Fans of the Marvel Cinematic Universe have grown to love Happy Hogan, Tony Stark's longtime friend and right-hand man. Happy may seem ordinary at first glance, but a new Reddit theory implies Happy may be a member of a shape-shifting alien race assigned by Nick Fury to look after Tony; yes, Happy may be a Skrull in disguise.

First appearing in Iron Man and extending his stay through Spider-Man: No Way Home, Happy -- played marvelously by Marvel producer Jon Favreau -- provided Tony, Pepper Potts and Peter Parker moral support and logistical assistance for years. And after Tony's death in Avengers: Endgame, Happy dutifully continued to support both Tony's daughter Morgan and Peter Parker as he learned what it meant to be Spider-Man without Tony's mentorship. However, the theory puts all of Happy's actions in a new light and while his relationships may have been real, his motivation for helping Stark goes back to the events of Captain Marvel, engineered by none other than Nick Fury.

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The theory states that Fury, after working with Howard Stark and realizing his son could be instrumental in protecting the world in the future, formed a plan to keep an eye on Tony once he met the Skrulls in Captain Marvel: a Skrull would shape-shift into human form, work its way into Tony's inner circle and watch over him, reporting any findings to Fury. Of course, Happy and Fury didn't meet onscreen until Spider-Man: Far From Home, and though they didn't act like they knew each other, the audience later discovered that the Nick Fury in Far From Home was actually Talos, a Skrull commander in disguise. Meanwhile, the actual Fury was happily hiding out on a distant Skrull spaceship. In this case, if Happy was a Skrull, he either did not know Fury had been replaced by Talos and was trying to play off the fact that they knew each other, or he and Talos recognized each other and agreed to keep their identities a secret.

Some fans point out that Happy could not have been a Skrull because of his clear attachment to Aunt May and their established relationship, claiming Skrulls can't love humans in the same way humans love each other. While this could be true, it's never been explicitly stated Skrulls can't love humans, and Carol Danvers clearly established a rapport with them during and after the events of Captain Marvel. Likewise, Happy had spent decades with Tony by the time Endgame took place, and even if he were a Skrull, it'd be reasonable to assume his friendship with Tony was genuine. Besides, the theory is not that far-fetched given that Marvel has already shown that Skrulls can live among humans without being discovered, exemplified by Skrulls impersonating Maria Hill and Fury without Peter realizing their true identities.

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NWH Happy Hogan Apartment Arrest

If Happy does end up being a Skrull, it could pave the way for both Happy and his Skrullian companions to make future appearances, likely when Secret Invasion arrives in the MCU. The presence of good Skrulls on Earth has been established already; it's almost certain the future will bring their villainous counterparts into the picture. Regardless, this theory hints at the Skrulls' role in both the past and future of the MCU and how easily their abilities can deceive Earth's Mightiest Heroes.

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