Warning! The following contains spoilers for the series finale of Marvel's Secret Invasion. Read at your own risk!
Secret Invasion just wrapped up its run on Disney+, finishing out a tale that saw Nick Fury attempt to stop a Skrull invasion. One of the new characters introduced in the limited series was U.S. President Ritson, who was played by Dermot Mulroney. The actor is in an interesting position, as it's already been confirmed that Harrison Ford is playing President Thaddeus "Thunderbolt" Ross in at least one of the upcoming Marvel movies. One might think that Mulroney is bummed about his character being succeeded. However, the actor behind the current MCU President is looking on the bright side of the situation, even cracking jokes about losing the job.
Dermot Mulroney spoke to Comicbook.com about his role in Secret Invasion and had a hilarious response when asked about the news that Harrison Ford will be the cinematic universe's new Commander in Chief. It appears the MCU actor is fine with how things are meant to play out, based on how he humorously weighed in on how Ritson might be able to stick around:
That's bad news. That's bad news. Yeah, no, I knew about this. I don't know what anybody's intent is. I couldn't ask for more. I am so fulfilled and thrilled to have been in Secret Invasion, but I have no concept of whether Ritson survives, lives on, or continues in the storyline. It'd be a thrill, of course. But if I have to lose the next election to one American and it happens to be Harrison Ford, I guess that's fair enough. And that's okay. Maybe I can run– There's nothing about two terms. I could be his vice president, right? I could do two terms as president and then two terms as vice president under President Harrison Ford.
Dylan Mulroney is absolutely right, and it would be funny to see one of those things happen so that he sticks with the MCU for a little while longer. After all, considering his character was attacked by Skrulls and nearly killed, the fictional politician may be safer if he gets a demotion.
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President Ritson narrowly escaped an unfortunate fate, after he was nearly assassinated by Gravik and his Skrull forces. By the end of the series, the head of state issued a bill declaring off-world species as hostile and threatened to include Skrulls among that group. And that's just one of the notable developments to make note of from the finale. Nick Fury returned to S.A.B.E.R. with Varra, and the two are going to attempt to negotiate peace with the Kree. Col. James Rhodes -- who was captured and impersonated by a Skrull -- was rescued. Although, some fans' concerns for Rhodey have been realized, as it's been confirmed that he was imprisoned for some time.
As for why Ritson won't be in charge for long, it's possible that his actions could make him an unpopular president. The bill he established could negatively impact a majority of benign cosmic beings, most specifically the Guardians of the Galaxy. There's also the fact that his rage-fueled words also inspire vigilantes that are killing innocent people. While the consequences of Secret Invasion don't seem as far-reaching as those of the comic series of the same name, it's fair to assume that some ripples will be felt throughout the cinematic universe.
If this is the end of the road for Dermot Mulroney in the MCU, it's great that he seems to be at peace with it. After all, at this point, only he and William Sadler (who played Warren Ellis in Iron Man 3) can say they've portrayed the chief of state in released Marvel Studios productions. And then of course, we have to talk about the new guy.
Studio head Kevin Feige revealed back in February that in addition to taking over as General Thaddeus Ross, Harrison Ford's iteration would also be the MCU's President of the United States. Fans will see Ford in the role when they watch Captain America: Brave New World, which is currently slated for release in July 2024. It's unclear whether Dermot Mulroney will appear, but there's always the possibility that we'll learn of Ritson's fate.
Secret Invasion is currently available for anyone with a Disney+ subscription to stream in its entirety. And if you're already eager for the next MCU series, check out our schedule of upcoming Marvel TV shows to see what's up next.
