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Managing editor & film and television critic with a Bachelor's of Arts in English Literature with a Writing Minor from the University of Guam. Currently in graduate school completing a Master's in English Literature.
About four years following the end of the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s Infinity Saga, Nicholas “Nick” Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) returns for a solo mission in Kyle Bradstreet’s adaptation of the Marvel Comics storyline, Secret Invasion. This action-adventure espionage thriller limited series shows promise in what Brian Michael Bendis and Leinil Francis Yu brought to the page in 2008. Labeled a political/spy story, this Disney+ title is rhetorically appealing in kairos, fictionalizing a conspiracy set within the misinformation era of the digital epoch. From one-third of the series that I have seen thus far, Secret Invasion makes for an intriguing potential setup for the rest of the MCU’s Phase Five onward.
The premiere episode is written by series creator and executive producer Kyle Bradstreet and executive producer Brian Tucker. The second episode’s teleplay is written by Tucker and co-written with co-executive producer, Brant Englestein. Executive producer Ali Selim directs both episodes along with the rest of the series.
In this review, I will discuss Marvel Studios’ Secret Invasion. As the title of this article suggests, there will be no spoilers present here. Details of the Marvel Cinematic Universe up to this point and the series’ source material will be referenced throughout. Please read with caution!
Plot Synopsis for Marvel Studios’ Secret Invasion
According to Disney and Marvel Studios, here is the official logline for Secret Invasion.
In Marvel Studios’ new series “Secret Invasion,” set in the present day MCU, Nick Fury learns of a clandestine invasion of Earth by a faction of shapeshifting Skrulls. Fury joins his allies, including Everett Ross, Maria Hill and the Skrull Talos, who has made a life for himself on Earth. Together they race against time to thwart an imminent Skrull invasion and save humanity.
Walt Disney Press
Discussion
Secret Invasion‘s thesis statement is pretty clear in its premiere episode. It adapts the main message from the comic book arc, which is that the world has been taken over in a sort of Invasion of the Body Snatchers-esque manner. Visually speaking, the series’ opener is captivating. The introduction of Skrull rebel Gravik’s (Kingsley Ben-Adir) compound is a spectacle, and on the surface, it appears to be a simple depiction of the Skrull way of life. In the prologue alone, cinematographer Remi Adefarasin tilts the camera up a building as we see a chase amidst the streets of Moscow. It is lovely to watch lights turn on in a stairway, almost as if to suggest viewers will be seeing characters rise from the darkness.
The Face of Fury
To juxtapose with that, Fury’s return to Earth is — in its own way — iconic. Beaming down from his space station, where he has resided since the end of the fourth Avengers film and Spider-Man: No Way Home, this particular protagonist returns to the darkness. With this event series, the question of how Nick Fury was affected by “The Blip” is answered. Spring 2018’s Avengers: Infinity War ended in a loss for the universe’s heroes, Fury included. Now that he has come back, he faces his own traumas, one of which is his failure to act as a leader and his “crisis of faith” as a consequence.
Everything about him confirms his uncanny drastic changes, that he is not the same Black man wearing the eye patch that we all know and love. Nikki Knowles’s hair and makeup work presents his scars and new facial hair, resulting in a look that is not tidy and conveys a human being who has hidden from the place he has so long called home. Even in the first episode, a couple of characters firmly believe he is not prepared to take on what the post-Blip world has to offer.
While the first episode is visually giving, there is not too much to be said about it. Of course, this statement can be applied to many television pilots. The following episode, then, ups the ante in terms of the total cinematic experience. It brings up some key themes below the surface of the Skrulls’ so-called “secret invasion”.
Themes
Fury has a couple of potent scenes about his experience as a Black man in America. On one hand, he talks about his life during the Civil Rights era, making light of the good that he had gone through. On the other hand, he converses with James “Rhodey” Rhodes (Don Cheadle) about their respective places in the political realm as Black males.
One argument that emanates from the concept of aliens looking to find a home on Earth is the idea that humans may or may not accept extraterrestrials since, given the historicity of matters, human beings themselves cannot get along. Next to cosmic tales, Marvel is no stranger to stories of race. Titles such Black Panther, Eternals, and others are examples of the MCU setting out to tell revolutionary stories. If humans cannot get along despite their races, then getting along with aliens (in Secret Invasion‘s case, Skrulls) will only complicate things. To extrapolate on the matter, can you imagine how difficult life on Earth might be when Mutants (e.g. the X-Men) enter the social sphere?
