Fan speculations finally come to rest as the Secret Invasion director, Ali Selim, officially confirms how long Rhodey has been a Skrull. The filmmaker claimed that the War Machine has been a Skrull for nearly seven years now, with the transformation taking place sometime after the events of the last solo Captain America movie.
In a recent interview with Comicbook.com, the director said, "A lot of people have asked about, 'Definitely, when did Rhodey...?' I think his legs not working at the end of episode six and him being in the hospital gown points to Captain America: Civil War." Here, Selim refers to the moment when Vision blasts War Machine with the Mind Stone in the midst of a fight with Iron Man. This blast sent him crashing to Earth and ended up paralyzing him.
The director further said, "And, from there, does it have to be definitive, or is it more fun for the audience to go back and revisit every moment, every Rhodey moment and look at it with a different lens now that they think, 'Oh, he might've been a Skrull there.' And make the decision for themselves, or it'll be answered in Armor Wars."
Regardless of the director’s confirmation, several fans wanted further explanation since Rhodey bleeds red blood during the final battle in Avengers: Endgame. Both Secret Invasion and Captain Marvel clarified that Skrulls have green blood coursing through their body, suggesting that Rhodey was present during the War for Earth. Currently, we aren’t sure if this was intentional or simply a consistency error.
The Legacy of Secret Invasion
Even though Secret Invasion is considered a massive twist in the MCU, the series actually left critics and fans disappointed. Currently, the finale boasts the lowest score on Rotten Tomatoes as compared to any other Disney+ show, with reviews suggesting that the narrative did not do much to change the world or advance any character arcs.
One of the most shocking things in the series for fans was the appearance of Tony Stark’s best friend, Rhodey, and the fact that he had been turned into a Skrull. In addition to this, he is also secretly working for Gravik on a mission to defeat Nick Fury. There was one other major MCU character, which Secret Invasion has confirmed is a Skrull and was also seen in the series premiere episode; Martin Freeman’s Everett K. Ross.
Even though it remains a mystery as to when the changeover might take place, Freeman thinks it was relatively recent. The actor said, "I don't wanna play Ross as Skrull. I don't wanna believe he's been a Skrull this whole time, so I don't. That's not what I've played. I've believed, all the time, in Ross's integrity. I really enjoy playing Ross, as a Skrull or otherwise." So, I guess it's up to us now to go with our gut!
Secret Invasion is now available to stream on Disney+.
