‘Secret Invasion’: What Types of DNA Did Gravik Take? Abilities Explained

When the leader of Skrull rebels revealed that he plans to enhance himself and his followers so they would have the upper hand in the upcoming war and Secret Invasion, that fact sounded concerning. And now that Super-Skrulls are not just an idea but reality, stopping Gravik and his followers became much harder. Over the course of several episodes, we’ve seen that Gravik enhanced himself in several ways. Let’s see what types of DNA did he take and what abilities did that grant him.

The rebel Skrulls have harvested several DNA samples of various mighty species and intend to use them to create Super-Skrulls. For now, we know for sure that Gravik took Extremis and gained rapid regenerative abilities due to it, and he also took Groot’s DNA, granting him to sprout his limbs in a branch-like manner.

Even when Gravik was just a regular Skrull, his ideas and radical intentions made him extremely dangerous and destructive. Now that he had gained superhuman abilities, with the ability to shapeshift he had before, he became one of the biggest threats Nick Fury had to face in all of his career. That being said, let’s see in more detail what Gravik did do to turn himself into a Super-Skrull.

Gravik’s goal all along was to create Super-Skrulls

Decades ago, when Fury decided to provide desperate Skrulls with refuge on Earth, he was aware of the potential risks, but he sure did not expect that they would turn against all humanity, at least not in the ways Gravik did.

Skrulls are not so different than people regarding personalities. Among the masses are those with good intentions and a desire for peace, and some would rather see the whole world burn than be ruled or controlled by someone else.

Gravik wasn’t always bad, but tragedies and feelings of abandonment and helplessness molded him into the villain we now know. The fact was that Fury promised Skrulls a lot, and Gravik believed in all that. So, when Fury disappeared, the leader of the rebel Skrulls decided it was time to take matters into his hands and create a world he would enjoy living in.

To do that, he needed humans to turn against each other, and considering the world’s history of warfare, ‘divide et impera’ seemed like the best way to do it. Of course, Gravik was aware from the start that humans would not be so easy to defeat. Their weaponry is admirable, and they have the Avengers as a contingency plan.

The Skrulls did infiltrate the world’s mightiest organizations and had their people in high positions. That alone gave them a lot of control and influence. However, their shapeshifting abilities alone would not suffice if it came to open confrontation with humans on the battlefield.

So, to ensure that rebel Skrulls would have a fighting chance and supremacy, Gravik decided to create Super-Skrulls, an enhanced version of his species, with their DNA being combined with the DNA samples of some mighty creatures and substances.

To make that happen, they harvested the DNA samples of Groot, the Frost Beast of Jotunheim, Cull Obsidian, and the Extremis. Over the MCU franchise, we have witnessed the might and power of all these creatures and Extremis substances. At first, the rebel Skrulls had to put more effort into finding all the samples, but once they did, it was only a matter of time before they would start the creation of Super-Skrulls.

The abilities that Gravik now possesses make him a force to be reckoned with

The transformation into Super-Skrulls required two things: harvested DNA samples and a machine in which the transformation would occur. The project was led by Dr. Rosa Dalton and her husband. It seems like Gravik trusted her a lot and was the first one among the Skrulls to use the machine.

There were debates about whether the creation of Super-Skrulls will even happen or if Fury and Talos would prevent that from happening. However, everything became clear when Talos stabbed Gravik with a knife. Soon after, his hand started to glow red and heal quickly. That meant only one thing – Gravik’s plan to become a Super-Skrull worked. He used the Extremis, which granted him rapid regenerative abilities.

With Extremis in his system, Gravik became far more dangerous than before; he no longer felt pain, bullet wounds posed no threat to him as he recuperated from them in seconds, and his endurance increased. The look on Fury’s face when he realized that Gravik has regenerative abilities now said it all – ‘this one will not go down easily.’

Apart from that, we know that Gravik also used Groot’s DNA sample to enhance himself. Gravik and his followers posed as Russians and attacked the convoy that transported the President of the USA. In the middle of the confrontation, we’ve seen Gravik’s arm sprouting and turning into branches, just like Groot’s. Now, it is yet to be seen if this is all that he gained by using Groot’s abilities or if there are some other powers he gained.

While it’s possible that Gravik also used the DNA samples of Frost Giants and Cult Obsidian on himself, I don’t believe he did. That, of course, does not mean that some of his followers won’t become Super-Skrulls and gain the abilities of those creatures. We’ll have to wait for new episodes in the following weeks for more answers.

What do you think of Gravik’s new powers and abilities? Share your thoughts in the comments below!