As everyone and their Flerken knows by now, Secret Invasion episode four revealed James “Rhodey” Rhodes aka War Machine is indeed a Skrull. By far the most surprising shapeshifting switch-up of the show so far, this twist has really got people talking as it calls all of Don Cheadle’s recent MCU appearances into question. Which is exactly what Kevin Feige wanted, evil mastermind that he is.
But the Rhodey reveal is reminding fans of an even older Skrull fan theory, one that’s been knocking around the franchise for the past two years and yet which is surprisingly still to be confirmed. As Twitter user @namesmargo shared, don’t forget that Sharon Carter is out there somewhere, still getting away with her crimes after The Falcon and the Winter Soldier finale outed her as the Power Broker.
Given that Sharon’s the niece of S.H.I.E.L.D. co-founder Peggy Carter and former flame of moral bastion Steve Rogers (who’s also her uncle in the revised timeline, but it’s best not to think about that too much), it came as a shock that Sharon had apparently broken bad post-Blip, but Secret Invasion being on the horizon seemed to suggest Marvel was planting the idea she was a Skrull imposter. And yet with just two episodes left, Sharon has yet to appear.
We’re expecting the Skrull invasion to wrap up with this series, but maybe the ongoing Sharon conundrum tells us that the MCU will be tying up the loose ends of this storyline for some time to come. Presumably Sharon will factor into Captain America: Brave New World somehow, so maybe the reveal of her true Skrull nature will come out in that movie instead. Or else we’ll discover that dating her uncle just really messed Sharon up.
Secret Invasion continues Wednesdays on Disney Plus.