Warning! This article contains SPOILERS for Secret Invasion.James Gunn’s Peacemaker revealed a secret alien invasion in the DCEU one year before Marvel did the same with the Skrulls in the MCU’s Secret Invasion. The Skrulls have been a famous alien race in Marvel Comics since their introduction in 1962’s Fantastic Four #2. Since then, they’ve appeared in multiple storylines and received their own Marvel event, 2007’s Secret Invasion. 16 years later, the MCU adapts this event to live-action with Samuel L. Jackson’s Nick Fury as the star and a million Skrulls being revealed to have infiltrated Earth a couple of decades before.
The MCU had already hinted at the Skrull’s invasion in Captain Marvel, where the Skrulls’ MCU backstory was explained. Contrary to their original villain role in Marvel Comics, the MCU’s Skrulls traveled the universe searching for refuge after their home planet was ravaged by the Kree. Still, 30 years later, a group of Skrulls have set their aims on conquering Earth, which they attempt to achieve by impersonating humans and unleashing chaos after acquiring positions of power. If this plot sounds familiar, it’s because DC already used it in the 2022 DCEU show Peacemaker.
Peacemaker Season 1 Was The DCEU’s Secret Invasion In 2022
In Peacemaker, John Cena’s Christopher Smith joins ARGUS on a top-secret mission called “Project Butterfly”, which requires him to assassinate aliens who have infiltrated Earth and impersonated thousands of humans. Like Secret Invasion‘s Skrulls, Peacemaker‘s Butterflies are stronger, faster, and more durable than any human being, and they’re extremely difficult to identify. They also steal their human victims’ memories and personalities to impersonate them more seamlessly by gaining access to their brains. And similar to Nick Fury in Secret Invasion, Peacemaker needs to be careful of who he trusts, as his partner Clemson Murn is revealed to be a Butterfly in disguise.
Why Peacemaker Season 1 Didn’t Ruin Secret Invasion
Although the plots of Secret Invasion and Peacemaker are eerily similar, there are enough differences between them to avoid an evident overlap. Whereas Secret Invasion is a slow-burn mystery thriller that focuses on an older Nick Fury’s journey as he gets back on his feet and uses his wits to keep up with the Skrulls’ dirty tricks, Peacemaker is an action comedy that follows the anti-hero Christopher Smith as he learns to use his brute strength for a good purpose. Secret Invasion‘s Skrulls are also developed as actual characters with conflicting motivations and backstory as opposed to the Butterflies and their mindless survival instinct.
Peacemaker and Secret Invasion‘s stories are executed so differently from each other that neither show seems like it’s copying the other at any moment. For instance, Peacemaker‘s opening dance sequence is the extreme opposite to Secret Invasion‘s creepy AI-generated opening credits. Just like Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 1 and The Suicide Squad have a similar premise and Captain America: Civil War and Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice have a similar conflict, DC’s Peacemaker and Marvel’s Secret Invasion explore the same type of villains and the same mystery plot from unique angles.