Following an out-of-character stint in Falcon & The Winter Soldier, could Sharon Carter be an MCU Skrull in disguise? Skrulls have been bothering the Marvel comic universe for decades, but finally made their formal big screen debut in Captain Marvel, where a band of refugees led by Talos were saved from the Kree by Carol Danvers and Nick Fury. Possessing the unique ability to shape-shift, Skrulls are natural infiltrators, rather adept at blending into their surroundings, and Nick Fury uses this to his advantage, recruiting Talos and others into his SWORD organization.
Talos and Soren later pose as Fury and Maria Hill throughout Spider-Man: Far From Home, and another Skrull approaches Monica Rambeau in the final moments of WandaVision. If that wasn't evidence enough of the Skrulls' increasing importance to the MCU, Secret Invasion is lined up to stream on Disney+ soon, currently assembling an all-star cast. The Marvel comic arc of the same name saw Skrulls launch an invasion from within, infiltrating Earth by posing as key figures and superheroes. It's safe to assume that enemy aliens are already hiding in plain sight on MCU Earth.
After featuring in the Captain America sequels, Emily VanCamp made her return as Sharon Carter in Falcon & The Winter Soldier, but felt drastically different compared to how fans remember her. With strange behavior and plot inconsistencies abound, could Sharon be an MCU Skrull in hiding?
As Falcon & The Winter Soldier explains, Sharon Carter was exiled from the U.S. following her crimes in Captain America: Civil War, causing the SHIELD agent to break bad and become the Power Broker, dealing weapons and abilities to the criminals of the MCU. Even after America humbly pardons Miss Carter, she plans to exploit her SHIELD privileges and source even more dangerous goodies for Madripoor's black market, but this murky scenario leaves much unanswered. Why was Sharon punished so harshly when other Civil War participants were forgiven? What are Sharon's motivations as the Power Broker? And if Sharon got snapped by Thanos (which we know she did), how is the Power Broker's empire still standing after 5 years unattended, especially since Falcon & The Winter Soldier takes place a scant 6 months or so after Avengers: Endgame?
All of this would make perfect sense if the Sharon Carter seen conspiring against Sam Wilson and Bucky Barnes in Falcon & The Winter Soldier was a Skrull. For this theory, let's assume the Sharon of the Captain America movies was an ordinary human. Thanks to the opening sequence of Avengers: Endgame, we know Sharon was snapped out of existence for 5 years by Thanos, so this means she either became the Power Broker before the snap, then slipped right back into her old position after the Blip (pretty unlikely), or she only became the Power Broker after the Blip and established herself within six months (even more unlikely).
Thanos' snap would've been the perfect opportunity for Skrulls to infiltrate - millions of lost identities to steal, and chaos everywhere. A Skrull could've taken Sharon's face during the Blip, settled in Madripoor and built the Power Broker's criminal empire. When Hulk's snap brought everyone back (a major inconvenience to the invasion effort, presumably), the Skrulls must've kidnapped the real Sharon, so their agent on Earth could continue the charade. This fits with several hints that suggest the Power Broker was active during the Blip. Firstly, Dr. Nagel was approached by the Broker after he came back to life, which hints Sharon was already up and running in Madripoor, and secondly, the Flag-Smashers (who weren't snapped, that's their whole deal) worked as the Power Broker's security. If the real Sharon was dusted, but the Power Broker was in operation, then the current Sharon must be an impostor. Furthermore, the inherent secrecy surrounding the Power Broker's identity would conveniently cover up why she looks exactly like a former SHIELD agent.
As Bucky Barnes rightly points out, Falcon & The Winter Soldier's Sharon Carter is a whole new woman - bitter, angry and materialistic. This isn't just a turn to villainy, it's a wholesale personality transplant. Sharon has no qualms about killing folk, even via torturous methods such as the mercury cocktail gas, and not only is Power Broker Sharon cynical of superheroes, she also laments being apart from her family, saying, "my own father doesn't know where I am."
Again, these changes make far more sense if Sharon Carter was secretly a little green visitor from outer space. Assuming these evil, invading Skrulls are the antithesis of Nick Fury's peaceful pal, Talos, it follows that "Sharon" would hate do-good heroes. After all, Talos' people were rescued and relocated by Captain Marvel, the original Avenger, so any Skrull who stood against Talos would naturally take an anti-superhero stance. The lack of mercy Sharon demonstrates toward Flag-Smashers would come naturally to a Skrull insurgent, and the gas she deploys in the season finale could contain chemicals more other-worldly than Sharon lets on.
