Forget Thanos, Carol Danvers, Thor, Hulk, or any other MCU character who might have deserved the title of the MCU’s strongest character ever. Secret Invasion just created a hero whose abilities dwarfs all of theirs. How did the Disney+ show do that? By giving G’iah all of their powers. Gravik unknowingly also imbued his fellow Skrull with the Harvest, making her the franchise’s most formidable figure ever. And that’s why Emilia Clarke is poised for a big future in the MCU.
What Was Nick Fury’s Plan to Defeat Gravik?
Nick Fury sent G’iah in disguise as himself to meet with Gravik at the secret Skrull compound in Russia. Fury wouldn’t have been able to handle the site’s radiation, but Skrulls can. He also let G’iah share the truth about his failures to find the Skrulls a new planet. “Fury” told Gravik there isn’t a planet to find, something Fury discovered long ago. He’d instead spent decades trying to find a way to make Earth a welcoming home for Skrulls.
The final part of Fury’s plan included an offer. Gravik could have the Harvest full of super DNA in exchange for leaving Earth alone. Rather than destroy mankind “Fury” told Gravik to take his Skrulls to another world and conquer that planet’s race. It was a needlessly risky gambit by Fury and G’iah, but Gravik would never get the chance to use his new powers against any planet.
Would Secret Invasion‘s Harvest Work on a Human?
Gravik using the Harvest while Nick Fury was also inside the Super Skrull Machine indicates the device doesn’t work on humans. Humans possibly can’t survive the transformation process. Or, at minimum, the Harvest specifically was too much for a human body to withstand.
Gravik might have been blinded by rage, but he’s not stupid. He wouldn’t have made his enemy a supreme being, too. But his rage blinded him to the true identity of the person he was dealing with, and in powering himself up he created someone who could go toe-to-toe with him. He also created the only person who could seemingly kill him in combat.
Which MCU Characters’ Powers Does G’iah Now Have?
These are the MCU characters whose super DNA made up the Harvest. G’iah, who can also shape shift and fully maximize her new genetic abilities, now has the powers of:
- Ghost
- Captain America (Steve Rogers)
- Corvus Glaive
- Thanos
- Outrider
- Proxima Midnight
- Captain Marvel (Carol Danvers)
- Abomination
- Mantis
- Cull Obsidian
- Drax
- Korg
- Ebony Maw
- Frost Beast
- Hulk
- Valkyrie
- Thor Odinson
- Gamora
- Flora Colossus (Groot)
- Winter Soldier
We saw many of these powers used by both Gravik and G’iah during their fight. That includes phasing like Ghost and hulking out like Abomination. However, those two did not actually fight during the Battle of Earth. Fury simply included their DNA into the Harvest anyway. G’iah also has Extremis from her previous trip in the Super Skrull Machine.
There is one major, unexplained discrepancy from the Harvest loading sequence. Every name that appeared by itself in large letters at the top of the screen also appeared in a smaller list on the side. The single names popped up in the same order as the list until it got to Black Panther. When Wakanda’s hero’s spot came up top of the screen instead read “Chitauri,” even though that DNA is not included in the list.
It’s unclear if this was a case of Nick Fury mislabeling Chitauri blood as the Black Panther’s, the computer making an error, or a mistake by the show itself.
What Avenger DNA Was Missing from the Harvest?
The Harvest had some notable absences from its collection of DNA. The biggest was Spider-Man’s. Peter Parker bled a lot during the Battle of Earth, but Marvel Studios doesn’t own his rights, Sony does.
Some other major Avengers who fought Thanos in Endgame have normal human DNA and rely/relied on machines and their natural ability. That included people like Tony Stark, Clint Barton, Scott Lang, etc. Others use magic, like Wanda, Doctor Strange, and Wong. Their DNA would seemingly be no use to anyone, human or Skrull.
Not that G’iah needs more powers anyway.
Is G’iah the Most Powerful Superhero in the MCU Now?
We thought Secret Invasion might be setting up Emilia Clarke’s G’iah to be its next great hero. We didn’t think the show would make her the most powerful superhero the MCU has ever had. She might end up being the most powerful superhero the franchise ever introduces. Combining the DNA of Carol Danvers and Thanos alone might be enough to make that true, let alone every other character’s DNA she now has.
She’s seemingly has no equal now that she’s murdered Gravik, though his death shows G’iah is not totally invincible any more than a Celestial is. It’s a good thing she will now fight to protect humans and Skrulls alike on their shared planet.
Why Does Olivia Colman’s Sonya Want to Work With Emilia Clarke’s G’iah?
Talos worked with Nick Fury for decades to keep both America and the world safe. Now Olivia Colman’s Sonya Falsworth and G’iah will do the same, only without any of the “mistakes” that led to Talos’ death. The two women won’t be friends; their partnership will be purely professional and pragmatic. America’s president has declared war on Skrulls, which is getting humans and aliens both killed. Skrulls will need G’iah to lead them and keep them safe, just as Sonya needs the type of shape shifting spies Fury had to help keep humans safe. (Neither side can exactly rely on the potential of Kree peace talks.)
By working together and using one another they can both get what they want to the benefit of both species. And with Nick Fury heading back to space and S.A.B.E.R., Earth needs someone like Sonya to take his place. Only, she has a far more powerful ally than Nick Fury ever did. G’iah is a more powerful ally than anyone has ever had in the MCU.
Mikey Walsh is a staff writer at Nerdist. You can follow him on Twitter at @burgermike. And also anywhere someone is ranking the Targaryen kings.