Black Panther: Wakanda Forever is an acclaimed film from the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) that continues the story of the mysterious and powerful nation of the Kingdom of Wakanda. However, the film also reveals a bigger threat: the Skrulls.
Skrul's invasion in Black Panther 2
The Skrulls, an alien race capable of morphing into any creature, debuted in Captain Marvel and later appeared in Avengers: Endgame and Spider-Man: Far From Home. Currently, they are unfolding a conspiracy lurking on Earth in Disney+'s new series, Secret Invasion.
In the third episode of Secret Invasion, viewers are surprised to learn that CIA agent Everett Ross turns out to be a Skrul pretender. Ross is a character who has appeared in the MCU many times, having worked on films such as "Captain America: Civil War," "Black Panther" and "Black Panther 2: Wakanda Eternal." He is played by Martin Freeman.
Martin Freeman insists that he is not an alien spy
However, Freeman does not believe that the Ross he plays has always been a Skrull. In an interview, he said that when filming "Black Panther 2: Wakanda Eternal", he did not play himself as a Skrull:
"No, we had a conversation. Let's just say that I didn't play myself as a Skrull in Black Panther 2: Wakanda Eternal. I didn't think, 'I'm a Skrull'. There is definitely a temporal overlap between Secret Invasion and Black Panther 2: Wakanda Eternal, but I never got a full, definitive official statement, 'This is the truth now.'" ”
To clear up any possible ambiguity, Freeman reiterated his position that he did not think Ross had always been a Skrull. More specifically, he explained that he had always "believed in Ross's integrity," so he didn't want to lose his "organic human" character:
"I don't want to play Ross as a Skrull. I don't want to believe that he's always been a Skrull, so I don't. It's not what I've played. I've always believed in Ross's integrity, actually. I really enjoyed playing Ross, both as a Skrull or something else. I love playing him as an organic human, so I don't want to turn him into a Skrull.
"But before I saw the script, I was warned in advance, and I was like, 'What is this operation?!' Because then you have to re-examine everything you've done and what the audience thinks. As someone said, when Duke Ellington died, 'If I don't want to believe it, I won't believe it.'" If I don't believe it, it's not true. So, I just did what I wanted. I played him as a human, so that's what I believe. ”
The controversy and conjecture caused by "Secret Invasion"
Is Freeman casually treating the MCU fate of his character, or is he denying that his own CIA agent has been exposed as a Skrull? This is a kind of problem that "Secret Invasion" brings to the audience, and fans love and hate it.
If there's anything to back up Freeman's claim, it's that the overlap in time between Black Panther 2: Wakanda Eternal and Secret Invasion could mean that he now plays two Ross, as the real Everett Ross could have been very busy (and even detained for a while) during that time. This gives the Pretender Skrulls a lot of space to operate underground in Secret Invasion.
As an actor who has invested a lot in his role, Martin Freeman's stance on "re-understanding" the work he has done in the previous three MCU films makes sense. Freeman believes that since he has been "acting Ross as a human," adapting the character, who almost became one of the MCU's protagonists, into a Skrullman would be at odds with the actor's intentions and could diminish the legendary nature of his character.
It's also a popular point of contention around Secret Invasion, with many fans claiming that the heroes who were revealed to be the Skruls tarnished the legend of those characters. Before moving on to the second half of the series, it seems that only more surprises and doubts await viewers. Do you have any comments on Black Panther 2: Wakanda Eternal? Do you think Ross is a Skrull? Are you happy with the ending of Secret Invasion? Welcome to leave a message in the comment area and communicate with us!