Several details from the MCU’s history need to be remembered when Marvel Studios’ Secret Invasion releases on Disney+. An MCU series focused on Nick Fury was reported to be in development in September 2020, and was later confirmed to be Secret Invasion by Marvel Studios chief Kevin Feige at Disney’s 2020 Investor Day. Releasing on June 21, 2023, Secret Invasion will see Samuel L. Jackson and Ben Mendelsohn take center stage as Nick Fury, the former Director of SHIELD, and Talos, the leader of the Skrulls, respectively. Phase 5’s espionage series is highly-anticipated, and is expected to continue several storylines from the MCU’s past.
Taking place over six episodes, Secret Invasion will feature Nick Fury investigating a rebellious faction of shapeshifting Skrulls on Earth. First introduced in 2019’s Captain Marvel, a number of Skrulls have been living on Earth since the 1990s, hoping that Fury, Talos, and Carol Danvers, a.k.a. Captain Marvel, would keep their promise of finding them a new home. Secret Invasion will see Jackson and Mendelsohn joined by Don Cheadle, Olivia Colman, Emilia Clarke, Kingsley Ben-Adir, and Martin Freeman, among others, in an epic crossover event that is expected to change the landscape of the MCU forever. Here’s everything that needs to be remembered before heading into Secret Invasion.
12 SHIELD Disbanded In Captain America: The Winter Soldier
Nick Fury was introduced to the MCU as the Director of SHIELD in Phase 1, and the benefactor behind the formation of the Avengers. SHIELD was a multinational intelligence organization tasked with dealing with maintaining national and global security, though became very focused on handling superhuman individuals and mystical threats before its dissolution in Captain America: The Winter Soldier. After it was revealed that HYDRA had been growing within SHIELD for decades, the organization was shut down, and Fury went into hiding, which will surely play a major role in Fury’s development throughout Secret Invasion.
11 Maria Hill & Nick Fury Were Killed By Thanos
Secret Invasion will be set in the present-day of the MCU, but is expected to deal directly with the aftermath of the events of Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame. Nick Fury and Cobie Smulders’ Maria Hill were two of Thanos’ victims in Infinity War, brought back five years later by Smart Hulk. The impact of missing five years will inform Fury’s decisions throughout Secret Invasion, as he will need to be more alert to unseen threats than he was prior to the Snap. Fury will be exploring a world very different to the one he left, and Maria Hill will also be dealing with the loss of five years.
10 Nick Fury Was Off-World For More Than A Year
Although Fury was seen at Tony Stark’s funeral at the end of Avengers: Endgame, Spider-Man: Far From Home’s post-credits scene revealed that Fury was actually residing on a space station, and Talos had been masquerading as Fury during the battle against Mysterio. Spider-Man: No Way Home confirmed that the Department of Damage Control knew that Fury had been off-world for more than a year, though it hasn’t been confirmed exactly how long Talos had been operating as Fury. Some theories suggest he could have been swapped as early as Captain America: The Winter Soldier, but Secret Invasion can provide some answers, as Fury is set to return to Earth.
9 The Skrulls Aren’t Villains In The MCU
In Marvel Comics, the Skrulls are often depicted as a violent race of warriors, enraptured in battle with the Kree for thousands of years, and regularly targeting Earth as a potential new homeworld. However, this backstory was changed for the MCU, as their introduction in Captain Marvel revealed that the Skrulls weren’t a nefarious race at all, but actually peaceful allies to humankind simply seeking a new home. This is an important detail to remember when watching Secret Invasion, particularly since it means that the rebellion started by a faction of Skrulls on Earth perhaps isn’t the consensus of the entire Skrull population, but only the work of Kingsley Ben-Adir’s Gravik.
8 Captain Marvel Was Searching For A New Home For The Skrulls
As well as introducing the Skrulls, 2019’s Captain Marvel also debuted Brie Larson as Carol Danvers, a human who had been enhanced by the power of the Tesseract, a.k.a. the Space Stone, and a Kree blood transfusion. Once Danvers rebelled against her Kree superiors and realized that the Skrulls were her allies, she set out to search for a new home for them. It seems, however, that this mission failed, as Secret Invasion’s Skrull rebellion is sparked due to her being unable to relocate them. This raises another question about exactly what Captain Marvel had been doing for so long in space, which may be answered in 2023’s The Marvels.
