Marvel’s Spider-Man: Across the Multiverse

The person standing before them was certainly not a Skrull. Although the shape-shifting abilities of the Skrulls are nearly impossible for ordinary people to detect, individuals like Captain Marvel and Doctor Strange are capable of identifying them.

Moreover, Captain Marvel's communicator could never fall into the hands of the Skrulls.

Even though there had been a reconciliation between them, the animosity still lingered.

At best, the two sides had merely agreed to avoid causing trouble for each other.

If Captain Marvel returned and found out the Skrulls had stolen the communicator she left for Fury, there would be hell to pay.

After all, she was far from being a soft-hearted individual. On the contrary, her ruthlessness was legendary. Imagine her effortlessly obliterating an entire cosmic warship—terrifying, right?

Peter gave Nick Fury a meaningful glance and said, "The Skrulls possess the ability to transform their appearance at will, and in some cases, they can even access the memories of their targets. Unless they die or willingly reveal themselves, there's almost no way to spot the flaws in their disguise. And this race is lurking right here on Earth. If they ever harbor malicious intentions toward the planet... Well, you can imagine the consequences."

Nick Fury's brows furrowed even deeper, and his gaze toward Peter grew increasingly sharp.

Among those present, Fury was the only one who had direct experience with the Skrulls, so it was clear whom Peter's words were directed at.

Peter wasn't just speaking to alarm anyone.

Looking back at the events of Spider-Man: Far From Home, it became evident that the two Skrulls impersonating Nick Fury and Maria Hill seemed to be helping Spider-Man. But if one considers the bigger picture, doubts arise. Were they intentionally stirring up trouble?

For example, they openly supported Mysterio, giving him credibility in Peter Parker's eyes. Mysterio earned the apparent endorsement of Fury and Hill—both respected former leaders of S.H.I.E.L.D. and Avengers allies. For the inexperienced Spider-Man, this endorsement was more than enough to earn his trust.

Then, they seemingly allowed Mysterio to proceed with his schemes, deepening Spider-Man's trust. In the end, Mysterio managed to acquire Iron Man's legacy—the E.D.I.T.H. glasses, capable of controlling a satellite and billions of dollars' worth of combat drones.

Even though Tony Stark's allies might have been keeping an eye on Spider-Man's growth, they wouldn't have suspected anything amiss.

After all, they were deceived by Mysterio too!

It looked like the Skrulls did nothing, but in reality, they manipulated everything.

Another glaring mystery emerged after Far From Home: Quentin Beck (Mysterio) died at the hands of his own drone, yet a "deathbed" video surfaced shortly afterward—edited and deliberately released!

Who could have accessed these videos?

Mysterio's former subordinates?

Those were just mercenaries motivated by personal gain. Once Mysterio was dead, they scattered. Who among them would bother seeking "justice" for him?

The most suspicious party was, of course, the Skrulls!

After the Far From Home incident, Stark Industries underwent investigation, and the drones were confiscated. Naturally, their data ended up in the hands of the FBI.

All the Skrulls had to do was disguise themselves briefly, retrieve the data, edit it, and release it online.

On one hand, this would tarnish Spider-Man's reputation as the heir to Iron Man's legacy. On the other, they could pocket Stark's vast technological inheritance.

If necessary, they could even shape-shift into Tony Stark himself and stage a dramatic "hero's return"!

This might just be the prologue to a Secret Invasion.

Of course, Peter had no intention of getting involved in any potential Secret Invasion.

Right now, all he wanted was to get through the Infinity War, then have Bill Foster help him refine his powers and figure out how to navigate the Quantum Realm to travel between parallel universes.

This world was just too dangerous!

Dropping hints about the Skrulls was merely his way of offering a friendly reminder while earning a bit of goodwill.

If this were a game, the situation might look something like this:

[Nick Fury's Affection +10, Current: 5 (Indifferent)]

[Tony Stark's Affection +20, Current: 30 (Acquainted)]

[Stephen Strange's Affection +20, Current: 50 (Friendly)]

[Wanda and Vision's Affection +10, Current: 40 (Friendly)]

Reaching the "Acquainted" level (10–30) generally means you've earned initial recognition and can engage in basic communication.

Achieving "Friendly" (30–50) indicates they'd willingly lend a hand.

Anything above that? Well, that's reserved for your closest loved ones—and it might cost you.

"It seems you really know a lot," Nick Fury took a deep breath and turned to Iron Man, the only person here he was relatively familiar with. "Stark, explain what exactly is going on. I have the right to know."

Iron Man replied, "Here's the situation: there's a terrifying enemy heading toward Earth, and his goal is to wipe out half the life in the entire universe. So, if you could get your super-lady friend to join us in this fight, our chances of winning would increase significantly."

A long silence followed.

The weight of Peter's words was vastly different when reinforced by Tony Stark.

This wasn't surprising—after all, Stark and Fury had fought alongside each other for years.

After a while, Peter couldn't help but speak up, "Mr. Fury, do you remember the battle in New York a few years ago? A spatial wormhole opened there, and the Avengers were struggling to hold their ground. In the end, it was Mr. Stark who risked his life, carrying a nuclear missile through the wormhole to destroy one of the ships behind it."

"The Chitauri were only a fraction of Thanos's dark army, and now, the entire dark army, led personally by Thanos, is heading for Earth!"

Talking about how formidable the dark army was in vague terms might not have much impact.

But providing a clear comparison? That painted a vivid picture.

The Chitauri alone—a small part of the dark army—had nearly razed New York City to the ground and overwhelmed the Avengers.

The full Chitauri force was still just one segment of the dark army.

And the dark army itself was under Thanos's command.

This glimpse was enough to make Nick Fury grasp the overwhelming power Thanos wielded.

After hearing Peter's explanation, Fury stood up.

Doctor Strange gestured toward the door. "There are empty rooms on both sides outside. Feel free to use one."

Without a word, Fury walked out.

Meanwhile, Peter and the others began anxiously waiting.

Peter's final words hadn't just put pressure on Fury—they had also intensified the weight on Iron Man and the others.

Previously, they'd sought Captain Marvel only as a precautionary measure. Now, they were genuinely hoping she'd return in time.

A few minutes later, the door opened again.

As Peter and the others turned their expectant gazes toward him, Nick Fury revealed a toothy grin.

"Carol has received the message. But she said she's currently in a galaxy several hundred light-years away from the solar system. It'll take her at least a week to get back to Earth. How long do we have? It should be enough time, right?"

(End of Chapter)

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