. The only thing connecting them is the threat to the multiverse angle. The Avengers forming once again to battle a more personal threat to them all, like Secret Invasion's story offers, would have been a better choice to serve as the new iteration of team's first step.
2 Secret Invasion Could Change The MCU's Past, Kang Can't

Avengers 5 could have used Secret Invasion to change the MCU's past, with the movie revealing that several scenes that had played out in the MCU were affected by the Skrulls taking the place of some of Marvel's most popular heroes. Certain decisions could start to make sense, as the infiltration of the Skrulls in the Avengers' ranks would put everything in a completely new light. Secret Invasion revealing that some Avengers had been replaced a long time ago by Skrulls would make it a crossover event worthy of being seen in theaters.
1 Disney+ Could Never Adapt Secret Invasion's Comic Properly

The scope of Secret Invasion's story in the comics would never be possible to be adapted on Disney+, needing a movie to do that story justice. Marvel Studios understood this, drawing focus to Nick Fury, making the series a more personal story than a big MCU crossover event. Fury definitely deserves his own project, having kicked off the MCU by assembling the Avengers, but the series comes at the cost of one of the biggest comic book events' potential. Avengers 5 could have brought a more faithful version of Secret Invasion to theaters, but at least the series is on the path to being special in its own way.
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