‘Secret Invasion’: Is Gravik a Super-Skrull?

Episode 2 of ‘Secret Invasion‘ showed us that Gravik has pretty ambitious plans for the Skrull race, and he also has contingency plans in case Avengers want to meddle in those plans. We know that at this point, Skrulls have the advantage of shapeshifting, but this isn’t nearly enough to deal with Earth’s fines heroes. We do know from the source material that Super-Skrulls, however, pose enough threat to the Avengers. In episode 4 of ‘Secret Invasion,’ we’ve seen Gravik displaying abilities that are usually not attributed to the Skrull race. This led us to question whether Gravik himself is a Super-Skrull. 

Gravik is a Super-Skrull. He enhanced himself with Extremis DNA which allowed him extremely fast healing and regeneration, and Flora Colossi (Groot) DNA which allowed him to transform and elongate his limbs as if they were tree branches. This makes him exponentially more dangerous than before and nearly unstoppable if he decides to enhance himself even further.

Now that we’ve covered what Gravik plans to do to himself, it’s time to analyze it in a bit more detail. If you’re interested in more, stay with us and keep reading! 

Who are Super-Skrulls? 

Skrulls are pretty powerful as is. They are physically stronger than humans, faster, and more durable. They also have a pretty big advantage when it comes to lifespan, as they can live up to 210 years old on average. Their most dangerous power is, however, the fact that they can shapeshift to take any form. They can even mimic clothes with absolute accuracy. 

One thing that’s keeping them from dominating every species that they come across is the fact that their shapeshifting is only “skin deep,” meaning that they can’t copy superpowers. But, the answer to this lies in the source material. The ‘Secret Invasion’ storyline that loosely inspired the ongoing Disney+ series showed us how dangerous Skrulls can be if their physiology is further improved upon. The Skrulls eventually managed to create a whole new race of Skrulls called the Super-Skrulls, the most notable representative being Kl’rt. 

Super-Skrulls are created through genetic engineering. They are vastly more powerful, stronger, durable, and faster. Kl’rt was able to lift up to 100 tons, but the fact that he can completely mimic the powers of the Fantastic Four is what makes him even more dangerous. In fact, not only was Super-Skrull able to mimic the powers of the Fantastic Four, he surpassed their own powers by mixing them.

For example, From Human Torch, Super-Skrull inherited his incredible pyrokinetic powers and added a twist to them. By combining pyrokinetic powers with Reed Richard’s powers, he can elongate and stretch any portion of his body in the form of fiery plasma. 

So what does this mean in the context of ‘Secret Invasion’ and Gravik? 

Gravik will become Super-Skrull 

We know that Gravik was working on something big. He has Dr. Rosa Dalton employed, and the Skrulls are collecting the DNA of various species through the process known as ‘The Harvest.’ In another scene, we could see Secret Agent Sonya Fallsworth interrogating a captured Skrull, and through torture, the Skrull revealed that Gravik was building a machine that aimed to improve the physiology of Skrulls and make them more powerful. According to Gravik, powerful enough to stand up even against Avengers.

We know that Nick Fury doesn’t plan on including the Avengers in this fight, this fight is personal for him, and he aims to settle the score by himself. The best part about this is by not involving the Avengers. He is doing a very smart thing. If Skrulls never come in contact with the Avengers, they can’t steal their powers. 

Take Captain Marvel, whose superpowers stem from her hybrid DNA. You can easily replicate those powers by obtaining a sample of her DNA through casual or other contacts. However, I believe that Supernatural powers are more difficult to emulate. So, keeping Avengers far from this fight keeps humanity safer in general since it cuts Skrulls off from access to the DNA of Avengers. 

In another scene, we’ve seen Gi’ah, Talos’ daughter, searching the computer, and she finds evidence that Skrulls have already obtained DNA samples from Groot, the Frost Beast of Jotunheim, Cull Obsidian, and the Extremis. It remains to be seen whether she will communicate this to her father or not, considering that we’re still not sure if she is on the side of Gravik or the good Skrulls.

Gravik has already turned himself into a Super-Skrull

In the newest episode of ‘Secret Invasion’ we’ve seen Gravik and his group of rebel Skrulls attacking President Ritson, impersonating Russian forces. Colonel Rhodey was behind the attack, and luckily, Fury anticipated it. However, what Fury did not anticipate was the fact that Gravik had transcended his usual form.

Gravik used the Extremis DNA in order to facilitate faster healing and regeneration. The first hint of that came in the previous episode when Gravik healed from being stabbed with a knife much faster than a human or even Skrull would.

Then, in episode 4, he recovered from being shot in the face nearly instantly. We’ve also seen evidence that Gravik took Groot’s DNA, considering that he was able to elongate his limbs as if they were tree branches, something that is possible only for the members of Flora Colossi species, the species that Groot belongs to.

It’s unknown for now whether Gravik modified himself with Cull Obsidian DNA and Frost Beast DNA, but I guess we will see in the future.

How things will turn out remains to be seen next Wednesday, when episode 5 of Secret Invasion is released on Disney+. 

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