The latest blockbuster series from the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) is just around the corner, and the superhero studio has finally teased fans with its first official trailer. Set to drop this summer, Secret Invasion marks the first series in the MCU’s Phase Five and will follow on from the story of 2019’s Captain Marvel and its upcoming sequel The Marvels.
The hotly anticipated series is based on the Marvel Comics crossover story arc of the same name which ran from 2008 to 2009 and featured characters from across the franchise including Spider-Man, Thor, Daredevil, The Fantastic Four and several X-Men. Its TV adaptation was filmed in several locations around the UK in January 2022, with set pictures emerging showing Samuel L. Jackson in character in Leeds, Huddersfield and Halifax.
The series looks to offer a darker, more sinister tone than previous MCU instalments, with clips promising a strong sense of paranoia as Earth is under attack from a clandestine threat. So here, ahead of its premiere later this year, we break down all the tantalising details about Marvel’s Secret Invasion.
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What is Secret Invasion about?
Secret Invasion will centre on former S.H.I.E.L.D. director Nick Fury, who has been living off-world since the events of Avengers: Endgame, when humanity was restored following “The Blip” and Thanos’ demise. It follows on from the 1990s-set Captain Marvel, in which Fury allies himself with a displaced sect of extraterrestrial shapeshifters called Skrulls.
Fury promised to find the group a new planetary home but after decades of waiting, he has failed to deliver. He uncovers a conspiracy led by a rebel group of Skrull extremists who have embarked on a ‘secret invasion’ of Earth in a bid to harvest its resources.
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Who is in the cast of Secret Invasion?
Secret Invasion features a stellar cast of MCU regulars and several newcomers to the franchise. It is led by Hollywood icon Samuel L. Jackson, who reprises his role as Nick Fury.
Jackson has appeared in 11 MCU films as the eye-patch-sporting agent, first showing up in a post-credits scene in 2008’s Iron Man, the film that sparked the MCU as we know it. Australian actor Ben Mendelsohn also returns as Talos, the leader of a group of Skrulls and an ally of Fury.
Former How I Met Your Mother star Cobie Smulders is back as former S.H.I.E.L.D. agent Maria Hill, Fury’s trusted and long-time ally. Game of Thrones star Emilia Clarke makes her MCU debut as Talos’ daughter G’iah, who first appeared as a child in Captain Marvel.
British actor Kingsley Ben-Adir – best-known for roles in Peaky Blinders and Netflix’s The OA – will star as Secret Invasion’s main antagonist Gravik, the leader of a group of rebel Skrulls who has split from Talos’ group. Also making her MCU debut is Oscar-winner Olivia Colman, who stars as high-ranking MI6 agent Sonya Falsworth, an old ally of Fury’s described as “a more antagonistic presence.”
Executive producer Jonathan Schwartz told Vanity Fair that Sonya will sometimes work with Fury, and sometimes work against him as “their goals either align or collide.” Don Cheadle returns to the franchise as James “Rhodey” Rhodes, otherwise known as War Machine.
Rhodey was a close friend and ally of Tony Stark who now serves as the president’s right-hand-man. Rounding off the cast is Martin Freeman as Everett K. Ross, a former CIA agent who featured most prominently in the Black Panther films.
Is there a trailer for Secret Invasion?
Secret Invasion’s first official trailer dropped on Sunday, April 2, and can be viewed here:
When is Secret Invasion released in the UK?
Marvel has confirmed Secret Invasion will drop on Disney+ on June 21. It will consist of six episodes.
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