Secret Invasion Premiere Review: Resurrection is a strong start for the latest MCU series on Disney Plus

Secret Invasion harkens back to one of the best MCU films, Captain America: The Winter Solider, with a tense thriller set within the confines of the MCU. The series trades HYDRA for Skrulls, but a similar intensity is maintained throughout the first episode.

Samuel L. Jackson is back once again as Nick Fury. Jackson does a great job of showing a more vulnerable, unsure side to Fury. Meanwhile, Cobie Smolders, Martin Freeman and Ben Mendelsohn reprise their roles as Maria Hill, Everett Ross and Talos. The chemistry between Mendelson and Jackson is terrific. Hill knows Fury better than almost anyone. When Hill tells Fury he’s off his game, he has to listen in a way he doesn’t listen to anyone else.

Secret Invasion also succeeds in weaving in new characters. When Fury left Earth to form S.A.B.E.R., the Skrulls on the planet felt betrayed by Fury. Unwilling to follow Talos, a group of Skrulls led by Kravik (Kingsley Ben-Adir) splinter off and begin infiltrating the world. One of the supporters is Talos’s daughter, G’iah (Emilia Clarke). She also feels betrayed by Fury, but she seems stuck in the middle between her father’s peaceful ambitions and Kravik’s bloodthirsty ones.

Topping off the new characters is Olivia Coleman as Sonya Farnsworth. If Fury and Talos are the peacekeepers trying to keep a lid on a powder keg about to blow, then Farnsworth and Kravik are the buttonmen. Farnsworth is a high-ranking MI-6 agent who is more than willing to remove any Skrulls in her path.

Overall, Secret Invasion is a strong return to form for Marvel after some up-and-down series on Disney Plus. There are a few issues. The action sequences continue to build tension, but the use of a shaky cam makes the sequences tough to follow at times. Everett Ross’s role in the episode deserved a bit more examination.

With the overview out of the way, let’s take a deeper look at the MCU’s conspiracy-filled thriller. There may be some spoilers. Secret Invasion is streaming on Disney Plus.

Resurrection of Nick Fury in Secret Invasion

Nick Fury returns after receiving a call from Hill and Talos. There’s a faction of Skrulls who have rebelled against Talos’s peaceful ambitions. Fury doesn’t appear to be the same super spy who formed the Avengers. He’s a little off-kilter, walks with a limp and suffers from PTSD after being snapped by Thanos in Avengers: Infinity War.

Both Hill and Farnsworth see that something is off with Fury. While playing chess with Hill, Fury tells Hill he’s thinking of his next move. Hill believes that’s a problem as Fury use to think several moves ahead. Meanwhile, MI-6 agents are able to get the drop on Fury. They place a bag over his head and rush him into an unmarked van. Fury does seem to be prepared for an ambush in that instance.

The dialogue between Jackson and Coleman is terrific. The two rivals know each other so well that it’s tough to know who comes out on top in this scene. Farnsworth lands the final verbal blow, but Fury places a spy camera that gives away MI-6’s plan.

Fury is also more impatient than usual. Talos squares off with a Skrull, but asks Fury to let him handle the situation. Fury backs off momentarily but eventually kills the Skrull. Talos is angry, but since they’re trying to track down multiple explosives in Russia, tables the disagreement.

This interpretation of Fury is noticeably different than previous versions. He still has swagger, but there’s an irritability and lack of foresight that’s apparent after his time away from Earth.

Family Ties

The strained father-daughter relationship between G’iah and Talso is the heart of the episode.

G’iah is mostly angry at Fury. He promised to find a new home for the Skrulls. However, that was before Thanos arrived and snapped half of the universe out of existence. Since returning to the land of the living, Fury has stayed away from Earth and hasn’t communicated with Talos, G’iah or the Skrulls. His lack of communication is what causes Gravik to rebel as well.

Talos has stayed committed to peacekeeping. G’iah, in her frustration, leaves her father for Gravik’s mission. G’iah begins to reconsider after Talos reveals her mother is dead. Clearly, G’iah is caught in the middle between wanting to help her people but isn’t so sure about Gravik’s desire to kill humans in the process.

A Skrull’s life for me

G’iah also serves as a tour guide of sorts for Gravik’s Russia compound. She introduces a newly arrived Skrull to his new home. Since the Skrulls aren’t harmed by radiation, they’ve found a home at one of Russia’s nuclear facilities.

Skrulls don’t have to infiltrate. However, if they choose not to, they must remain in the compound. Those committed to the cause, they must take the identity of a human being through a brutal process. The Skrulls capture humans and make the recruits match their identity then absorb the human’s memories. After the process, the humans are killed.

The Skrulls ability to infiltrate is clear with Agent Ross. In the opening sequence, Ross is chased by Talos and killed. Once Ross is dead, he turns back into a Skrull. The premiere doesn’t address when Ross became a Skrull. Was it after the events in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever or before?

The Skrull’s ability to become anyone is brought to light in the episode’s climax. Fury, Hill and Talos are trying to find the bombs spread throughout a part of Russia. Gravik seamlessly changes his form as he moves through the crowd. After triggering an explosion, Gravik changes into Fury and fatally wounds Hill. She dies thinking Fury shot her. Fury stammers that it wasn’t him, but it’s not clear if Hill can process the news before she dies.

Secret Invasion Premire final thoughts

The newest MCU series is off to a strong, confident start. There’s a consistent, serious tone throughout the episode that conveys a sense of urgency. I was also surprised at the father-daughter relationship between G’iah and Talos. The dialogue in Kyle Bradstreet and Brian Tucker‘s script is sharp and to the point.

The few action sequences aren’t great, but in an espionage thriller, tension is more important. In that regard, Secret Invasion shines, especially in the climactic race to find the bombs. I also think Ross’s death needed more breathing room or an explanation as to how he was captured and turned over to the Skrulls.

Overall, the first episode is a slow build, but an intriguing one that sets up a series with plenty of promise.

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