The Skrulls made their debut in Fantastic Four #2 in January 1962, created by the legendary duo of writer Stan Lee and artist Jack Kirby. Their creation was a product of the Silver Age of comics and deeply rooted in the Cold War anxieties of the era. The concept of alien invaders who could look just like your neighbor tapped directly into the widespread paranoia surrounding Soviet spies and “sleeper agents.” Their initial appearance portrayed them as subversive, deceptive invaders, a theme that would define them for decades. Kirby's design—green-skinned, with large pointed ears and ridged chins—was instantly iconic, creating a visual shorthand for “alien invader” within the burgeoning Marvel Universe. Their ability to shapeshift was not just a superpower but a narrative engine, allowing for endless stories of espionage, mystery, and betrayal that have been utilized by Marvel creators ever since.
The origin of the Skrull species is one of the oldest and most consequential tales in the Marvel cosmos, but it differs dramatically between the primary comic continuity and the cinematic universe.
Millions of years ago, the ancient and godlike cosmic beings known as the celestials visited the planet Skrullos. They found a primitive reptilian species and, as was their custom, performed genetic experiments on them. This tampering resulted in the creation of three distinct Skrull branches:
Initially, the three races coexisted. However, the Deviant Skrulls, with their unique shapeshifting abilities, quickly proved to be the most adaptable and ruthless. In a brutal civil war, the Deviants completely exterminated the Prime Skrulls and the Skrull Eternals, leaving themselves as the sole inheritors of Skrullos. From this point on, all Skrulls possessed the Deviant gene for metamorphosis. Harnessing their shapeshifting for espionage and technological theft, the Skrulls rapidly developed into a space-faring civilization and began building a massive interstellar empire. Their policy was initially one of free trade and uplifting “lesser” races. On one such mission, they discovered the planet Hala, home to two primitive sentient species: the plant-like Cotati and the humanoid Kree. To determine which race was more “worthy” of their advanced technology, the Skrulls proposed a contest. They took groups from both species to Earth's uninhabited moon, tasking them with creating something of lasting value. The Cotati cultivated a magnificent garden, while the Kree constructed a massive, technologically advanced city. When the Skrulls declared the Cotati the winners, the enraged Kree slaughtered the Skrull delegation and the Cotati. They then reverse-engineered the Skrulls' starship, rapidly developing their own technology. This act of violence ignited the millennia-spanning Kree-Skrull War, a conflict that would define both empires and shape the political landscape of the entire galaxy for eons.
The MCU presents a radically different origin, reframing the Skrulls from galactic conquerors to tragic victims. As revealed in Captain Marvel (2019), the Skrulls were a peaceful, scientifically advanced civilization. Their homeworld, Skrullos, was destroyed by the Kree Empire, who viewed the Skrulls' shapeshifting abilities as an abomination and a threat. This act of genocide initiated a one-sided war where the Kree systematically hunted the surviving Skrulls across the galaxy.
A small faction of Skrulls, led by their general, Talos, sought refuge. They were aided by a rogue Kree scientist, Mar-Vell, who was working on a Light-Speed Engine on Earth, hoping to use it to transport the Skrull refugees to a new, safe home far beyond the Kree's reach. After Mar-Vell's death and the empowerment of carol_danvers, Captain Marvel learned the truth about the Kree's propaganda and the Skrulls' plight. She destroyed the Kree forces menacing Earth and vowed to help Talos and his people find a new planet to call home.
However, as explored in the series Secret Invasion (2023), this search proved fruitless over the next three decades. The promise of a new home went unfulfilled. While Talos and a network of Skrulls worked with nick_fury on Earth, living in secrecy, a dissident faction grew. Led by a young, radicalized Skrull named Gravik, this group lost faith in Fury and Talos's leadership. They believed that the only way for their species to survive was to conquer a new home for themselves—Earth. This faction adopted the tactics of infiltration and terrorism, seeking to destabilize human society and provoke a global war, mirroring the more aggressive nature of their comic book counterparts but from a place of desperation rather than imperial ambition.
The nature of the Skrulls—their physical abilities, societal structure, and technological prowess—is a direct reflection of their differing origins in each continuity.