7 Talos’ Family Was Introduced In Captain Marvel
Talos debuted in Captain Marvel as the leader of the remaining Skrulls, who had been searching for a way to reunite with his family aboard Mar-Vell’s spaceship. This marked the first appearance of Soren, Talos’ wife, and G’iah, his daughter. Since Captain Marvel was set in 1995, and Secret Invasion will be set in the MCU’s present-day (roughly 2024/25), this means that thirty years have passed, so Talos’ daughter would now be an adult. In Secret Invasion, G’iah will be portrayed by Emilia Clarke, despite early rumors that she’d be playing SWORD’s Abigail Brand, and she is expected to be a member of Gravik’s rebellion, testing her relationship with her father.
6 Everett Ross Is A Fugitive
Martin Freeman is set to reprise his role of Everett K. Ross in Secret Invasion, after previously appearing in Captain America: Civil War, Black Panther, and Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. Ross is a former CIA Agent and was the Deputy Task Force Commander at the Joint Counter-Terrorist Center, dealing with the establishment of the Sokovia Accords. However, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever saw Ross arrested after his ex-wife, Contessa Valentina Allegra de Fontaine, discovered his communications with the Wakandans. Since he was broken free from captivity by Danai Gurira’s Okoye in her new Midnight Angel persona in Wakanda Forever, Ross will be a fugitive in Secret Invasion.
5 The Avengers Disbanded After Endgame: What Phase 4 & 5 Has Revealed About Earth’s Mightiest Heroes
Marvel Comics’ Secret Invasion event took place in 2008-09, and included most of the Marvel Universe’s heroes in battle against the Skrulls, with many of them being replaced themselves. Although the MCU’s Secret Invasion is expected to adapt elements of this storyline, Marvel Studios will be taking a more grounded approach. Most notably, none of the MCU’s Avengers will be involved in Secret Invasion, especially since the status of the team has been unclear throughout Phases 4 and 5. It seems the MCU’s New Avengers team won’t be forming until 2026’s Avengers: The Kang Dynasty, so Fury will have to deal with the Skrull threat without his super-powered allies.
4 MCU’s Politics Have Changed Dramatically
Politics have often been an important side-story in MCU projects, most prominently seen with the instigation of the Sokovia Accords in Civil War, and the political corruption seen throughout Iron Man 3. Black Panther: Wakanda Forever explored this side of the MCU, too, as the enigmatic Valentina was revealed to be the Director of the CIA, and the world’s governments were shown to be coveting Wakanda’s vibranium resources. Secret Invasion will develop this further by introducing Dermot Mulroney as President Ritson, though it seems his tenure will be short as Harrison Ford will be playing President Thaddeus Ross in Captain America: Brave New World, replacing the late William Hurt.
3 Colonel Rhodes Is Still Working For The Government
The idea of corruption and mysteries within the government go hand-in-hand with Secret Invasion’s espionage themes, and one MCU hero who has always had a role in both superhero life and government roles in Don Cheadle’s James “Rhodey” Rhodes. Rhodey became War Machine in Iron Man 2, was promoted to Iron Patriot by President Ellis in Iron Man 3, and sided with the government during Captain America: Civil War, a decision which ultimately cost him the use of his legs. Cheadle appeared briefly in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, but is set to have a much larger role working closely with President Ritson in Secret Invasion.
2 The Department Of Damage Control Were Dangerous In Ms. Marvel
Trailers for Secret Invasion have confirmed that the Department of Damage Control will have a mysterious part to play in the upcoming series. The DODC were first introduced in Spider-Man: Homecoming, shown to be put together by Tony Stark to clean up after the Battle of New York. While they were practically ignored in subsequent projects, Phase 4 put Damage Control back in the spotlight, featuring them in Ms. Marvel, Spider-Man: No Way Home, and She-Hulk: Attorney at Law. However, they appear to have taken on a more dangerous and villainous role, as they seem to have developed a huge prejudice against super-powered individuals, which may be pivotal to Secret Invasion.
1 Nick Fury Is Presumed Dead In The MCU
Samuel L. Jackson’s Nick Fury will be at the center of Secret Invasion’s storyline, and will surely reference the fact that he’s been in hiding after being presumed dead in Captain America: The Winter Soldier. Fury had been working in the shadows, only making brief appearances in Avengers: Age of Ultron, Infinity War, and Spider-Man: Far From Home, but Secret Invasion will mark his grand return. Making his survival more widely known in the MCU will surely be a dangerous concept for Fury, but if he’s going to defeat the Skrull rebellion in Secret Invasion, he’ll need to reach out to old contacts who knew him before his death.