Secret Invasion’s major Skrull reveal could have been much better if one deleted scene from The Falcon and the Winter Soldier had been retained.

One crucial deleted scene from Phase 4’s The Falcon and the Winter Soldier could have made the biggest Skrull twist in Secret Invasion even more powerful. Marvel Studios’ The Falcon and the Winter released as the second MCU TV series on Disney+, catching up with Anthony Mackie’s Sam Wilson and Sebastian Stan’s Bucky Barnes in the wake of Steve Rogers’ retirement as Captain America in Avengers: Endgame. The Falcon and the Winter Soldier eventually saw Sam Wilson embrace his new role of Captain America, but the series could have also set up another major storyline for the MCU’s Phase 5.

While The Falcon and the Winter Soldier was well-received throughout its 2021 release, other MCU-set Disney+ shows haven’t been so lucky. 2023’s Secret Invasion became one of Marvel Studios’ lowest-rated projects during its release in the MCU’s Phase 5, but one major reveal in the Samuel L. Jackson-led series could have been made far more impactful had a deleted scene from The Falcon and the Winter Soldier been kept in the Phase 4 series. Deleted scenes have often provided fun, but unnecessary, moments in MCU projects, but The Falcon and the Winter Soldier’s could have set up Secret Invasion perfectly.

MCU’s Deleted Scene Removed Crucial Secret Invasion Skrull Twist Setup

The Falcon and the Winter Soldier’s revelatory deleted scene was released by IGN on April 30, 2024, and provided a lengthier conversation between Sam Wilson and Don Cheadle’s James “Rhodey” Rhodes in the series’ premiere episode, “New World Order.” Originally, Wilson and Rhodey spoke after the former donated Captain America’s shield to the United States government for museum display, but this scene was only brief. While it was great to see Rhodey make a cameo appearance in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, keeping this deleted scene in would have provided excellent set up for Rhodey’s reveal in Secret Invasion.

In the deleted scene from The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, Wilson and Rhodey bicker about who is the better pilot and superhero, before Wilson notes that Rhodey looks like he’s “moving around pretty good now.” In Captain America: Civil War, Wilson’s duck-and-roll caused Rhodey’s War Machine suit to be damaged by Vision’s beam, sending him crashing to the Earth and leaving him paralyzed. Tony Stark gifted Rhodey leg braces that enabled him to walk, but The Falcon and the Winter Soldier’s deleted scene suggests he had an “upgraded procedure,” hinting at him already having been replaced by a Skrull.

The Falcon & The Winter Soldier’s Deleted Scene Prevented A Link Between The Two Shows

One of the biggest criticisms of the MCU’s recent projects has been the apparent level of disconnection between storylines. There was a clear throughline during the MCU’s Infinity Saga, perhaps aided by an intense focus on only a few superheroes, but the Multiverse Saga has been exploring several storylines at the same time, and not all of them interweave with each other. Marvel Studios could have assuaged these concerns early on in Phase 4, had The Falcon and the Winter Soldier’s deleted scene been kept in, as this would have actively set up Rhodey’s major Skrull reveal in Secret Invasion.

Both Everett K. Ross and James “Rhodey” Rhodes were revealed to be Skrulls in Secret Invasion , but it’s unclear when either of them were replaced.

Of course, this wouldn’t have been paid off until Secret Invasion’s release in 2023, but keeping The Falcon and the Winter Soldier’s deleted scene intact would have created a strong connection between these two grounded stories. Secret Invasion had much larger problems than just its connection to other stories in the MCU’s Multiverse Saga, but the magnitude of the Secret Invasion storyline perhaps constituted seeds being planted very early on. The Falcon and the Winter Soldier could have started this with its deleted scene, with subsequent projects perhaps laying more foundations, making the Skrulls’ actions in Phase 5 more meaningful.

Why The MCU Needs To Make The Falcon & The Winter Soldier’s Deleted Scene Canon

After Rhodey was revealed to have been replaced in Secret Invasion, there was confusion about when this swap took place. There has been speculation that Rhodey sporting a hospital gown in Secret Invasion’s finale suggests he was replaced during his stay in hospital in Captain America: Civil War. However, Rhodey mentioning his “upgraded procedure” in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier implies the Skrull Raava didn’t wear the leg braces while masquerading as Rhodey, but the Avenger sported these accessories during Avengers: Endgame, implying Rhodey was swapped after the Battle of Earth, but before The Falcon and the Winter Soldier.

Making The Falcon ad the Winter Soldier’s deleted scene canon to the MCU may clear up confusion surrounding Rhodey’s Secret Invasion storyline. However, aside from its darker undertones of Rhodey being switched with a Skrull, this deleted scene is simply a brilliant moment of banter, bickering and tenderness between two powerful Avengers. These moments of humanity help to make the MCU more believable and accessible, and while there were several of these interactions between Sam Wilson and Bucky Barnes in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, it would have been great to see Rhodey’s friendships with his fellow heroes develop.