No, that random Skull on the season premiere of 'Loki' isn't deliberately setting up Marvel's 'Secret Invasion'

• "Loki" director Kate Herron spoke to Insider about the appearance of a Skrull on the series premiere.
• Herron said the shape-shifter was meant to show that the TVA was arresting people across the MCU.
• "It wasn't just Earth and problems on Earth," she said. "That was something really key for me."

"Loki" director Kate Herron explained why a Skrull appeared on the series premiere and weighed in on speculation that the detail was setting up the upcoming Marvel series "Secret Invasion."

"I always feel like you kind of set out with your intention as a filmmaker, and then if fans want to interpret stuff a certain way, then that's brilliant," Herron told Insider in an interview on Tuesday.

Episode one of "Loki," released on Wednesday, showed Tom Hiddleston's Loki being taken to the Time Variance Authority (TVA) after getting arrested for "crimes against the sacred timeline." One scene of the God of Mischief in the lobby featured two brief shots of a Skrull in a blue tracksuit being assisted at a desk.

Herron said that the blink-and-you'll-miss-it moment was intended to illustrate the scope of the TVA's efforts to preserve the timeline and prevent a multiversal war.

"I just wanted to show that the TVA was arresting people from all over the MCU," the director said. "It wasn't just Earth and problems on Earth. That was something really key for me. So that's how that ended up in that room."

The inclusion of a Skrull may not have been intentionally setting up "Secret Invasion," but it's likely to get fans excited for the show.

The shape-shifting alien race was first introduced to the Marvel Cinematic Universe in 2019's "Captain Marvel." Since then, Skrulls also appeared in end-credits scenes for "Spider-Man: Far From Home" and "WandaVision."

Little is known about "Secret Invasion," but the show will be centered on the creatures who have been infiltrating Earth for years.

"Captain Marvel" costars Samuel L. Jackson (Nick Fury) and Ben Mendelsohn (Talos) will reprise their roles for the Disney Plus series.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, filmmakers Thomas Bezucha and Ali Selim will be directing "Secret Invasion." The reported cast includes 'The Crown" star Olivia Colman and Kingsley Ben-Adi.

"Game of Thrones" actress Emilia Clarke also confirmed her involvement in the show, telling ComicBook.com that she wanted to join the MCU because "I just think what they're doing right now is so exciting and so cool, and so on the cutting edge of it."

"To be part of that family feels like, 'Oh my God, I'm in the cool kid crowd. That's so cool,'" she added. "Honestly speaking, the people that are making this are what pushed me over the line to really wanting to do it. I just think that everyone's heart and heads are in the right place with this one."