From the moment the footage begins, it’s clear that Secret Invasion will make a detour from the action-comedy adventures that have proliferated Marvel’s Disney Plus entries thus far. Saturday night, fans were onboard with the new direction.
Starring Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury, the trailer has the distinct look and feel of an espionage/conspiracy spy thriller. Of course, considering resident super-spy Fury is the protagonist, that makes perfect sense. Comic fans will find that to be welcome news as Secret Invasion seems on par with the Marvel story that inspired it, at least tonally.
The title comes from the 2008 Marvel Comics crossover event of the same name. Written by superstar writer Brian-Michael Bendis, the story followed a covert infiltration by the shapeshifting Skrulls, who had been replacing various heroes for decades. When the time was right, the Skrulls revealed themselves and declared war on Earth.
After viewing the Secret Invasion footage, it would seem the Disney Plus series will adopt a similar mood and tone to the comics story. It isn’t likely that the show will closely mirror the events of the comics; after all, the Skrulls appear to be friendly in the MCU. At least we get more Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury in plenty of action sequences.
If the MCU’s Phase Four has been known for anything, it’s been the abundance of satire and slapstick humor. While you can’t always judge a series by its trailer, Secret Invasion looks to be a more serious affair. Still we’re betting SI will have its share of punchlines for a bit of levity to break the drama.
The serious atmosphere of the SI trailer left many fans with memories of the MCU’s earlier phases, specifically the Captain America movies. In fact, it also echoes the overall mood of The Falcon and the Winter Soldier.
Secret Invasion is set to debut on Disney Plus in the spring of 2023.
