The following article contains spoilers for the finale of Secret Invasion, now streaming on Disney+.
The Secret Invasion finale has dropped on Disney+, and with it came an epic villain monologue from Gravik, the leader of the Skrull uprising. It’s a classic trope for both the spy and superhero genre and, therefore, particularly fitting for Nick Fury’s solo MCU series. Often these monologues serve as exposition as the villain describes their evil plan to the hero. Occasionally, however, these soliloquies provide insight into the main baddie’s motivations, and lend more depth to the character. Gravik’s speech was the latter, and although it was rare, it was also eerily familiar.
When Gravik confronted his former mentor in Secret Invasion, Season 1, Episode 6, “Home,” he lent context to his megalomaniacal schemes by laying bare his frustrations with the Skrull refugees’ situation on Earth. He also turned it into a scathing indictment of Nick Fury for making promises he couldn’t – or wouldn’t – keep. At that moment, his tragic history was laid bare, and it was one that modern James Bond fans could easily recognize.
Gravik Became a Monster Because That’s What Nick Fury Needed Him To Be
Secret Invasion revealed that Nick Fury rose through the ranks of S.H.I.E.L.D. with the help of his network of Skrull agents, volunteers he recruited after Carol Danvers initially failed to find them a new home world. Gravik was one of those recruits. Orphaned at a young age and highly impressionable, the young shape-shifter was eager to be a part of something. The Skrulls’ ability to copy the form of any living being – down to their DNA – made them ideal espionage agents. But spy craft is more than just intelligence gathering, as the naive young Gravik would inevitably learn, and doing Nick Fury’s dirty work ultimately changed him for the worst. He explained this to Fury as the former Director of S.H.I.E.L.D. appeared to be dying from radiation poisoning. Gravik explained how he chose his human face, that it had belonged to the first man that Fury ever ordered him to kill, and how it destroyed a little piece of himself every time he did it.
Taking a life is never a small matter for anyone, but it must’ve been especially hard on someone like Gravik. He told Fury that the man he’d killed had a wife and children. As an orphan, the Skrull spy would’ve sympathized with those kids, knowing the hole that losing a parent can leave. Yet Gravik persevered because he believed Fury would come through for him and his people. All he had to do was be patient and stay the course. When Fury failed to hold up his end of the bargain, Gravik lost faith. Having been a believer in what he was doing for so long, Fury’s failure seemed like a betrayal to Gravik, leading to the Skrull’s fall from grace. This tragic tale has played out before, costing another super spy one of his closest allies.
The Villains in Secret Invasion and Skyfall Were Cut From the Same Cloth
Secret Invasion has much in common with Skyfall, the third James Bond film starring Daniel Craig, especially when it comes to their villains. Years before Gravik plotted the destruction of humanity and a takeover of planet Earth, disillusioned former MI6 Agent Raoul Silva tried to bring down the British Secret Service in a plot against M, the head of that agency. Much like Gravik, Silva was vulnerable and naive when he was recruited as a spy. He believed in the cause he was working for, and was a dedicated and capable agent. That all changed when Great Britain turned control of Hong Kong over to the Chinese government. M sold Silva out to China when he went rogue, trading him for other British agents and a peaceful transition of power. Gravik felt betrayed and abandoned when Fury left Earth shortly after he returned from The Blip, leaving the Skrulls to fend for themselves.
These events led both men to seek vengeance by attacking what their enemies held most dear. Silva tried to destroy MI6 through cyberterrorism to get to M, and Gravik wanted to destroy all of humanity in his vendetta against Fury. Ultimately, Silva was more focused and went after M directly, but that put him in the cross-hairs of 007, who lured the terrorist onto his home turf. Silva got his revenge, but it cost him his life. Similarly, Gravik killed two of Nick Fury’s closest friends and allies. Although eliminating Maria Hill – who had been Fury’s right hand for years – crippled the veteran spy, taking out Talos brought him into conflict with G’iah. Talos’ daughter and Gravik’s former operative disguised herself as Fury in order to destroy the man who murdered her father, outwitting and outfighting him until the end.
There’s no question that Gravik and Silva’s actions in pursuit of their respective vendettas were heinous and unjustifiable. Too many lives were lost, and too many innocents were harmed. The Skrulls may face greater hardships on Earth thanks to Gravik’s Secret Invasion. There’s no sympathy for the devil. Just like with Silva, however, knowing how an innocent young alien became a monster makes it possible to at least pity the poor Skrull.
Secret Invasion is currently streaming on Disney+.