Summary
- G'iah is rumored to lead Excalibur in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
- The character was one of the most controversial parts of the Secret Invasion series.
- Having her lead Excalibur and potentially usurp Captain Britain might be a bad way to redeem her.
Marvel's Secret Invasion may have adapted a popular storyline from the comic books, but it ultimately proved to be incredibly controversial. Issues with the series ranged from how it handled the source material, its own poorly handled scope and tone and the nature of one character in particular. Now, rumors suggest that this character may return in a pivotal capacity.
G'iah (played by Emilia Clarke from Game of Thrones) gained the powers of the Marvel Cinematic Universe's most powerful heroes in the conclusion of Secret Invasion. Now, it's believed that she may return to lead the Excalibur team. While this might make sense given how the TV series ended, it ultimately might be too contentious a direction for the character.
Why Fans Had Issues With G'Iah in Secret Invasion
Like many elements of Secret Invasion, viewers largely felt that G'iah left little in the way of an overall impression. There were times when she seemed to be working alongside Gravik and against her father Talos, but others where she opposed Gravik. Sure, she wished for the Skrulls to have peace and their own home, but this was something every member of her species got behind, leaving her without her own desires or goals.
Unfortunately, the writing for the character trundled downhill in the series finale of Secret Invasion. A procedure to make her into a "Super-Skrull" gave her the powers of the biggest and strongest heroes in the MCU. This included Drax the Destroyer and, most notably, Captain Marvel. Through these abilities, she was able to take the fight to Gravik and defeat him. It sounds interesting on paper, but fans had huge issues with how this development was handled. For one, it added an unnecessary CGI fight to a series that was supposed to be a more grounded spy thriller. Secret Invasion was known for changing the source material to match this new tone, and the finale was a jarring change of pace that begged the question of why the series jettisoned the MCU's superhero characters from the story entirely.
Likewise, the plot point was seen as a deus ex machina, with G'iah now being perhaps the most powerful character in the MCU. Her large amount of powers meant that she could logically mop the floor with established Avengers such as Hulk, Thor and Captain Marvel. Worst of all, there was seemingly no learning curve for these abilities, meaning that G'iah truly was an overpowered walking plot device. Likewise, the idea that the DNA of the Avengers was just lying around after the Battle of Earth presents all manner of implications, making the fact that G'iah and the Super-Skrulls are the only such genetically engineered recipients of this genetic material hard to parse. It didn't help that this essentially eliminates any chance of fans seeing Kl'rt, the true Super-Skrull who fights the Fantastic Four in the comics, in the MCU anytime soon.
G'iah May Return to the MCU as the Leader of Excalibur
In the finale of Secret Invasion, G'iah is approached by Olivia Coleman's Sonya Falsworth, a former member of MI6 and an associate of Nick Fury. From her words, it seems as if Falsworth intends to create an Avengers Initiative of her own. Many fans assumed that this might lead to the introduction of Excalibur, a British superhero team from the comic books. According to new rumors, that may be the case, which may also lead to other fan favorites making their MCU debut. After all, typical Excalibur leader Captain Britain (Brian Braddock) is the brother of Betsy Braddock, who's more well-known as the X-Men member Psylocke. Thus, some might suspect that the team's introduction might usher in the debut of the MCU version of the X-Men.
According to rumors, G'iah will return in a future Marvel Studios project -- and she won't be alone. The character's presence does make some sense, given how much of a dangling plot thread she presents. Likewise, she's played by Emilia Clarke, whose continued stardom means that Marvel likely won't want to end her contract after only one project. Her next appearance will supposedly be very prominent, with G'iah acting as the leader of Excalibur. This is a huge upgrade for the character, but it might also be a bad direction for her.
Excalibur Isn't the Place to Bring Back Secret Invasion's G'iah
Having G'iah lead Excalibur in the MCU will present several major problems, especially given how her debut series was received. As mentioned, Captain Britain is the team's leader, and he's also a character that fans have wanted to see on screen for quite a while. To have his role taken by someone who was created for the MCU would certainly put a damper on his introduction. And even if he's still present on the team, fans might be upset that he's essentially usurped by G'iah, who already has some baggage.
On top of that, it makes little narrative sense beyond her conversation with Falsworth. G'iah seemingly only cared about securing a place for her people, so "playing superhero" should be of no interest to her. Conversely, it begs the question of what kinds of threats Excalibur would have to face in order to actually be challenged. Possessing the powers of most of The Avengers, G'iah easily dwarfs the might of most villains. Thus, surrounding her with a team makes her even more overpowered, and any threat to Excalibur as a whole might come off as contrived.
There is the chance that an Excalibur movie or TV show can address her vast powers and establish that she's actually losing them, but even this might be trying to stop a horse after it's already run out of the barn. Unfortunately, the creators behind Secret Invasion wrote the MCU into a corner with how G'iah's powers work, and putting her on an entirely unrelated team won't fix that issue.