The 2022 D23 Expo revealed many new trailers and teases for upcoming Disney properties, not least among them Secret Invasion. This streaming series, set for 2023, adapts a major Marvel Comics storyline where the Skrulls invade Earth. The series’ first trailer reveals the ways the MCU echoes the comics and also diverges from them.

Fans looking for clues to not only what happens in the Nick Fury-centric series but also what it means for the larger MCU get some intriguing hints in the trailer. Though the trailer avoids spoiling too much about the show, some clues point toward fascinating developments and great comic book Easter eggs.

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9 Nick Fury Might Be A Skrull

The Secret Invasion trailer opens with an intriguing shot. Nick Fury returns to Earth in a spaceship but appears out of focus and distorted when he first emerges from it. This distortion warps him into an elongated shape reminiscent of alien figures from classic sci-fi movies like Close Encounters of the Third Kind. It may hint Fury isn’t who he seems to be in the series.

This curious shot may telegraph that Fury is in fact a Skrull imposter. The comic book Secret Invasion storyline features a labyrinthine Skrull plot to impersonate key Avengers and other figures to undermine Earth security before invading.

8 Nick Fury Doesn’t Answer His Phone

The trailer begins with Nick Fury returning to Earth from an extended stay and still mysterious stay in space. Agent Maria Hill tells him he doesn’t answer her other calls for help, but did this time, suggesting two things. One, this situation proves cosmically significant and two, whatever Fury has been doing trumped concerns on Earth.

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Hill also states that this gap in communications has gone on for years, hinting that Secret Invasion takes place at least a couple years after Avengers: Endgame, possibly in 2025 in the MCU. If Fury does turn out to be a Skrull – Talos impersonated him in Spider-Man: Far From Home – he may have been away for much longer.

7 Skrulls Infiltrated War Machine’s Security

Fury visits Colonel James Rhodes, better known as War Machine, early in the trailer. He asks Rhodey how well he knows his security detail, teasing that the Skrull infiltration is already well underway. The trailer reveals a thriller-like tone for the series, in which fear and paranoia likely play a huge role in the early episodes.

The D23 panel also revealed Armor Wars, the upcoming streaming series featuring Rhodey, takes place immediately following Secret Invasion. Armor Wars, among the best Iron Man comic book storylines ever, originally had no connection to Skrulls in the Marvel Universe.

6 Everett Ross Returns

A brief shot reveals Everett Ross, played by Martin Freeman, returns for the upcoming series. Ross, a CIA operative, sneaks down a dark alleyway with his gun drawn, suggesting he could be a Skrull target as well. This raises many possibilities as Ross also is set to return for Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.

The Skrull plot likely sprawls far beyond the confines of the streaming series and could weave in many ongoing plot threads in the MCU, including The Contessa. Comic book fans know The Contessa attempted to kill Nick Fury in the comics, triggering his discovery of the secret Skrull plot to invade Earth.

5 Talos Is In Conflict With The Skrulls

Talos, played by Ben Mendelsohn in Captain Marvel, returns for the series. A fantastic shot from the trailer reveals that Talos will be in conflict with his own people. He confronts an unnamed character played by Kingsley Ben-Adir and all the people in the room with them then shapeshift into exact copies of Ben-Adir, revealing themselves to be Skrulls.

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Captain Marvel altered the Skrulls’ backstory somewhat, but the new series hints that some Skrull factions may continue their comic book villainy. The trailer gives no hints about who Ben-Adir might be playing, but he is likely to be among the most powerful Skrulls from Marvel Comics.

4 Damage Control Plays A Role

The trailer reveals that Damage Control plays a role in the series as well. Agents from the United States Department of Damage Control, also known as DODC, either protect or acquire a mysterious silver case in the trailer. Their presence makes sense in the larger context of the global fight against the Skrulls but raises some questions.

The streaming series appears to take place mostly in the United Kingdom, making Damage Control’s presence curious. They do increasingly play a role in the MCU however, with numerous appearances in the Spider-Man movies and now She-Hulk: Attorney At Law.

3 Fury Isn’t Prepared For The Fight

Academy Award-winning actress Olivia Colman plays a major but mysterious role in the series. The trailer reveals she comes into conflict with Fury in some form and tells him ‘he’s in no shape for the fight ahead.’ It remains a mystery who she plays and whether she’s a Skrull in disguise. Her brief shots hint at some possibilities, though.

Colman wears a distinctive gold pin with one circle inside another. This bears some similarities to the S.W.O.R.D. logo in the MCU. Abigail Brand, the leader of the space-focused organization, played a key role in the comic book storyline and could be who Colman plays.

2 This Is Just The Beginning

Emilia Clarke makes her return to television in an undisclosed role for the series. The trailer barely features her, save for brief shots in which she tells someone “This is just the beginning.” She also features in another shot with a gun drawn and masks on the wall behind her, possibly taking place in a museum.

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Much speculation centers on who Clarke plays in the upcoming series. Set footage shows her fighting someone in a mo-cap suit, possibly a Skrull, but she could be a Skrull herself. The comic storyline featured several, including Queen Veranke, who impersonated Jessica Drew, Spider-Woman.

1 What They Really Want

The Secret Invasion trailer ends with a tantalizing line from Nick Fury. He says he is all that stands between ‘them’ – likely the Skrulls – and what they really want. What the Skrulls really want remains an unanswered question for the MCU. While the comic book storyline made it clear that the Skrulls sought a new home on Earth, something else may be going on in the series.

Skrulls also lost their home in the MCU but Captain Marvel left with them in the 1990s to find a new one. What became of that mission also remains a mystery. Talos also hinted at some animosity toward Carol Danvers in his guise as Fury in Far From Home, suggesting that Danvers may have failed, leading to unanticipated outcomes for fans in the MCU.