Warning: This article contains spoilers for Secret Invasion.

Summary

• Secret Invasion introduces the concept of the Harvest, a collection of DNA samples from the Avengers, which could lead to the creation of a powerful character in Thunderbolts.
• The theory suggests that Valentina, the Thunderbolts benefactor, could use the Harvest to bioengineer the hero weapon with all of the Avengers' powers, making him practically omnipotent.
• The inclusion of the Avengers' DNA, including Captain Marvel's, in the Harvest creates the potential for the MCU's version of Superman to have an incredibly impressive power-set, making him a formidable adversary for the Thunderbolts.

The appearance of Thunderbolts. Secret Invasion marks the first Disney+ series in the MCU's Phase 5, but is set to have a huge impact on the future of the MCU. Samuel L. Jackson's first solo adventure as Nick Fury, the former Director of SHIELD, has included several twists and reveals, including outing Martin Freeman's Everett Ross and Don Cheadle's War Machine as Skrulls, revealing a million Skrull refugees have been living among humanity, and introducing the mysterious "Harvest" in Secret Invasion episode 5, which could set up one huge storyline.

The events of Secret Invasion are expected to inform storylines in several MCU projects. Most notably, 2023's The Marvels will act as a direct continuation of Secret Invasion, and Cheadle's James "Rhodey" Rhodes will return to the MCU in Armor Wars. It now seems that a connection between Secret Invasion and 2024's Thunderbolts may have also been established. The cast of Phase 5's Thunderbolts consists of several antiheroes and reformed villains from the MCU's past, brought together by Julia Louis-Dreyfus' Valentina, the Director of the CIA. The origin story of one heavily-rumored, but unconfirmed, Thunderbolts character may have also been teased during Secret Invasion episode 5.

Secret Invasion Reveals Nick Fury Stole The Avengers' DNA

Secret Invasion episode 5, "Harvest," saw major advancements made in the Skrull rebellion's plan for world domination. Throughout the series, Kingsley Ben-Adir's Gravik has made several attempts to incite World War III, hoping to claim the Earth as the Skrulls' new home, but he has been thwarted by Fury at every turn. In "Harvest," however, Gravik puts his own people at risk, revealing his Russian base of New Skrullos to President Ritson in hopes that the United States will fire missiles on Russian soil. This forces Fury to cooperate with Gravik's demands for fear of innocent Skrulls and humans being killed, which leads to the debut of the eponymous Harvest.

The Harvest is revealed to be a collection of DNA samples from the Avengers, collected by Skrull operatives following the Battle of Earth in Avengers: Endgame. Fury notes that almost every Avenger spilled blood during the Battle of Earth, meaning there could be a plethora of abilities contained in the Harvest, which Gravik intends to use for his Super Skrull program, enhancing the Skrulls with the powers of Earth's Mightiest Heroes. Fury and Olivia Colman's Sonya Falsworth collect the Harvest from Fury's faux grave in Finland, as, although it's a risk to give the Avengers' DNA to Gravik, Fury won't let the innocent souls in New Skrullos be killed.

The Avengers DNA Reveal Tease's Sentry's MCU Origin

The appearance of the Harvest in Secret Invasion episode 5 is a major revelation for the MCU, and perhaps perfectly sets up one major rumored character in 2024's Thunderbolts: the Sentry. Robert Reynolds, a.k.a. the Sentry, has been rumored to be appearing in Thunderbolts for several months, with speculation only growing as more time has ed, though it remains unclear how he would be integrated into the story when so many other characters are already being featured. Reddit cap4life52 may have provided an answer, however, as they pose that Valentina, the Thunderbolts benefactor, could use the Avengers' collected DNA to create the Sentry.

The theory states that Valentina could "use the Harvest or a similar concept to bioengineer the Sentry with all [the Avengers'] powers." In Marvel Comics, Sentry was introduced as a regular man, Robert Reynolds, who wakes one day ing his experiences as a superhero, all of which he'd forgotten. The Sentry's powers were the product of a super-soldier serum intended to be a thousand-times stronger than that used on Steve Rogers, gifting him the power of a million exploding suns, and making him practically omnipotent. If his origin story is adapted for the MCU to be the product of the Harvest, he would certainly still have an incredibly impressive power-set.

Secret Invasion episode 5 didn't explain exactly whose DNA is included in the Harvest, though Fury does confirm that Carol Danvers', a.k.a. Captain Marvel's, DNA makes up a portion of the solution. Other heroes who certainly spilled blood during Avengers: Endgame's Battle of Earth include Iron Man, Thor, Captain America, the Hulk, and Spider-Man, as well as potentially Black Panther, Doctor Strange, and the Guardians of the Galaxy. The combination of all these characters' abilities being used to create the Sentry in the MCU's Thunderbolts would potentially form the franchise's strongest hero, with an incomprehensible amount of power, which could be a terrifying concept.

Sentry's New Origin Fits Marvel's Thunderbolts

In February 2023, The Walking Dead and Invincible's Steven Yeun was cast in Thunderbolts in an undisclosed role, which many suspect could be the Sentry. While this would be an unexpected casting choice for the MCU's Sentry, Yeun's talent is undeniable, and this potential new origin story would give him a very exciting storyline to play with. Although Marvel Studios hasn't actually confirmed the Sentry's involvement in Thunderbolts, and it's nothing but a rumor, the character is thought to be the adversary to the Thunderbolts team for their first adventure. The Reddit theory takes this into , suggesting that "something goes haywire" during the transference of the Avengers' abilities.

Since Valentina was revealed to be the Director of the CIA in 2022's Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, and Harrison Ford is set to have a role in Thunderbolts as the MCU's new President Thaddeus Ross, taking over from the late William Hurt, it makes sense that the Thunderbolts would be a government-funded team. After the world-changing events of Secret Invasion, it's likely the United States government will lose faith in the Avengers, as one has already been outed as a Skrull, so would seek to create their own heroes. This plays perfectly into the idea of using the Avengers' DNA to create the Sentry, effectively the world's most powerful superhero.

It's possible that the Sentry could be created to lead the Thunderbolts, though when something goes wrong, the team will band together to take him down. Being imbued with the powers of the likes of Captain America, Captain Marvel, and the Hulk would give the MCU's Sentry similar abilities to his Marvel Comics counterpart. This would make him a powerful adversary to the Thunderbolts, but could set up a huge future for the character if the Thunderbolts turn the Sentry back to the side of good. In this way, Secret Invasion may directly influence the storyline of Phase 5's Thunderbolts, while teasing one of the MCU's most exciting rumored heroes.