Secret Invasion director Ali Selim has seemingly confirmed when the character of Rhodey was swapped with a Skrull in the Marvel Cinematic Universe timeline.
When was Rhodey swapped with a Skrull in Secret Invasion?
In an interview with Variety, Selim was asked about the scene in Secret Invasion’s finale where the real Rhodey was rescued from the Skrulls. The interviewer noted that Rhodey is wearing a hospital gown and was told that he had been held hostage “for a long time,” then asked the director if this was hinting at Rhodey being taken as far back as Captain America: Civil War. Selim confirmed the theory, simply answering with, “Yep.”
Captain America: Civil War saw Rhodey lose the use of his legs after he is accidentally hit by a beam from Vision, causing him to crash into the ground. Though Tony Stark/Iron Man has motorized leg braces made to allow Rhodey to continue walking, it seems this was all done for a Skrull with Rhodey’s face rather than the real Rhodey.
Secret Invasion hails from head writer Kyle Bradstreet and director Ali Selim. The series features the return of MCU vets Samuel L. Jackson, Ben Mendelsohn, Cobie Smulders, Martin Freeman, and Don Cheadle, as they reprise their respective roles as Nick Fury, Talos, Maria Hill, Everett Ross, and Rhodey. They’re joined by Emilia Clarke, Olivia Colman, Kingsley Ben-Adir, Dermot Mulroney, Killian Scott, and more.
“In Secret Invasion, set in the present-day MCU, Fury learns of a clandestine invasion of Earth by a faction of shapeshifting Skrulls,” reads the logline. “Fury joins his allies, including Everett Ross, Maria Hill, and the Skrull Talos, who has made a life for himself on Earth. Together they race against time to thwart an imminent Skrull invasion and save humanity.”
Executive producers are Selim, Bradstreet, Kevin Feige, Jonathan Schwartz, Louis D’Esposito, Victoria Alonso, Brad Winderbaum, Brian Tucker, Jennifer L. Booth, Allana Williams, and Brant Englestein.