The Secret Invasion finish line is now in sight. On Wednesday, the penultimate episode will air, setting up the stakes for the finale. We’re expecting to see both Gravik and G’iah getting to grips with their Super-Skrull powers, Fury burning with a vengeance after the death of Talos, and one final push from the rebel Skrulls who’re trying tip to the world over into chaos.
But we’re most excited to see what happens with Don Cheadle’s James Rhodes. Secret Invasion has confirmed that he’s been replaced by a Skrull duplicate and with Fury knowing his secret, we’re anticipating him breaking the War Machine suit out of storage to wreak some havoc.
Alongside explosive action, we also want some answers. First up, where’s the real James Rhodes? When did the switch take place? And, a little lower down the list, who is the female Skrull that’s impersonating him?
Episode four’s credits name “Rhodey” as the Skrull Raava, played by Nisha Aaliya. As Rhodes is a public figure, has the ear of the U.S. President, and appears to be an influential representative of the USA, we imagine Raava is in deep cover. She’s clearly able to communicate with other Skrulls, though whether she could risk visiting their Russian base is another matter altogether.
There’s also some confusion over who Raava is. In episode one, Gravik talks to a Skrull named Kreega and says “Without you, this wouldn’t be possible”. So, could Gravik be referencing Kreega impersonating Rhodes, and might Marvel be playing a sneaky trick by telling lies in the credits?
We’re going to go with “no”. The simplest explanation is also the most likely: Raava, as played by Nisha Aaliya, is the Skrull impersonating Rhodes, and Kreega, as played by Irmena Chichikova, is a different character. We wouldn’t put it past Marvel Studios to try a bit of misdirection in the credits, but the identity of the Skrull impersonating Rhodes doesn’t feel consequential enough to warrant anything like that. After all, why not simply use Raava in the episode one scene, as her being there wouldn’t spoil the Rhodes Skrull reveal?
That said, the question of exactly what Kreega did that made her so critical to Gravik’s plan is still open. Presumably, she previously impersonated someone important or played a key role in setting up the terrorist attack in episode one. Either way, she’s a dangling loose end and we’re hoping Kreega gets fleshed out sometime over the next two episodes.
Secret Invasion airs Wednesdays on Disney Plus.