Conversely, this concept of different races and species co-existing is nothing new to me as a writer. With the Marvel Cinematic Universe lately, we have already seen this simulated in James Gunn’s third Guardians of the Galaxy film. This argument of accepting co-existence poses the question of whether or not the world will be given a post-human status or remain in its transhuman state, and I would love to see what Secret Invasion does with that system of knowledge.
Easter Eggs
Secret Invasion has some noteworthy allusions and references in its initial two episodes. One character reveals that the Skrull invasion has taken over the world’s political figures, thus usurping power over the planet. This parallels with the beginning of Secret Invasion Issue no. 5, which shows that the Skrulls have taken over the form of prominent faces — celebrity personalities and politicians alike. In the premiere’s opening scene, two characters discuss the global threat and how countries are attacking one another. One of these countries is the Philippines, which is not necessarily a spoiler detail. Rather, for representation’s sake, it does reflect the depiction of a Skrull taking the form of a Filipino politician in Issue 5.
In the second episode, Gravik speaks in great detail about human beings’ downfall, believing that even canines are more loyal and humane. He speaks a speech about their “self-destruction” in one scene that is akin to what Spider-Woman tells Tony Stark at the beginning of Issue no. 4. While it is not verbatim, it is a speech worth looking into for dramatic purposes.
No Marvel story is safe when it comes to namedropping, and at the end of the second episode, we see that the Skrulls have been doing their research on a few other species. I will not reveal which specific species, but I do believe that some or all of them may be crucial later in Phase 5 or in the Multiverse Saga.
The Crew Behind Marvel Studios’ Secret Invasion
Remi Adefarasin serves as the director of photography for the two episodes. Eben Bolter (HBO’s The Last of Us) serves as additional photography DP.
Pete Beaudreau is the editor for the premiere episode, while Melissa Lawson Cheung is the editor for the second episode. Lawson Cheung and Drew Kilcoin serve as additional editors.
Jonny Hirschbein, Jennifer Muro, Haleema Mirza, and Jovan Robinson (Made for Love Season 2) are the story editors for the series. Beto Dantas and Matt McRee serve as the staff writers.
Sarah Halley Finn, Reg Poerscout-Edgerton, Lillie Jeffrey, and Jason B. Stamey serve as the casting directors. Djinous Rowling (The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, Hawkeye, Everything Everywhere All at Once, Ms. Marvel, Werewolf by Night, One True Loves) serves as the casting associate. Jordyn Gregory (WandaVision, The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, The Underground Railroad, Hawkeye, One True Loves) is a casting assistant.
Kris Bowers scores the soundtrack for the series. Dave Jordan and Trygge Toven serve as music supervisors. Stephanie Lowry, Devaughn Watts, and Nashia Wachsman are the music editors. Jon Borland and Pascal Garneau are the supervising sound editors.
Aesthetics
Frank Walsh serves as the production designer of the series. David Duncan, Ian McCaffrey, and Aaron Sowd are the storyboard artists.
Georgina Street serves as the visual effects producer. Aharon Bourland is the VFX supervisor.
Claire Anderson is the costume designer for the series. Catherine Scoble is the hair and makeup designer. Nikki Knowles serves as Samuel L. Jackson’s hair and makeup artist.
The series’ main title sequence is produced by Method Studios. Adrienne Mitchell is the executive producer. Theo Daley is the creative lead. Keri Moller serves as the art director, while Andrew Hess is the animator.
The Cast of Marvel Studios’ Secret Invasion
Samuel L. Jackson portrays the protagonist of Secret Invasion, Nicholas “Nick” Fury. Ben Mendelsohn portrays Talos — a Skrull and Fury’s close friend and ally.
Kingsley Ben-Adir portrays Gravik, a rebel of a Skrull cause to invade Earth. Emilia Clarke portrays G’iah, Talos’s daughter and a Skrull member of the rebel cause.
Olivia Colman portrays Sonya Falsworth, a high-ranking MI6 agent and an old friend of Fury’s. Don Cheadle portrays James “Rhodey” Rhodes aka War Machine.