If Falcon & The Winter Soldier's Sharon Carter really was a Skrull, being separated from her family would suddenly track logically. Her appearance in the finale proves Sharon can slip into the U.S. without raising alarm, so why hasn't she sneaked a visit to her loved ones equipped with one of those nifty face masks? Perhaps when "Sharon" claimed to miss her family, it wasn't due to any American exile, but because they're on a different planet altogether.
As far as viewers know, Sharon Carter is 100% human in Falcon & The Winter Soldier, but a couple of wrinkles in her visual presentation don't sit quite right. In the final episode, Sharon uses a hi-tech mask to change her face and voice, surprising Bucky by joining the final mission in New York. Although it looks like the mask is responsible for altering Sharon's appearance, the apparatus could be a prop to hide the shape-shifting process, with the hidden Skrull transforming from random woman #7 back into Sharon Carter. It's good enough to fool Bucky, so the decoy could be how Skrulls use their special ability without raising suspicion.
In the standoff between Karli, Batroc and Sharon, the latter receives a bullet to the stomach courtesy of the Flag-Smashers' leader. Curiously, Falcon & Winter Soldier doesn't provide a close look at Sharon bleeding - possibly a deliberate move to mask her green Skrull blood. Sharon then recovers from the gunshot with remarkable speed (we know the Carters are double-tough, but come on), and this only adds to the suspicion.
Falcon & The Winter Soldier leaves Sharon's Power Broker motivations frustratingly vague. Why, even after being pardoned, is she so intent on shifting more weapons? Is it revenge? The love of danger? Money? Instead, Sharon's dealings could be part of the Skrulls' grand invasion plan. Infiltrating Earth in the wake of Thanos' snap was phase 1 of the plot; destabilizing Earth's defenses would be the logical next step. To this end, it makes perfect sense for Skrull Sharon to work as an arms dealer. Not only would she curate and keep the most destructive pieces for her own army, but creating other super-villains keeps Avengers and governments busy, clearing a path for the Skrulls to strike. Falcon & Winter Soldier proves this, with the Flag-Smashers managing to occupy Falcon, Bucky, and the U.S. military. Accessing SHIELD weaponry, Sharon can continue arming criminals across the world, distracting the Avengers from the true threat lying within.
The landscape of the MCU makes a Secret Invasion storyline tricky. Unlike the comics, it's impossible to suddenly declare major characters such as Captain America, Black Widow or Hawkeye secret Skrulls, waiting for their call to arms. Fans are already invested in those heroes, and a twist of such magnitude would play havoc with an already fraught MCU timeline. The likes of Sharon Carter, however, are perfect. Sharon is important enough for her Skrull reveal to be shocking, but not so pivotal as to disrupt the fabric of the MCU.
Falcon & The Winter Soldier's season 1 finale proved a relatively divisive affair, with some storylines hitting the mark, and others missing by a mile. Sharon Carter's Power Broker twist falls firmly into the latter category, as Falcon & The Winter Soldier offers no convincing idea of her purpose or motivations, nor any real explanation of why her character underwent such a drastic change of outlook, especially after the government's red-faced apology. If Emily VanCamp really is playing Sharon Carter in Falcon & The Winter Soldier, then the Disney+ series has left the character desperately short-changed, retconning a much-loved figure for a relatively inconsequential shock twist. When the post-credits confirm Sharon has no intention of leaving her illicit activities in the past, her moral stance is so confusing, it's impossible to know whether she's a villain to worry about, or a wronged antihero we shouldn't give up on.
Making Sharon a Skrull in Secret Invasion would retroactively nullify the criticism of her character from Falcon & The Winter Soldier. The MCU wouldn't have pointlessly muddled a popular MCU heroine, but cast VanCamp as an entirely new one. Rather than an inexplicably awful Sharon Carter, the audience is meeting a Skrull we'll come to know better in the future. While you can certainly question the wisdom of cramming Skrull setup into an already packed Falcon & The Winter Soldier, it's preferable to Sharon Carter becoming a baddie because she got punished for a crime committed in full knowledge of the potential consequences.
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