The following contains spoilers for Secret Invasion Season 1, Episode 2, "Promises," now streaming on Disney+.
It's no secret that Secret Invasion is a massive character study on Samuel L. Jackson's flawed Nick Fury. After coming back from the Snap, he's still suffering from trauma. It's why he prefers to stay in space rather than face the harsh realities on an Earth that needs help rebuilding.
Sadly, Maria Hill's been killed, leaving Fury short of a support system. Apart from Talos, Fury doesn't have many friends to lean on. It makes the Skrull invasion easier, with the leader, Gravik, taking pride in how weak Fury is. In the latest episode, a bombshell has been dropped, which confirms this is actually a problem Fury inadvertently created in the '90s.
Secret Invasion's Nick Fury Misappropriates the Skrulls
In Secret Invasion Episode 2, flashbacks show Fury promising once the Skrulls on Earth act as his spies after Captain Marvel, he'll work with Carol Danvers to get them a new home. However, as an older Gravik notes, Fury didn't deliver on this promise. It's caused folks like Gravik to turn bitter and recruit the likes of G'iah. Fury's failure is the catalyst for them becoming extremists who think he used and betrayed their kind.
When Gravik mentions this at the council meeting, the British Prime Minister backs him. Others fall in line, creating a coup for Gravik to take official leadership of his species. No matter what, the others think Fury lied -- opting to appropriate and forget about them. The fact that he hasn't found a home and that Danvers hasn't even returned to take them away riles them up even more. As such, because this duo has been incompetent and can't help them achieve the goal of securing a home, the rebels decide to take Earth for themselves.
Secret Invasion Doubles Down on the MCU's Fury Problem
To be honest, Fury's methods haven't been airtight in the past. He kept secrets from the Avengers, tried to use Chitauri weaponry behind Captain America's back, wasn't forthcoming with Iron Man, and was at the helm when Hydra revealed it had infiltrated SHIELD. These dominoes led to Fury going into hiding, Civil War occurring, and Earth becoming vulnerable to Thanos' Snap.
Clearly, he's not the most proactive leader or the smartest guy in the room. Trailing back to his Skrull invitation, it was made without global leaders agreeing. So as much as he's mad at Talos for not screening who had come to Earth, Fury has to blame himself. Obviously, if Fury made Earth a haven, refugees would come. And, of course, Talos wouldn't turn away his species. Had Fury trusted the government, the military and the Avengers, contingency measures could have been implemented over the years to work with the shape-shifters, create a proper integration system, and monitor them to avoid trouble.
Sadly, Fury loves to operate in pockets of isolation, opting to micromanage and focus on control via a god complex. It's quite egoistical and affirms he should have been a bigger team player. Repercussions are now being felt with the shape-shifters infiltrating arenas such as the media and politics. Simply put, he's mishandled things and can't even call the Avengers in because he doesn't want the Skrulls impersonating them and shattering the public image. Ultimately, Fury has to reactively scramble with minimal resources and few allies he can trust.
To see Fury deal with the mess he made, Secret Invasion debuts new episodes Wednesdays on Disney+.