With Secret Invasion now out on Disney+. The series will be a loose adaptation of the Marvel event of the same name from 2008, which pit dozens of heroes against the invading, shapeshifting race. Secret Invasion completely altered Marvel history by revealing many of Marvel's beloved heroes were Skrulls in disguise. This eight-issue run isn't the only material fans should read to prepare for the MCU TV series.
Whether it is to become more familiar with the Skrull Empire or to understand better the circumstances that lead to the Invasion, viewers should check out comics like Annihilation, New Avengers: Illuminati, and Dark Reign. While some of them don't focus directly on the Skrulls, these comics remain just as important as Secret Invasion.
10 Secret Invasion
By Brian Michael Bendis, Leinil Yu, Mark Morales, Laura Martin, Emily Warren, and Chris Eliopoulos
Secret Invasion is the main storyline of the event. This eight-issue series focuses on the core battle between Earth's heroes and the Skrulls who are trying to conquer the planet. The first issue reveals a Skrull's corpse, which everyone thought was Elektra. From here, it's all shocking revelations and epic battles.
Viewers who want to watch the TV series with a bit of previous knowledge need to check out Secret Invasion. This event has around 30 different tie-ins, but non-committal readers can easily enjoy the plot of the series by reading the core eight issues.
9 Skrulls!
By Ronald Byrd, Michael Hoskin, Gabriel Shechter, John Rhett Thomas, Stuart Vandal, and Jeph York
Introduced as the Skrull Warbook Files ordered by Queen Veranke, Skrulls! is a complete encyclopedia about the most essential Skrulls in Marvel history. This file details their first appearance in comics and their potential as if it were a catalog from which the Queen would choose her warriors.
Skrulls! is a fun read. It's full of trivia and it has a meta-vibe that makes the reader feel like they're inside the Marvel universe. Additionally, it's a great way of getting familiar with the Skrulls before they become essential in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
8 Avengers #89-97
By Roy Thomas, Sal Buscema, George Roussos, and Sam Rosen
The First Kree-Skrull War takes place in Avengers #89-97. This storyline establishes the rivalry between these two powerful races and follows a group of Earth heroes as they try to stop this chaotic universal event. Although this storyline doesn't introduce these characters, many fans believe it's what made the Skrulls popular.
The Kree-Skrull War has very little to do with Secret Invasion. However, this storyline and the Second Kree-Skrull War depicted in Fantastic Four Annual #19 (by John Byrne, Joe Sinnott, Glynis Wein, and Jim Novak) are basic to understanding the hierarchical relationships among the members of the Skrull Empire.
7 Mighty Avengers #12
By Brian Michael Bendis, Alex Maleev, Matt Hollingsworth, and Dave Lanphear
Since MCU's Secret Invasion will focus mostly on Nick Fury and his allies, it's only logical for readers to check the comics that involve him. Mighty Avengers #12 focuses on Fury, who has been living in a hideout for a month, together with Valentina Allegra de Fontaine, his lover. After she betrays him, Fury kills her, only to discover she's a Skrull.
This issue may give the readers a good idea of how Fury will tackle the situation or even of which storylines will make it to the TV series. Even if the MCU adaptation is different from the comics, it's always good to see Nick Fury solo in an adventure.
6 Annihilation
By Keith Giffen and Andy Schmidt
Attempting to expand his empire, the insectoid villain known as Annihilus takes his troops into the positive matter universe. A 2006 exhilarating Marvel crossover, Annihilation, written by Keith Giffen, depicts a multiversal battle that results from this conqueror's actions.
Among many other things, Annihilation sets the ground for Secret Invasion. Although this event doesn't focus on the Skulls, it depicts the events that lead them to try to conquer Earth. After losing the Skrull Empire to the Annihilation Wave, Earth seemed like the best option for the Skrulls to recover their former glory.
5 Secret Invasion: Home Invasion
By Ivan Brandon, Nick Postic, Chris Sotomayor, and Dave Sharpe
As part of the advertising campaign for Secret Invasion, Marvel uploaded a MySpace video in which a girl, Kinsey Walden, discovered her brother was actually a Skrull. Secret Invasion: Home Invasion works as a sequel of Kinsey's video blog, which unfortunately has been deleted.
Logically, Secret Invasion will mostly focus on the heroes' perspective of the battle against the Skrulls. Anyone who also wants to see how Kinsey, a civilian, dealt with it should check out Secret Invasion: Home Invasion. This eight-issue series is available for free download on the Marvel.com website.
4 New Avengers: Illuminati #1-4
By Brian Michael Bendis, Brian Reed, Jim Cheung, Mark Morales, Justin Sponsor, and Cory Petit
The Illuminati had a lot to do with the Skrull's invasion. Even though they were supposed to prevent this kind of event, this team was too negligent to do much about it. Worse, they laid the groundwork for the Skrulls to invade Earth without realizing it.
Part of the Secret Invasion event, New Avengers: Illuminati #1-4 puts things in perspective. It allows fans to understand the circumstances that led to the Skrull Invasion and how Earth's most important heroes failed to stop it.
3 Secret Invasion Vol. 2
By Ryan North, Francesco Mobili, Jordie Bellaire, and Joe Caramagna
After Maria Hill suspects a new Skrull invasion on Earth, she sets all the alarms and tries to stop history from repeating itself. Only five comic issues, 2022's Secret Invasion follows the agent's attempts to avoid a catastrophe like the last time.
Of course, Secret Invasion Vol.2 isn't as complex as the original event. However, it's a great read pre-Secret Invasion. On one hand, it reminds the readers of how high the stakes were during the original event. Additionally, it features a determined, courageous version of Maria Hill that fans really want to see on the screen soon.
2 What If? Secret Invasion
By Kevin Grevioux, Karl Bollers, Pow Rodrix, Frank Martin Jr. Jeff Powell, Chris Acosta, Larry Stroman, Carl Potts, Daniele Rudoni, Mike Gallagher, Dave Manak, and Josh Ray
No Marvel storyline is complete without a What If? series. What If? Secret Invasion features three different storylines that reimagine the event: "What if the Skrulls succeeded in their Secret Invasion?," "What if the Secret Invasion remained secret?," and "Say What?! Secret Invasion."
These three stories deal with the aftermath of a devastating loss for the Marvel heroes. The second season of Disney+'s What If...? will likely include references to Secret Invasion. This one-shot could help readers theorize on how things will go, both in Secret Invasion and in What If...?
1 Secret Invasion: Dark Reign
By Brian Michael Bendis, Alex Maleev, Dean White, and Chris Eliopoulos
Dark Reign highlights the main consequences of Secret Invasion. It isn't an event. Instead, it's an era of Marvel history in which Norman Osborn takes complete control of S.H.I.E.L.D. (now H.A.M.M.E.R.), after proving valuable in the battle against the Skrulls. With this power, Norman sinks the whole Marvel Universe into some of its darkest times.
In order to prepare for Secret Invasion, readers don't have to read the whole Dark Reign era — although it's a great recommendation full of epic stories. Their best option before watching the series is to read Secret Invasion: Dark Reign. In this comic, Osborn configures his new team, the Dark Illuminati — Loki, Emma Frost, Doctor Doom, Namor, and Hood — and lays down his plans during his leadership. Readers might get an idea of what's coming to the MCU after the Secret Invasion finale.