Charlayne Woodard (Glass), Killian Scott, Samuel Adewunmi, Dermot Mulroney (Scream VI), Richard Dormer, Christopher McDonald (We Can Be Heroes), and Katie Finneran (Freaky) also make appearances in the two episodes.
Cobie Smulders serves as a special guest star, Maria Hill, a former Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. in the series’ first two episodes. Martin Freeman guest stars as Everett K. Ross, a former CIA agent.
Co-Stars
Uriel Emil plays a man in Moscow named Vasily Poprischchin. Ben Peel plays a Skrull named Brogan. Natallia Bulynia plays a Russian mother, while Bebe Massey plays a young Russian girl.
Saverio Buono plays the Italian Prime Minister. Seeta Indrani plays a Skrull councilwoman named Shirley Sagar. Giampiero Judica plays NATO Secretary General, Sergio Caspani. Anna Madeley plays the UK Prime Minister, Pamela Lawton.
Juliet Stevenson plays Elizabeth Hill, Maria Hill’s mother.
Lucas Persaud appears as a young Gravik in Skrull form. Charlotte Baker plays Soren, Talos’s wife and G’iah’s mother. Kate Braithwaite plays Soren in her Skrull form.
Performances and Character Developments
Jackson’s commitment to the role of Nick Fury over the past fifteen years has been quite an impressive adventure. With Secret Invasion, the actor delivers something new to the table. His brotherly chemistry with Mendelsohn’s Talos is a dynamic that Fury has never had with anyone before, so it is interesting to see a soft side, albeit a rare one, to the character. They share a scene at the beginning of the second episode that conveys this so well to a point that perhaps one would think Talos found a third parent for G’iah in Fury.
Conversely, Fury’s dynamic with Cheadle’s Rhodey is a rare interaction between the two that is seen in the MCU. Never before do we see Fury politically posited at a lower place than Rhodey, but here we are. Their conversation about political power is a dramatic yet well-performed one, and I am curious to see how Secret Invasion transitions to the latter’s solo film, Armor Wars.
Ben-Adir is terrifying and terrific as Gravik. While the first two episodes do not develop his motives as an antagonist, we do get to see just what he is capable of. Being around the same age as G’iah, Gravik is something of a child with an innocence about the world. He has a scene with the Skrull Council that displays his thirst for power and control. In fact, perhaps Gravik could very much become the god referenced in the source material, where Skrulls say “He loves you so much”.
More of This, Please
Mendelsohn and Clarke’s dynamic as Talos and G’iah, respectively, is one that is highlighted briefly in the premiere episode. While both are brilliant actors, there is insufficient in these first two episodes to showcase just how vital their roles in the invasion may be. Still, from what they do have to offer thus far, the characters are helpless as Skrulls residing in a world where Fury was absent but hate still lingered. There is an opportunity for Clarke to bring about her best side (or even the worst side to G’iah), but that may happen later rather than sooner.
Olivia Colman plays Falsworth in such a way that is sweet on the surface but sadistic on the inside. She has a joke or two up her sleeves, but they are not something you would expect to hear from her. As a character, Falsworth can be cruel. Out of the two episodes, viewers may find her more appealing in the second one, where her means of wresting information from others does more damage than it proves beneficial for all parties. She is not present as much as I would like, although hopefully, that will change in the next four episodes.
Final Thoughts on Marvel Studios’ Secret Invasion Episodes 1 & 2
Secret Invasion is a grounded adaptation of the Marvel Comics story arc that does not do anything too extreme, at least, with these first two episodes. As it was with the source material, there will be casualties, but that is not without a meaningful purpose. The premiere episode is visually cinematic, however, it sacrifices the ability to pace properly. That lack is made up for in its final scene, which leads into the better of the two episodes. The second episode is greater, but only because there is more to the series in terms of substance. Overall, not a bad start to the limited series. In a world without any other major Marvel character — besides James Rhodes —, Nick Fury holds the fort with some struggle.
Episode 1: 4/5
Episode 2: 4.5/5
Kyle Bradstreet’s Secret Invasion streams via Disney+ starting Wednesday, June 21st!
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Managing editor & film and television critic with a Bachelor's of Arts in English Literature with a Writing Minor from the University of Guam. Currently in graduate school completing a Master's in English Literature.
