15 Captain Marvel fan theories you should know before watching

Marvel Studios’ AVENGERS: INFINITY WAR..L to R: Star-Lord/Peter Quill (Chris Pratt), Mantis (Pom Klementieff), Groot (voiced by Vin Diesel)..Photo: Film Frame..©Marvel Studios 2018

One of the Avengers is a Skrull

We know, we know. We’re been on Skrull watch since before Marvel Studios released the first trailer for the film. Since Carol’s movie takes place in the ’90s, the shapeshifters have been among the Earthlings since the ’90s as well. While any lingering Skrulls could have disavowed their mission to infiltrate Earth to start a picturesque family instead, the Skrulls probably had other plans with their extended visit on Earth.

There’s no doubt that Carol could defeat every Skrull soldier on Earth, but she can’t really track every single Skrull. Moonlighting as average Earth dwellers can open a lot of world-dominating doors for the Skrull Empire. Other than shapeshifting in a world leader, the Skrulls are more likely to take on a human disguise of a high-ranking government official who’s involved in a secret government operation. If you’re thinking a member of S.H.I.E.L.D. could be a Skrull at the end of Captain Marvel or the start of Avengers: Endgame, then we’re on the same page.

No, we don’t think Nick Fury or Phil Coulson ever had Skrull doppelgangers. However, we do think a certain S.H.I.E.L.D. agent like Natasha Romanoff or Clint Barton could be Skrulls. They don’t have powers to replicate, and we have yet to see their lives pre-Avengers. Otherwise, a Skrull could’ve taken the form of a non-Earthling among the remaining members of the Guardians or even an Asgardian or two.

Personally, we still think Loki could’ve been a Skrull or a Super-Skrull after he and his brother got lost in the Bifrost and transplanted on Sakaar. Sure, that wouldn’t account for the fact that his potential Skrull lookalike didn’t shift back into his Skrull form when he died in Avengers: Infinity War, but a shapeshifter posing as another shapeshifter would make for a dubious cover. (And Loki’s lost in space scenario — thanks to the unexpected Bifrost fight — would make a perfect  opening for a Skrull to steal the trickster’s identity.)