The Skrulls are taking over the Earth in Secret Invasion–but when did the alien race really begin their sinister scheme in the MCU?

Marvel’s Secret Invasion Disney+ series may have its roots in the final days of the Infinity Saga, thanks to a hidden hint in one of the final films in Phase 3. As the first series in Phase 5 of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Secret Invasion promises to rewrite franchise history as it is revealed that certain characters have been replaced by shapeshifting Skrull invaders. While it remains unclear exactly how long the Skrulls have been infiltrating human society, a major MCU hint from 2019 offers hints about when exactly the invasion began–and exactly how the alien imposters were able to slip past Earth’s defenses in the first place.

Secret Invasion adapts a key Marvel Comics story from 2008 by iconic writer Brian Michael Bendis and artist Leinil Francis Yu. The storyline reveals that Skrulls have been slowly and methodically infiltrating human society over the span of many years, replacing key individuals, including several noteworthy Avengers, with alien imposters. The upcoming Disney+ series aims to adapt a toned-down version of this story, adopting the spy thriller aspects of Captain America: The Winter Soldier while putting Samuel L. Jackson’s Nick Fury at the forefront of Earth’s defense against the Skrulls. As one of the most well-connected characters in the MCU, Fury is the best person to discover the origin of the Skrull’s invasion of Earth.

Far From Home Might Reveal The Timeline Of The Skrull Invasion

Aside from Spider-Man: Far From Home‘s Skrull twist in its post-credits scene, the 2019 film may have also revealed exactly when and how the shapeshifting alien race managed to sneak past Earth’s defenses. Upon his rendezvous with Peter Parker (Tom Holland), Nick Fury, who is actually the Skrull Talos in disguise, reveals the state of the world’s intelligence networks following the Blip. Speaking on behalf of Nick Fury, Talos reveals that many of his connections have completely disappeared in the five years that he was dead. Forced to rebuild his network, Fury complains that he has “no intel” and “no team,” leaving him blind to the potential threats facing Earth.

After the MCU’s fateful 2018 events, the Skrulls would have a perfect window of opportunity to begin their infiltration, knowing that there would be a lower risk of being caught. With Nick Fury and many of his contacts snapped out of existence by Thanos, the Skrulls would have an easier time going undetected as they began their invasion. Even worse, once Fury returned in 2023, his damaged intelligence network would still be unable to uncover the Skrull infiltration until it was already too late. As such, the five-year period between Thanos’s snap and the Avengers’ time heist proves to be the Skrull’s best opportunity to invade Earth without being caught.

The Blip Is The Perfect Time For The Skrulls To Begin Their Invasion

The Skrulls had the perfect opportunity to invade Earth thanks to Thanos’s snap in Avengers: Infinity War. During the Blip, billions of people disappeared without a trace as victims of the Decimation, plunging the world into chaos. With so many dead or unaccounted for, Skrulls could carefully pick certain victims of the Decimation and assume their identities, making it seem as if they were among the survivors all along. For five years, the Skrulls would have little to fear in terms of being caught, and the world would have no idea that an invasion was occurring right under their noses–that is, until the Hulk brought everybody back in 2023.