Marvel’s ‘Secret Invasion’ Is Upon Us - Preview
Photo from Marvel Studios
From Tarek
Secret Invasion is shaping up to be one of the biggest mysteries the MCU has to offer. The question of who’s a Skrull and who isn’t is an intriguing thread that will have us on the edge of our seats throughout. The series’ plot is a far cry from that of the comics. However, its political intrigue and drama make for an enthralling limited series.
Along with the Skrull mystery, the comic arc and this series parallel each other in another way. Both are coming at a crossroads for the franchise. The comics were struggling post Civil War and were desperate to drum up some interest. On the movies and TV side Marvel is desperate for a win critically and with fans. Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania didn’t turn a profit and its main villain Kang (Jonathon Majors) is facing major legal trouble. Kevin Feige and the higher-ups are playing the waiting game with that. While Guardians 3 did well financially and with critics it marks the end of an era with that core group. Marvel on TV has been hit or miss critically. Wandavision, Loki, and Miss Marvel were all beloved while Hawkeye and She-Hulk weren’t well received, to say the least. Everything coming out of Secret Invasion has been stellar so far. I think we’re in for a treat.
We see in the trailers that Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) is reunited with Maria Hill (Colbie Smoulders). Fury has been off-world for some time while Talos and his wife were disguised as the two agents on Earth. Nick has been impossible to track down, we don’t know how long he’s been gone. It’s possible that he’s been gone since the end of Winter Soldier. Talos tells Fury how dire things have been since he’s been gone. Fury tells him that he’s returned to Earth because the situation with the Skrulls is personal. He’s been dealing with them since the events of Captain Marvel which is set in the 80s. The big bad is Rebel Skrull leader Gravik played by Kingsley Ben-Adir. In the trailers, we see that Russia is under attack and Gravik is lighting the match. My speculation is that the Russia attack is what brings Fury back to earth. Another theory is someone’s pulling Gravik’s strings. Someone we’ve known and trusted the whole time has been a Skrull. In the comics, Skrulls have been villains but in the movies, they’ve been refugees seeking a new home after a war of their own. Secret Invasion is going to flip the Skrulls back from friends to foes again.
There are plenty of characters that could be revealed as Skrulls by the season's end. Every new character is in play. Olivia Coleman is playing the leader of MI:13 (England's Shield). Having a Skrull in a position of power with those resources at her disposal would be paramount to them being successful on Earth. Another newcomer is Emila Clarke’s character G’Iah. She’s Talos’ daughter who was introduced at the end of Captain Marvel. G’Iah could have been the Skrull that we met at the end of Wandavision. Everett Ross (Martin Freeman) is in play as well after his wife Valentina Allegra de Fontaine turned on him at the end of Wakanda Forever. If it’s going to be an existing character it’ll be one that shocks us, but not one that’s going to send the universe spiraling out of control. Even Maria Hill fits that profile perfectly. The possibilities are endless.
A gritty, somewhat political, and grounded drama is something we haven’t seen from Marvel since Winter Soldier. Secret Invasion is going to be a treat for Marvel fans looking for something a little more realistic to sink their teeth into as Multiverse-level stories loom large.