Secret Invasion, framing it as a holy war. They revere a pantheon including the warring gods Sl'gur't and Kly'bn, believing their victory represents the eternal, ever-changing nature of the Skrull.Secret Invasion, they must have access to a person's memories (often via a special machine) to perform a convincing, long-term impersonation.Captain Marvel.In the comics, the Skrulls are almost universally antagonists, making true allies rare. In the MCU, alliances are central to their story.
Empyre storyline.Incoming!, the two ancient enemies united under the leadership of Emperor Hulkling (Dorrek VIII), a Kree-Skrull hybrid, to form a new galactic superpower against a common threat.This seminal storyline by Roy Thomas, Neal Adams, and John Buscema was one of Marvel's first true “event” comics. The conflict erupts into the open when the Kree hero captain_mar-vell is captured by his own people. The Avengers become entangled as Skrull infiltrators on Earth attempt to reverse-engineer Kree technology, and the Kree Accuser, Ronan, launches an attack. The arc spanned the galaxy, forcing the Avengers to intervene directly in the interstellar war. It explored themes of paranoia (with Skrulls impersonating key figures), the moral complexities of war, and humanity's place in a hostile cosmos. The event's climax involved the Supreme Intelligence attempting to de-evolve humanity, cementing the Kree and Skrulls as major cosmic threats.
While the Skrulls were not the main focus, this cosmic crossover had a devastating and permanent impact on their empire. The Annihilation Wave, a massive armada from the Negative Zone led by Annihilus, swept through the positive-matter universe, consuming everything in its path. The Skrull Empire was one of its first and most prominent victims. The Skrull Throneworld was destroyed, their fleet was shattered, and their empire was thrown into chaos. This galactic-scale catastrophe directly created the power vacuum and desperation that Queen Veranke would exploit to launch her Secret Invasion.
Arguably the most significant Skrull story ever told. Written by Brian Michael Bendis, this event was the culmination of years of meticulous planning. It was revealed that following the destruction of their Throneworld, a religious sect of Skrulls led by Queen Veranke had initiated a long-term plan to conquer Earth, which they believed was prophesied to be theirs. For years, they had been systematically abducting and replacing heroes, villains, and key political figures with sleeper agents. These agents were so perfectly conditioned they often believed they were the person they replaced. The invasion began when the Skrull agent impersonating Elektra was revealed, shattering the trust among Earth's heroes. The ensuing war was fought on two fronts: a brutal open invasion and a psychological battle where no one knew who to trust. The event ended with Norman Osborn killing Queen Veranke on live television, making him a public hero and ushering in the “Dark Reign” era.
This event represented the most profound change to the Skrulls' status quo in their history. The Young Avenger Hulkling (Teddy Altman), a known Kree-Skrull hybrid and son of the original Captain Mar-Vell, accepted his destiny and united the two warring empires under a single banner to face the threat of the resurgent Cotati, who sought to exterminate all “meat” life. As Emperor Dorrek VIII, he led the Kree-Skrull Alliance, with the super-skrull as one of his chief generals. This transformed the Skrulls from a fractured people into a core component of the galaxy's newest superpower.
The Ultimates by Mark Millar and Bryan Hitch, this version is far more monstrous and less subtle. They are a reptilian species with the same shapeshifting abilities, but their goal was to consume the Earth and absorb it into their hive. They were defeated by the Ultimates during their attempted invasion. This name, “Chitauri,” was later adopted by the MCU for the alien army Loki leads in The Avengers (2012), though that version lacks the shapeshifting abilities of either the 616 Skrulls or the 1610 Chitauri.Marvel Zombies series, zombified versions of the Skrulls are seen, their shapeshifting abilities rendered moot by their insatiable hunger, demonstrating the sheer apocalyptic scope of the infection.Fantastic Four #2 involved them impersonating the Fantastic Four to frame them for crimes. They were ultimately defeated when Reed Richards hypnotized them into believing they were cows and left them in a field to be farmed by the local town. This was later retconned, stating that the Skrulls' milk was highly toxic and eventually led to the entire town gaining Skrull-like powers.Rom the Spaceknight comic, were later retconned to be a Deviant offshoot of the Skrull race created by Celestial experimentation.Captain Marvel film.Avengers #133-134 (1975) by Steve Englehart.New Avengers series, specifically in issue #40 (2008), which revealed Queen Veranke's backstory and motivations.