You Might Not Remember Cull Obsidian, but ‘Secret Invasion’ Does

Extremis isn’t the only surprising reference in Secret Invasion episode 2. “Promises” includes a reference to another nigh-forgotten Marvel Cinematic Universe villain. The episode delves deeper into Gravik (Kingsley Ben-Adir)’s attempts to lead the Skrulls in taking over Earth, and his plans are even more nefarious than we thought. It was previously established that Gravik had succeeded in forming a rebel faction of Skrulls to invade Earth in response to Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson)’s broken promise to secure the Skrull refugees a new home. However, when he began plotting terrorist attacks to reignite the Cold War, it seemed unlikely he’d get the approval of all the Skrulls.

“Promises” sees Gravik’s attempts to sway the Council of Skrulls to supporting his vision. However, it also reveals that he’s preparing for a scenario in which things do not go as planned. A Skrull named Rosa Dalton (Katie Finneran) is working with her husband on a top-secret experiment called “Harvest” to help Gravik. We’re not entirely sure what Gravik and his scientists are trying to do, but it involves the DNA of several alien species from the MCU that viewers will recognize. Among the DNA samples are those from Groot (Vin Diesel), a Frost Beast (from the Thor film series), and Cull Obsidian.

While viewers are familiar with Groot and the Frost Beasts, some may not remember Cull Obsidian.

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Who is Cull Obsidian, and what does he mean for Secret Invasion?

Cull Obsidian made his first official appearance in Avengers: Infinity War, though he was name-dropped in Guardians of the Galaxy. Terry Notary provided the motion capture and voice performances for Obsidian in both Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame. Obsidian is a member of Thanos (Josh Brolin)’s Black Order, a supervillain team sometimes also known as the Children of Thanos. Thanos had a tendency to adopt a child from every planet where he decimated half the population. Obsidian came from an unknown world destroyed by Thanos and joined the Titan in his quest.

In Avengers: Infinity War, Obsidian joined Thanos and the other members of the Black Order in an attack on the Statesman ship, which was carrying refugees from Asgard. After securing the Space Stone, the villainous crew arrived on Earth to find the rest of the Infinity Stones. Obsidian and Ebony Maw (Tom Vaughan-Lawlor) were confronted by the Avengers in New York City, and Obsidian was injured. He was later killed by Bruce Banner (Mark Ruffalo) during the Battle of Wakanda. However, he was brought back to the present during all the time travel in Avengers: Endgame and fought in the Battle of Earth, where he was defeated for the final time.

Obsidian was considered one of the strongest members of the Black Order in terms of physical strength. He was able to hold his own against the Hulkbuster suit and nearly killed several of the Avengers. His superhuman strength and durability made him a force to be reckoned with. So, what do the Skrulls want with his DNA in Secret Invasion? Considering that all the DNA samples were from very strong and resilient extraterrestrial species, it seems that Dalton and Gravik are either trying to create some kind of super Skrull or enhance the physical strength and durability of Gravik’s rebels. Though their exact goal is unclear, experimenting with the DNA of one of Thanos’ strongest children is concerning in and of itself.

(featured image: Disney+)