by 2 Years Later, Marvel Finally Remembered The Cliffhanger From The MCU’s Lowest Rated Show
After two years, Marvel Studios has finally addressed a major Phase 4 cliffhanger, but Daredevil: Born Again episode 4 raises more questions for the MCU. Released on March 18, Daredevil: Born Again episode 4, “Sic Semper Systema,” marked a huge turning point for the series, as the final moments saw Matt Murdock decide to return to his life as Daredevil, and proved that Wilson Fisk had not completely left Kingpin behind. The episode was still fairly small-scale, however, but provided one of the MCU’s first references back to Phase 4’s most controversial project.
While Born Again is a direct continuation of Netflix’s original Daredevil series, the fact that the revival series is developed by Marvel Studios means more solid connections to the wider MCU can be established. Many have commented on how great it is to hear Charlie Cox’s Matt Murdock speaking about White Tiger’s mystical amulet and the upcoming appearances of Yusuf Khan and Jack Duquesne’s Swordsman will make Born Again an even bigger part of the MCU’s main continuity. Episode 4 included yet another brilliant connection, though it referenced Marvel Studios’ most disappointing Disney+ series.
Secret Invasion Ended With A Shocking Revelation From President Ritson
After being manipulated and attacked by Skrulls in 2023’s Secret Invasion, including one disguised as Don Cheadle’s James “Rhodey” Rhodes, President Ritson declared a war on extraterrestrial species living on Earth. This was a shocking way to end the MCU’s lowest-rated and most-criticized TV series, as it seemed to set up huge story lines for subsequent projects, but Marvel Studios hasn’t mentioned this dramatic turn of events since. Secret Invasion’s finale kick-started a vigilante war against Skrulls in the MCU, but this has not proven important in the two years since.
Even though Samuel L. Jackson’s Nick Fury made an appearance after Secret Invasion in The Marvels, the sequel movie did not address Secret Invasion’s events at all. The disappointing response and low rating of Secret Invasion have perhaps spurred Marvel Studios to simply ignore the Phase 5 series and its dramatic cliffhanger ending. There was a huge amount of potential for Marvel to explore new Skrull-centric stories after Secret Invasion, so it’s a shame this hasn’t happened, but Daredevil: Born Again might be turning the tide.
Daredevil: Born Again Finally References Skrulls In The MCU Again
Daredevil: Born Again Episode 4 Mentioned The Skull
Surprisingly, while The Marvels might have been the perfect place for the events of Secret Invasion to be referenced and even continued, it’s Daredevil: Born Again that has delivered the MCU’s first mention of Skrulls in the last two years. Not only that, but Born Again episode 4 confirmed that the existence of Skrulls and their power-set is common knowledge among the human residents of Earth. Leroy Franklin questioned whether he could say it was a Skrull who stole Fiddle Faddle snack disguised as him, suggesting this could be used as his defense.
This moment, particularly Matt Murdock’s deadpan, “Nope,” after the suggestion, is played off as a joke, but it reveals something important about the MCU and Born Again’s own storyline. This scene presents a challenge to Matt Murdock’s morality, as the Skrull joke is delivered by a desperate small-time criminal who stole the Fiddle Faddle because he can’t afford to buy food, the system having failed him. This pushes Murdock to question his faith in the system, which, along with Frank Castle’s comments, leads to Murdock taking up the Daredevil mantle once again.
Will The MCU’s Ongoing Secret Invasion Ever Get Resolved?
Secret Invasion Could Still Be Addressed In The MCU’s Future
Right now, it’s unclear whether the events of Secret Invasion will ever be directly addressed in the MCU. The best place for this to happen would have been in The Marvels, but the Captain Marvel sequel didn’t reference Secret Invasion at all, which was pretty shocking. It was unexpected for Daredevil: Born Again to reference the Skrulls, but it’s important to note that Leroy Franklin nor anyone else mentioned a war against the shape-shifting species, but simply referenced their abilities. This could mean Marvel Studios has decided to just ignore Secret Invasion and move on.
Skrulls were powerful supervillains in Marvel Comics, but were made far more sympathetic in Captain Marvel, with only a small faction being depicted as villains in Secret Invasion. This has caused some controversy among die-hard Marvel fans.
After his experiences being replaced by the Skrull Raava, who manipulated President Ritson in Secret Invasion, Rhodey is in the perfect position to pick up directly after Secret Invasion’s storyline and explore its aftermath. This could occur in Marvel Studios’ Armor Wars movie, but details concerning the production of this Don Cheadle-led project aren’t clear, and it’s possible the movie could be canceled altogether. It’s great to see Daredevil: Born Again forge clear connections to the wider MCU, if only these connections wouldn’t be so confusing.
New episodes of Daredevil: Born Again release every Tuesday at 6pm PT/9pm ET on Disney+.
