Emilia Clarke’s Secret Invasion Character Twist Explained: Is G’iah a Villain?

Audiences are likely looking for an explanation behind Emilia Clarke’s character twist in Disney+’s Secret Invasion.

While some thought Clarke would secretly be playing Abagail Brand, it turns out she’s actually G’iah, the daughter of Ben Mendelsohn’s Talos. Besides those details, information was scarce about the actress’ role in Secret Invasion leading up to its premiere.

With the first episode now available for the world to see, it sure seems like Clarke is playing with the villains.

Who Is Emilia Clarke’s Marvel Character?

Warning – This article contains spoilers for Episode 1 of Secret Invasion.

While Emilia Clarke’s Skrull G’iah is the daughter of Talos, the two have been separated for some time. Needless to say, their relationship isn’t on the best of terms.

G’iah is fed up with the Skrull race still being refugees, with no progress made by either her father or Nick Fury. 

She is now one of the key members of a secret society of Skrull refugees in Russia. Though, there’s a catch—this organization is led by Kingsley Ben-Adir’s Gravik, a Skrull extremist who quickly becomes the villain of the Disney+ series.

He’s even the one who killed Cobie Smulders’ Maria Hill.

G’iah’s Role in Marvel Comics vs the MCU

G’iah in the comics is a far different character, one with a short history. She only first appeared in 2019’s Meet the Skrulls #1.

G’iah is a specialized agent who lives undercover on Earth alongside her partner Klrr and three daughters. The two parents work to gather information on humans, a process that once involved impersonating Tony Stark and Pepper Potts.

Her family quickly comes up against a secret organization called Project Blossom, which specifically goes after undercover Skrull agents. The group is completely disbanded after a confrontation with one of its Kree agents.

The last time the comics caught up with this version of the character was shortly before the big Empyre event started in early 2020. G’iah appeared in a total of six comic issues.

So Marvel Studios has free reign when it comes to its handling of G’iah. For all intents and purposes, Emilia Clarke’s character is an original MCU creation.

Is G’iah Actually a Villain?

Now the real question: is Emilia Clarke’s G’iah a villain?

She was quick to hear her father out, so calling her a through-and-through bad guy seems inaccurate. Though, clearly, she still brandishes some animosity toward him.

While her attempt to help both Talos and Fury didn’t play out as they hoped, it’s unlikely that she set them up to fail. After all, she didn’t know about the bombs in the first place and was even vocally hesitant about the plan when she learned.

While she might be stuff in the grey area between hero and villain for now, by the time the show ends, it wouldn’t be too surprising if she ended up playing a key role in stopping Gravik.

Secret Invasion is now streaming on Disney+.