The original teaser for Marvel’s TV show Secret Invasion has been released… and it’s providing us all the Captain America: Winter Soldier feelings we’ve been hoping for.
Samuel L Jackson will reprise his part as Nick Fury, the former head of S.H.I.E.L.D. who has been in space away from the activity on Earth for quite some time in the new Disney Plus programme.
On the planet’s surface, a conflict is developing in the shadows, with a group of Skrulls – extraterrestrial beings who can shapeshift to appear like anyone – attempting to usurp places of power.
While some recognisable names will appear in the six-part series, the narrative also introduces a number of new characters, including Emilia Clarke as G’iah, Olivia Colman as Sonya Falsworth, and Kingsley Ben-Adir as Gravik, the leader of a rebel Skrull group.
Martin Freeman returns as Everett K Ross, Don Cheadle as James ‘Rhodey’ Rhodes, Cobie Smulders as Maria Hill, and Ben Mendelsohn as Talos, the commander of a Skrull gang and Fury’s ally.
Talos is reconnected with Fury in the teaser, and the Skrull informs his buddy, ‘Fury, things have grown much worse since you’ve been gone.’
As a clip shows Gravik setting off an explosion in an area filled with civilians, Fury responds: ‘Why do you think I came back?’
Olivia’s personality Sonya is an MI6 operative and a close friend of Fury’s, though it appears from the few seconds she appears in the trailer that she may be hiding her real loyalties.
‘You’re in no shape for this fight that lies before us, old friend,’ she tells him, as the show takes its narrative to London.
Fury visits his own grave after faking his own death, before preparing for war with a weapon while Talos faces Gravik and his retinue of shapeshifting allies.
‘Very few of us know about the wars fought in the shadows that have raged on this planet,’ Sonya states, while asking Fury if he feels ‘responsible’ for the conflicts.
While the bulk of the original Avengers are no longer alive to fight, a voiceover wonders where they are four years after their epic struggle in Endgame.
Fury maintains that this is a battle he must fight alone – but we can already tell he’ll need all the assistance he can get from his trusted allies… if he can trust anyone at all.
Rhodey informs Fury that he’s ‘the most wanted man on the planet’, while G’iah – who has a secret connection to Talos – warns: ‘You don’t know what they have planned for you.’
Sonya is shown going into a room where someone is strapped to a chair, likely being tortured, before the trailer concludes with Fury declaring that it’s time for “one last fight.”
Fans reacted positively to the trailer’s sombre tone, which harkened back to features like Captain America: The Winter Soldier and The Falcon and The Winter Soldier TV series.
Others wondered if there would be more unannounced recognisable characters joining the ensemble, with many rooting for Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.’s Daisy Johnson (Chloe Bennet).
Secret Invasion premieres on Wednesday June 21 on Disney Plus.