Secret Invasion: Exploring the enigma of the event within the MCU timeline

Secret Invasion featuring Samuel L Jackson’s Nick Fury while he fights Skrulls has brought in a timeline confusion in the viewers’ minds. In the MCU timeline, fans remember Thanos’ snap wiping out half of the population on Earth in Avengers: Infinity Wars possibly including Nick Fury and Maria Hill. They returned with the reverse snap in Avengers: Endgame.

Viewers would also recollect seeing Nick relaxing in a spaceship far away from his home planet while Talos impersonated him on Earth in Spider-Man: Far From Home. This makes the MCU timeline positioning of his actions in his solo show, Secret Invasion, baffling.

While the makers of the show have confirmed that it has a definite place in the MCU timeline, it is supposed to be positioned after the “blip” as well as the timeline of She-Hulk: Attorney at Law. Since both projects are fairly recent, Secret Invasion stands in the near future.

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Where does Secret Invasion fit in the chronological activities of MCU?

Jonathan Schwartz, vice president of Production and Development at Marvel Studios announced in a press conference that Secret Invasion occurs in the “present-day MCU.” He said that it occurs in the present day as it is positioned in the ever-growing calendar schedules in the Marvel world. As per Marvel canon, Disney’s She-Hulk is supposed to end in early 2025 which puts Secret Invasion also in 2025.

The schedule of The Marvels comes after the Nick Fury solo taking the timeline forward. It will tie up with the 2019’s Captain Marvel on one side while taking the schedule forward with other releases.

While various shows act as appendices to the main storyline in the Marvel universe, they also need to justify the timeline. Secret Invasion explains the interval between the snap of Infinity Wars and the reversal in Endgame. Additionally, it would also explain the role Talos plays on Earth and why he was impersonating Fury.

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The timeline of MCU till now

Captain America: The First Avenger was covering World War II time between 1942-1945 followed by Captain Marvel showcasing 1995. While Iron Man was introduced in 2010, 2011 saw Iron Man 2, The Incredible Hulk, and Thor come into the timeline, followed by The Avengers.

Iron Man 3 and Loki, the show, were both covering 2012, though Loki represented various timelines including the end of time. While Thor: The Dark World belonged to 2013, 2014 had Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Guardians of the Galaxy (1), and Guardians of the Galaxy Volume 2 in that order.

Nick Fury's solo fits after She-Hulk's storyline (Image via Disney+)

After Avengers: Age of Ultron, 2015 introduced another Avenger, Ant-Man. Along with Captain America: Civil War and Spider-Man: Homecoming, three more Avengers were introduced in 2016 – Black Widow, Black Panther, and Doctor Strange. Then came Thor: Ragnarok in 2017.

Both Ant-Man and the Wasp and Avengers: Infinity Wars take place in 2018 ending in the snap. The following movies and shows, and their placement in the MCU timeline are:

1. Avengers: Endgame belongs to 2023
2. What If…? belongs to 2023 (various timelines are covered in this)
3. Wandavision belongs to 2023
4. Falcon and the Winter Soldier belongs to 2023
5. Spider-Man: Far From Home belongs to 2023
6. Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings belongs to 2023
7. Eternals belongs to 2023
8. Spider-Man: No Way Home belongs to 2024
9. Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness placed in 2024
10. Hawkeye placed in 2024
11. Moon Knight belongs to 2025
12. She-Hulk belongs to 2025
13. Ms Marvel belongs to 2025
14. Thor: Love and Thunder placed in 2025
15. Black Panther: Wakanda Forever belongs to 2025
16. Werewolf by Night placed in 2025
17. The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special belongs to 2025
18. Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania belongs to 2025
19. Guardians of the Galaxy Volume 3 belongs to 2025
20. Secret Invasion placed in 2025

According to the synopsis of the show, Fury learns about a Skrull invasion on present-day Earth. Following that, he tries to thwart it in a limited time with the help of Maria Hill, Everett Ross, and Talos, the Skrull.

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What are the upcoming shows following Secret Invasion?

The finale of Secret Invasion is set to be aired on July 26 which will make way for Loki season 2. The second season of Loki will see Tom Hiddleston back as the God of Mischief along with actors Sophia DiMartino, Owen Wilson, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, and Ke Huy Quan.

Loki 2 is supposed to be followed by Echo, Ironheart, What If..? season 2, and Agatha: Coven of Chaos. Daredevil: Born Again, planned to follow the timeline, is delayed due to the writers’ strike. Except for Echo which airs this November, the rest are scheduled for 2024 release. In the meantime, catch up on Secret Invasion on Disney+, streaming since this June.