How Strong Are Skrulls? Compared to Humans & Superheroes

Skrulls were introduced to the MCU with the release of ‘Captain Marvel,’ but it wasn’t until the ‘Secret Invasion’ series that they were featured in a prominent role, and as luck would have it, as villains. In the first episode of the series, we’ve seen Skrulls doing amazing things with their shapeshifting ability, which proved enough to cause chaos on a global scale. Due to that, we were inspired to analyze the rest of the strengths that Skrulls have and see how strong Skrulls are exactly and how much threat they pose to other humans and superhumans in the MCU.

Skrulls are significantly stronger than humans but not enough to be classified as superhumans within the MCU. Their strength levels lie in the “enhanced human” ballpark, putting them in the same category as, for example, Captain America, who was enhanced with Super Soldier Serum. Skrulls are faster and more durable than your average human having a much longer lifespan. They are also immune to radiation which renders them completely unaffected by nuclear warfare.

Now that we’ve given you a summary of what to expect from Skrulls in terms of their powers and abilities, it’s time to explore in a bit more detail. If you’re interested in more, stay with us and keep reading!

Skrulls are stronger than humans, but only to a certain extent

Strength can be difficult to measure in the MCU and in the comics in general, mostly due to several tiers of classifications and as well due to inconsistency when it comes to writers.

Regarding several tiers of classification, there exist numerous classes that can describe certain characters as well as species in general. We have superhuman characters such as Captain Marvel, enhanced humans such as Daredevil, Cosmic threats like Thanos, etc., But where are Skrulls generally on this scale?

Skrulls are as strong as enhanced humans, meaning that they are stronger than your average human but not by much, and they certainly don’t fall in the category of superhumans whose strength is out of this world (think Hulk, whose strength is most likely unlimited in nature).

Although please keep in mind that the term enhanced human can also be used to describe individuals who were enhanced through artificial means and granted superpowers.

Still, the assumption is that Skrulls are somewhere on the Captain America level of strength and is among the most famous artificially enhanced individuals in the MCU.

Skrulls are more durable and faster than humans

Regarding the rest of their physical attributes, Skrulls are more durable and faster than your average human. This is most likely due to the differences in DNA and the rest of the physiology. Skrulls are not carbon-based lifeforms, and they are reptilian in nature. The differences are so stark; in the comics, Skrulls are described as being hatched from eggs.

This physiology provides them with certain durability when it comes to injury. It’s more difficult to harm them but not impossible. We’ve seen fake Everett Ross dying after he miscalculated his fall, which is something that would also kill a human. Vasily Poprishchin, or rather the Skrull that impersonated him, was taken down with gunfire, also, something that would also kill an average human.

So far, we haven’t seen Skrulls tanking impressive degrees of damage within the MCU, nothing that would classify them as having superhuman durability.

Talos was also seen moving faster than Fury while in combat, and even though Skrulls are classified as being slightly faster, this could be attributed to Fury’s age. G’iah, on the other hand, was much faster in combat when compared to Maria Hill, who was an experienced agent.

Talos also briefly mentioned that Skrulls are long-lived when compared to humans. In the comics, the average Skrull lifespan is around 210 years.

The biggest strength of Skrulls remains their shapeshifting ability

Skrulls are able to “sim” or shapeshift into other humanoid species and other “things.” In the comics, they are also able to use approximately the same powers as Mr. Fantastic being able to elongate themselves and change their own size.

Skrulls also have a tendency to morph certain body parts into weapons if the situation calls for it, they can also take over their target’s thoughts and memories, but this requires physical contact or the use of “Fracking device” which allows them to “mine” the minds of their targets for useful information.

Generally, the longer a Skrull wears someone’s skin, the better he becomes at mimicking their looks. Skrulls can’t copy supernatural powers. However, this ability is limited only to cosmetic powers.

Skrulls are immune to radiation

In the ‘Secret Invasion’ series, we’ve seen that the first location of New Skrullos was at an abandoned nuclear complex. And Skrulls likewise planned to utilize dirty bombs to instigate the war between Russians and Americans and cause chaos in general.

This is because they are immune to radiation completely. This renders them completely immune to Earth’s most powerful physical weapons (not including superheroes), which are nuclear weapons.

So how much threat are Skrulls to Earth in the MCU?

Skrulls are a pretty big threat to humans, but not because of their slight physical advantage or radiation immunity, or their long lifespan. They are a threat because it’s impossible to discern them from regular humans without the use of Skrull detectors.

Skrull enemies can come disguised as literally anybody. This makes targeting them in warfare specifically incredibly difficult, as they can also mimic clothes in record time. Open warfare is out of the question, and they are also superb when it comes to espionage as well due to their obvious advantages.

However, devices can be built that are capable of detecting Skrulls based on the DNA signature. How the heroes will be able to take down the Skrull conspiracy remains to be seen as ‘Secret Invasion’ unfolds.