The High Priest before them was not Ord's kin at all, nor was he the same con man from back then.
That old con man had been taken out by the new one. And this new con man was a Skrull, a born infiltrator and spy.
Generally speaking, it was extremely difficult to scientifically identify a transformed Skrull, because they perfectly copied their victims down to the genetic level. Super Skrulls could even imitate superpowers or use their own powers after transforming. They were nearly impossible to guard against.
This was a cosmic-level problem. Even though the wars between the Kree and the Skrulls had lasted, on and off, for millions of years, they still had no good way to identify transformed spies. They had a few tricks, but none could be used to screen an entire population on a large scale.
Ordinary methods required first suspecting someone of being a transformed Skrull, then working on that individual suspect or small group of suspects. There was no instant mass-detection mechanism for this.
But who told Deathstroke to be a Symbiote host?
No matter how precise the equipment, sometimes it could not compare to a good tongue.
Wine and water looked exactly alike. Instrumental analysis could take a long time, but all it took was a sniff or a lick to get the answer immediately.
Strangle was just such a gourmet. After following Deathstroke for so many years, it had eaten countless things and had once sampled the taste of a Super Skrull. It was identical to this one.
The genetic arrangements might have been completely different, but the texture was the same. That alone was enough evidence for it to inform its host.
The High Priest floated warily, trying to put distance between himself and Deathstroke. "What Skrull are you