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Editor’s note: The below contains spoilers for Episode 4 of Secret Invasion.
This week on Secret Invasion, fan theories were finally confirmed as James “Rhodey” Rhodes (Don Cheadle), a.k.a War Machine, was revealed to be a Skrull. While this revelation may not have come as a complete shock to fans, it was undeniably cool to witness how it unfolded. As is customary with most Secret Invasion twists, this new information left us with more questions than answers. How long has Rhodey been a Skrull? And does the real Rhodey know that Tony Stark is dead?
But amidst all the discussions, there’s one burning question that seems to have slipped under the radar: Why does Skrull Rhodey want Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) dead so badly? The fact that this motive wasn’t disclosed when Rhodey attempted to order the hit on him may suggest that it connects to a larger twist that is yet to be unveiled.
How Does Episode 4 of ‘Secret Invasion’ Reveal Rhodey to Be a Skrull?
Although there are many theories on how to spot a Skrull in Secret Invasion, nothing foolproof within the MCU has been officially introduced. Nevertheless, astute fans have theorized that Rhodey would turn out to be a Skrull from the very beginning, supported by clues such as his failure to pass Nick Fury’s “nobody calls me Nick” test and his suspicious behavior while firing Fury in Episode 2.
The biggest tip came at the end of Episode 3, when Priscilla Fury (Charlayne Woodard) receives a confidential call that she expects to be Gravik (Kingsley Ben-Adir), but is denied permission to speak with him by a mysterious voice. The ominous voice bears a striking resemblance to Rhodey, signaling a connection between them and their secret collaboration with the dangerous Skrull rebellion leader. Still, speculation was all we had, until Episode 4 validated our intuition.
In “Beloved,” we are reunited with Rhodey and Priscilla during their meeting in a church, verifying that Rhodey was indeed the voice we heard on the phone. At their meeting, he admits to firing Fury and proposes Priscilla’s mission to eliminate him. As Fury eavesdrops from home through a listening device he planted on his wife, her betrayal visibly hurts him. Priscilla attempts to dissuade Rhodey from carrying out the assassination, reasoning that Fury is already worn down and likely to pass away from old age. However, Skrull Rhodey is determined to remove him from the equation and even threatens Priscilla’s life to ensure his orders are followed. Intriguingly, it appears that Gravik has no involvement in these directives, as Skrull Rhodey later says, “What Gravik needs, what Gravik doesn’t need, that’s none of your concern. I’m the one telling you to kill Fury.”
The verbal cues indicating that Rhodey is not himself in this scene are visually confirmed later on when a (truly badass) shot of a female Skrull transforms into Rhodey while swiping fog off the bathroom mirror in his hotel suite. At this point, we don’t know much about her, but the credits affirm that the female Skrull is Raava (Nisha Aaliya), a character with established, albeit limited, roots in the comic books. Marvel’s adaptation of her character’s origins remains unknown, but one thing is clear — she really wants Nick Fury gone.
Why Does Raava Want Nick Fury Dead?
Ultimately, Priscilla refrains from killing her husband. An epic face-off in their kitchen shows both her and Nick draw their gun and pull the trigger, but neither of them has it in them to hit the other. Having betrayed Raava and Gravik, Fury warns Priscilla/Varra that they will come after her, and she assures him that she can take care of herself.
When Raava emerges from the hotel bathroom, adorned once again with Rhodey’s face, she is greeted by a very much alive Fury, holding a bottle of Pappy Van Winkle’s Family Reserve bourbon. The two share a tense drink, during which Fury proclaims the presence of a Skrull spy near the President. In response to this, Skrull Rhodey presents Fury with a video of Gravik as Fury killing Maria Hill (Cobie Smulders), effectively blackmailing him while halfheartedly promising to make sure the video doesn’t get out, so long as Fury stops spreading his conspiracies. Unbeknownst to Raava, the bourbon she is sipping contains a liquid location tracker, leading Talos (Ben Mendelsohn) and Fury to follow President Ritson’s (Dermot Mulroney) convoy until it comes under attack in the final showdown. It’s during this intense fight sequence that the contrasting behaviors of Gravik and Raava towards Nick Fury become glaring.
In the episode’s final climactic moments, a soldier holding a wounded Talos transforms into Gravik and fatally stabs Talos in the heart. Fury, fueled by rage, shoots him in the face, but the Skrull leader heals instantly thanks to his Super Skrull enhancements. Escaping the scene, Gravik leaves Fury behind with the corpse of a loved one yet again. This behavior is consistent with the way Gravik has acted in prior face-to-face confrontations, where he seems much more interested in tormenting Fury than killing him.
Could this be the driving force behind Raava’s unwavering resolve to remove Fury from the playing field without involving Gravik? Did Raava orchestrate Fury’s firing and plot for Priscilla to assassinate him at home behind Gravik’s back because Fury represents a vulnerability to him? These circumstances would further bolster the mounting evidence of a deep-rooted family relation between Fury and Gravik and explain why Raava feels compelled to assume control and take matters into her own hands.
Does Gravik Have Family Ties to Nick Fury?
The complex connection between Gravik and Fury has been a topic of intrigue since the start of Secret Invasion, with each passing episode deepening the sense of profound family drama. Even before the show aired, Fury’s declaration that this battle is “personal” in the trailer and Kingsley Ben-Adir’s hints at family aspects fueling Gravik’s dark motivations suggested that their relationship was more than just a feud. After their emotionally charged stare-down over Maria’s body in the pilot, the second episode dove deeper into Gravik’s backstory and brought forth surprising discoveries that reshaped our understanding of his history with Fury. In a touching flashback, we witnessed Varra introducing a young and newly orphaned Gravik to Fury in the ’90s, highlighting their immediate bond. Then, a surprising twist revealed Varra to be Fury’s wife, Priscilla, implying that she and Fury took Gravik in and raised him as their own.
In the same episode, Gravik’s expressed his preference for dogs over people to the Skrull council, emphasizing his disdain for human hypocrisy and their tendency to imprison one another. His sentiments carried a genuine undercurrent of grief, hinting at the personal nature of his animosity. It seems that Fury’s actions, which may have involved hiding Gravik away with Priscilla in their secluded safe house and caused them to remain in their human identities, created a sense of entrapment for Gravik and fueled his resentment. Fury abandoning them in this confinement could have been the final straw for Gravik, who yearns to be “home in his own skin.”
While the exact context of their association has yet to be ascertained, the brewing tension between Gravik and Fury continues to impact their roles in the escalating conflict between humans and Skrulls. If Gravik is their foster son, it would definitely explain Raava’s inspiration to do the dirty work for him, as her extremist leader’s dwindling performance in the battle directly affects their chances of success. As the final two episodes of Secret Invasion approach, anticipation grows for the revelations that await, promising to shed further light on Gravik and Fury’s intricate connection, Raava’s motivations, and the extent of her infiltration as Rhodey in the MCU. Be sure to tune in, but remember, trust no one!
New episodes of Secret Invasion premiere every Wednesday on Disney+.
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