Thor: Love & Thunder Theory Sets Up Phase 4's Secret Invasion

According to a new theory, Gorr the God Butcher's story in Thor: Love and Thunder will set up the events of Marvel's Secret Invasion show.

A new theory explains that Thor: Love and Thunder will lay the groundwork for Marvel’s Secret Invasion show. If that’s true, what happens during Thor’s next adventure will be the reason why the Skrulls invade the Earth in MCU Phase 4. Marvel has been slowly setting up the story, but why and how the invasion occurs hasn’t been explored yet.

In the comic books, Secret Invasion was a crossover event that pulled in heroes from various corners of the Marvel Universe, including the Avengers, the Fantastic Four, and the X-Men. Each group was heavily impacted by the discovery that the shape-shifting Skrulls had infiltrated not only society itself, but the entire superhero community. The MCU is in the process of delivering its own take on the story, which will make Samuel L. Jackson’s Nick Fury the central figure of the six-episode Disney+ series. Presumably, it will be up to the former SHIELD director to either prevent or repel the Skrulls’ plans for the Earth. While the scope is expected to be smaller for the MCU’s interpretation, Fury could still end up with a number of super-powered allies in the fight against the Skrulls.

Marvel laid down the first building block for Disney+’s Secret Invasion TV series in Spider-Man: Far From Home when it revisited Captain Marvel’s Skrulls and revealed that Nick Fury is working with Talos. Apparently, the two are affiliated with SWORD, the organization that set its sights on Scarlet Witch’s Westview in WandaVision. WandaVision furthered MCU’s Secret Invasion setup by seemingly bringing Monica Rambeau into the mix and confirming a connection between SWORD and the Skrulls. Still, there’s plenty of room for more to happen with the Skrulls ahead of Secret Invasion. Here’s why Thor: Love and Thunder could be what sets the story in motion.

Secret Invasion Has Teased A Skrull God Storyline In The MCU

A phrase found on a hat worn by the cast and crew of Secret Invasion teased that Marvel will incorporate a major aspect of Skrull culture into the MCU. The words were written in the Skrull language, but they translate to “he loves you”. In the comics, this phrase has deep religious connotations. It refers to Kly’bn, an ancient Skrull worshipped by their species as one of their gods and the leader of the Skrull pantheon. Created by the Celestials, Kly’bn is counted as an Eternal in the comics. The powers and immortality he possesses gained him the reputation of a beloved deity amongst the Skrulls. Since much of Skrull society is comprised of devout Kly’byn worshippers, several of their plans in the comics have been driven in one way or another by their religious beliefs.

According to a prophecy he wrote in an ancient text, Earth will eventually become the new home of the Skrulls. To make this dream a reality, the Skrulls launched their “secret invasion” in the 2000s. Secret Invasion’s hidden Kly’bn reference gives the impression that he’ll somehow factor into the show’s story and perhaps the villains’ reasons for invading Earth. Not unlike the comic characters, the MCU’s Skrulls may use Kly’bn’s name to justify their actions in Secret Invasion.

Theory: Love & Thunder Sets Up Phase 4’s Secret Invasion

If a Skrull god is the one who makes the invasion happen, Secret Invasion may very well be linked to events that transpire in Thor: Love and Thunder. After all, the main villain is Gorr the God Butcher, a villain known for being on a bloody crusade against the gods. The inclusion of Zeus from the Greek pantheon indicates that the Asgardians won’t be the only deities on his radar. Since Gorr will most likely target any and all gods he can find, it would make sense if Kly’bn has place on his list. The character could even be one of his onscreen victims. Alternatively, he could be mentioned as one of the gods slain by Gorr prior to Thor: Love and Thunder’s story. If so, Kly’bn may already be dead.

Kly’bn dying to Gorr on its own doesn’t explain Secret Invasion, but there could certainly be a link between the two. As noted above, the Marvel Comics version of Kly’bn wanted Earth to be invaded at some point. Left in despair by their god’s death, the MCU’s Skrulls may seek to honor him by finally fulfilling his prophecy that’s been put off for so long. Or, it’s possible that the Skrulls finding a new paradise to call home (Earth) was Kly’bn’s dying wish. Either way, mourning over Kly’bn could be directly related to why the Skrulls will be so deadset on conquering Earth. The Skrulls’ religious leaders can take advantage of their civilization’s grief over Kly’bn to inspire them into supporting their cause. Even if Kly’bn didn’t really want Earth invaded, his words can be easily twisted once he’s gone. If that’s the case, his death could allow the Skrulls to take a different direction from the one they were on in Captain Marvel.

Thor: Love & Thunder Skrulls Theory Better Connects The MCU In Phase 4

Marvel using Kly’bn and Thor: Love and Thunder to set up Secret Invasion could be a great move for the MCU. Using him as the catalyst for the Skrulls’ attack on Earth would enable Marvel to forge a narrative tie between the mystical gods and the cosmic side of the MCU. For the most part, the two have been separate, but Gorr the God Butcher can provide Marvel with a very easy of connecting them. What’s more, Marvel can explore existing concepts to make his MCU debut work. Since Marvel has already introduced the Eternals, their origin story can tie neatly into how Kly’bn’s existence and god status are explained in Thor: Love and Thunder or Secret Invasion. In other words, Marvel has a way to perfectly connect Secret Invasion, Thor 4, and even Eternals together.

Marvel employing this strategy fits with their approach and also helps show how interconnected everything is in the MCU. The MCU is one massive world, so tying its cosmic adventures to its Earthbound stories would indeed be a good way of highlighting that and bringing it all together in a meaningful manner. Similar to how Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame are still having repercussions in other movies and shows, Marvel can continuously demonstrate just how impactful each of its stories can be by letting Thor: Love and Thunder make its own dent in the MCU via Secret Invasion.