How well do you know your acquaintances? What about your family? Your coworkers? Who are your adversaries?
That is the central topic of Marvel’s new TV series Secret Invasion, which investigates the invasion of Skrulls, an alien species, on Earth.
Samuel L. Jackson reprises his role as the iconic and fearsome Nick Fury, which he previously played in the 2008 film Iron Man, but this time the spy and former director of S.H.I.E.L.D. is radically different from his previous incarnation. When confronted with one of the planet’s biggest ever threats, he’s unkempt, in the dark, and maybe losing his touch.
Ben Mendelsohn reprises his role as Talos, Fury’s Skrull ally, while Olivia Colman and Emilia Clarke make their MCU debuts, the former as ruthless and creepily-smiley MI6 agent Sonya Falsworth and the latter as Talos’ grown-up, rebellious daughter G’iah.
If you’re scratching your head and wondering, ‘Who and what are Skrulls?’ you haven’t done your Marvel Cinematic Universe homework.
The MCU first introduced the reptilian humanoids, who came from their now-destroyed planet of Skrullos and have the ability to modify their appearance to seem like anybody, in the 2019 film Captain Marvel, starring Brie Larson as the lead, Carol Danvers.
Carol first assumes that the Skrulls are the enemy, but it is subsequently revealed that the Kree – who took her in as one of their own – are the ones who have been attacking, driving the Skrulls to escape and seek safety.
Carol joins forces with Fury in the 1990s to assist the Skrulls in finding a new home someplace in the cosmos, with Earth serving as a temporary base.
However, by the time of Secret Invasion 30 years later, the Skrulls still don’t have their own planet, and some of its younger members would not forgive Fury for failing to keep his word.
Gravik (Kingsley Ben-Adir), a Skrull who showed great promise as a child, is now using his intelligence, power, influence, and shape-shifting ability to lead an extremist group in wreaking complete havoc on the world, oblivious to the fact that countless lives are being lost as a result of his actions.
Anyone who has followed the MCU for the entire 15 years will know that the themes of the films and TV series may range from the weird and magical in Doctor Strange to silly humour in Guardians of the Galaxy.
Secret Invasion is more compelling and gloomy than Captain America: The Winter Soldier, which is often regarded by fans as one of Marvel Studios’ greatest films (at least in this writer’s opinion).
The Earth is clearly in trouble from the beginning of Secret Invasion. Several terrorist assaults have rocked various parts of the world, and with the previous Avengers team no longer there to provide safety, anxiety is on the rise.
The last defenders of the world who are leading this tale appear to be doing it in the shadows, fearful that there aren’t many people they can trust nearby. As a result, Fury returns from space to meet with Talos and loyal agent Maria Hill (Cobie Smulders) to combat the threat posed by the extreme Skrulls commanded by Gravik.
While Fury was a slick operator during his S.H.I.E.L.D. days, things aren’t nearly as straightforward today (though the beanie-wearing, eyepatch-less agent still has a few old-school tricks in his sleeve). He’s physically fading, uninformed of the perils Earth is now facing, and entirely unaware when intruders sneak up on him.
Little is known about Fury’s history from the MCU films, which shouldn’t be surprising considering that he is referred to as “the spy” by Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr) in the first Avengers film… That’s why Olivia’s appearance alongside him as the cunning Sonya is so intriguing to see.
The two have a long history together, but it’s unknown if they’ll see eye to eye in the fight against the terrorist Skrulls. Fury may employ dubious techniques on occasion, but Sonya – who hides her savagery beneath a sugary smile and the Oscar winner’s attractive accent – is ready to show no compassion in order to obtain what she wants.
Without revealing who, what, or where, there is a sequence involving a tortuous interrogation that may leave some viewers cringing and peering trepidatiously through their fingers. You have been forewarned.
Some MCU fans have already noted that the casualty count of the individuals at the core of the narrative is rarely highlighted, with one notable exception being the destruction inflicted by Wanda Maximoff (Elizabeth Olsen) in Wakanda in Captain America: Civil War.
In Secret Invasion, this is not the case. From the start, there is deadly carnage and assaults on Earth that do not shy away from portraying the human cost of wicked terrorism.
You’re probably wondering where Emilia’s character G’iah fits into all of this. If you seen Captain Marvel, you would have seen Talos’ Skrull daughter as a nice young child.
Decades later, G’iah is disillusioned with Fury’s promise of a new world when she was a kid, and she is at odds with her father… However, there is still hope for their romance.
The celebrity has experience with mega-franchises. Emilia rose to prominence as Daenerys Targaryen on Game of Thrones before going on to play Qi’ra in the anthology film Solo: A Star Wars Story and Sarah Connor in Terminator Genisys.
We’d love to see G’iah return to the MCU in the future, perhaps as Sam Wilson (Anthony Mackie) gets used to his new mantle as Captain America, or as skilled assassin Yelena Belova (Florence Pugh) carves her own path in the world.
Emilia is a far cry from her real-life, upbeat demeanour, and we are overjoyed to see her back on our televisions.
Verdict on Secret Invasion
After a sneaky peek the first two episodes of Secret Invasion, we’ve been sucked into Fury’s world of secrets and espionage, eager to discover more about his past and how long Skrulls have been present on Earth.
Could it be that some of our favourite Marvel superheroes were actually Skrulls disguised as humans? Given the comic book narratives that Marvel has produced in the past, it’s not a far-fetched idea for it to be realised in live action.
While we’ve like what we’ve seen so far, it does feel more like a prelude to the main event, which shouldn’t come as a surprise given that there are four episodes still to watch.
Gravik is undoubtedly one of the MCU’s most fearsome villains of late, yet the first two episodes merely scratch the surface of the monster. We’re confident there’s more to him than meets the eye, as with all Skrulls, and we can tell this opponent is far from two-dimensional.
Prepare for tremendous surprises right away, intriguing antagonists, and jaw-dropping truths to be revealed. Whatever else there is to say, our mouths are locked.
Secret Invasion premieres on Wednesday June 21 on Disney Plus.
