“It’s present day MCU,” says Executive Producer, Jonathan Schwartz. “So it exists basically along the timeline that the shows come out in. So post-She-Hulk, post-blip right at this exact, present day in the MCU.”
We’re trying to get the lowdown on the MCU’s latest show Secret Invasion, and with multiverses, time-jumps and pretty much anything else you can think of, we’re trying to figure out exactly where the series sits.
What we do know is the show sees Nick Fury return to Earth from his space-dwelling hiatus when learns of a clandestine invasion by a faction of shapeshifting Skrulls.
So, is Fury feeling refreshed after spending time in the vacuum of space? Absolutely not. “He’s been kinda gone for a while,” says Samuel L Jackson, who’s returning to the role that he first played – deep breath now – 15 years ago in 2008’s Iron Man.
“He’s a little tired, a little vulnerable, he’s got a bad knee now but he’s coming back to Earth because he’s been summoned. And we’ll see what happens…”
We’ll have to wait to find out what happens once he lands on Earth and indeed, the word ‘secret’ in show’s title is very apt because the show centres around layers of covert action, mysterious factions and subterfuge. This is very much a spy series.
“Jonathan [Schwartz] came into my office a number of years ago, when we were thinking about what kinds of shows to do on Disney Plus, and he came in with this idea of translating the great Secret Invasion storyline from the comics in a darker, grittier spy show,” explains Marvel Studios president, Kevin Feige.
“We love to do different genres for everything, and this was an attempt to really dive back into things we touched upon in The Winter Soldier and really delve into the tone of a spy show. And seeing a very different dynamic between Fury and Talos than we had seen in sort of our Nineties buddy action movie, Captain Marvel.”
The show certainly has a grittier vibe compared to Captain Marvel, and the series’ director, Ali Selim, looked to a few classic spy movies for inspiration on creating that feel.
“I liked the espionage, political-thriller element [to the show],” he says, “and we went back to look at The Third Man, and The Conversation, and things like that are very grounded and really human.
“Then there is a point in the story where Nick Fury realises this is his own battle, and he sort of becomes a classic American western hero, and the tone sort of shifted in the later episodes to Nick Fury as John Wayne.”
Speaking of the main man, even though the show is clouded in mystery, ironically the series will open the doors (quite literally – we go to his actual home) to Nick Fury, as we see a lot more of his private life.
“The more you find out about him, then the more you’re gonna like him,” Jackson reveals. “The more I like him. It’s just peeling the onion and having a good time. We get new information. We go his house. What kind of furniture does Nick Fury have? Does he have an island in his kitchen? Can he cook!?”
Fury can’t take on this mission alone, however, and the series sees him re-joining his allies Everett Ross (Martin Freeman), Maria Hill (Cobie Smulders) and the Skrull, Talos (Ben Mendelsohn), who has made a life for himself on Earth.
It also sees the return of Don Cheadle as Rhodey, who is now taking more of a political role.
“We’re just kind of finding out what’s happening with Rhodey as this series goes on,” says Cheadle. “He’s in a different role. We see him as more a political animal than we have in the past. He’s been more of a military man, but now he’s sort of a right hand of the president and this special envoy, in that regard.”
The next time we’ll see Cheadle in the MCU is with the highly-anticipated movie Armor Wars, which will see Rhodey/War Machine take a central role. Recently, at D23 Expo 2022, a brand new logo for the movie was revealed, with the title asking the question: ‘What happens if Tony Stark’s tech falls into the wrong hands?’ Intriguing! So will Secret Invasion and Armor Wars tie into to each other? “Yes, it will relate,” Cheadle confirms.
We’re not going to get much more information on Armor Wars but Feige does confirm that “the repercussions [from the series] will be felt in coming projects”.
Though the series will have a big impact on the future of the MCU, its premise really started way back in 2019, with Captain Marvel.
“It did kind of start on Captain Marvel, even if it wasn’t a Secret Invasion idea yet,” Schwartz confirms. “I think it was the idea that there was more to do with this relationship with these two characters, Nick and with Talos.
“Then when we started, the Disney Plus door sort of opened up and we got the opportunity play more in genres and expand the sandbox of what we can do. That made Secret Invasion by itself a story that had great source material behind it and was a comic event that a lot of people knew and responded to, and was a very cool genre, specifically for these two characters. I think that’s what really brought the show to life.”
Speaking of Talos, the series sees the return of Ben Mendelsohn in the role and explores the origins of the Skrulls coming to Earth in mass – as well as the “brotherly love” relationship (as Jackson puts it) he has with Fury. “He’s like my green brother!” Jackson laughs.
The series will also see a number of new faces, including Emilia Clarke as G’iah, Kingsley Ben-Adir as Rebel Skrull leader Gravik and Olivia Colman Special Agent Sonya Falsworth, who seems to have a long and complicated history with Fury…
“It doesn’t strike me as much of a friendship, but they’ve got history,” Coleman confirms. “They trust each other or maybe they don’t…”
“As much as one spy can trust another spy,” adds Jackson. “And [she’s] possibly, the most dangerous woman in the UK!”
This is Coleman’s first appearance in the MCU, though she’s tried to be part of the franchise for a while now… “After every Marvel film that’s landed in cinemas, I found my agent and said, ‘please can I be in a Marvel?’” she laughs. “Secret Invasion called and any mention of the word ‘Marvel’ and I went ‘yes, please!’. I had an absolute ball, and it lived up to everything that I was hoping for.”
Someone who’s no stranger to the MCU is Jackson himself (he’s been in ten MCU projects so far), and comparing Secret Invasion to the other MCU projects he’s been involved in, Jackson says that the series “ranks as number one”.
“I really loved The Winter Soldier,” he continues “[and] that tone flows into this in a very real kind of way. It’s a story about people doing people stuff without all those supers coming in to save you.
“I’ve seen all the episodes and [it’s] wonderful. You know, the L word doesn’t come in to making movies very much or what happens in them, but, you know, logically, this thing makes sense.”
Secret Invasion premieres exclusively on Disney+ on 21 June.