Marvel and Disney dropped the first trailer for the live-action series back in April, giving fans a first look at Jackson as Fury, Ben Mendelsohn as Talos and Game of Thrones alum Emilia Clarke as G’iah, Talos’s daughter.
The footage also teased a much darker tone than we’re used to seeing with the MCU, something which Secret Invasion star Cobie Smulders subsequently confirmed.
"This series is much more dark in tone than ones previous," Smulders told People in an interview in May. "It's hard to know who to trust."
With that in mind, read on for everything we know about Marvel's Secret Invasion so far, and if you want to catch up before the show's release, use our Marvel movies in order guide to binge every movie and series.
Marvel's Secret Invasion release date UK
Marvel's Secret Invasion will be released on Disney Plus on Wednesday 21st June 2023.
Filming on Marvel’s Secret Invasion began in September 2021 and concluded in April 2022, having filmed around the UK.
Bond Court and Greek Street in Leeds were given a Russian makeover for the filming in January 2022.
Some have speculated that the film could be a prologue to The Marvels, just as WandaVision was for Doctor Strange 2, with Brie Larson's cosmic sequel currently scheduled for release on 28th July 2023.
So, could the series's release come before or after the Captain Marvel sequel? We'll have to wait and see.
Marvel's Secret Invasion cast
The cast members due to appear in Marvel's Secret Invasion are as follows.
- Samuel L Jackson as Nick Fury
- Ben Mendelsohn as Talos
- Cobie Smulders as Maria Hill
- Martin Freeman as Everett K. Ross
- Don Cheadle as War Machine/James 'Rhodey' Rhodes
- Olivia Colman as Sonya Falsworth
- Emilia Clarke as G'iah
- Kingsley Ben-Adir as Gravik
- Dermot Mulroney as United States President Ritson
- Killian Scott as TBC
- Christopher McDonald as TBC
- Carmen Ejogo as TBC
- Charlayne Woodard as TBC
Marvel's Secret Invasion was first announced in December 2020, with Samuel L Jackson confirmed to be reprising his role as Nick Fury, former director of SHIELD, who was last seen on a space station at the end of Spider-Man: Far From Home.
As that film's post-credits scene suggested, it appears that he has been working closely with the shapeshifting alien Talos, a member of the Skrulls played by Rogue One's Ben Mendelsohn, who will co-star in the series.
The two first crossed paths during the events of Captain Marvel, which was set in the 1990s, which has led some to believe that this series could set up events that will unfold in the film's sequel.
Cobie Smulders will also reprise her MCU role as Nick Fury's right-hand woman, Maria Hill, in the new series, having first appeared in the film Avengers Assemble.
Marvel's Secret Invasion gained much attention in April 2020 with two major casting announcements, that sent the project rocketing up fans' most-wanted lists.
Academy Award winner Olivia Colman (The Favourite, Peep Show) was first revealed to be in talks for the series, according to The Hollywood Reporter and was later confirmed by Marvel Studios.
The trailer shown as San Diego Comic-Con 2022 confirms that Colman's character will, at least initially, be an ally for Fury.
Colman was later confirmed to be portraying special agent Sonya Falsworth. Can she be trusted?
The following day to news of Colman's initial casting, Variety reported that Game of Thrones star Emilia Clarke will also appear in the show, but again, no information was given regarding her role.
Previously, Kingsley Ben-Adir had been announced for a villainous role in the series (via Deadline), after earning widespread praise for his performance in Regina King's drama One Night in Miami, where he played Malcolm X.
Ben-Adir was later revealed to be portraying Gravik, the leader of a group of rebellious Skrulls.
Deadline also reports that Killian Scott (Dublin Murders) has joined the cast, as has Christopher McDonald (Happy Gilmore) in a role that may crossover into the wider MCU.
Meanwhile, True Detective actress Carmen Ejogo has joined the cast too in an undisclosed role, according to Deadline.
The trailer for Secret Invasion also confirmed that Unbreakable actress Charlayne Woodard has been cast in the series in an undisclosed role, but has been speculated to be portraying a relative or even the wife of Nick Fury.
Twitter user Daniel Richtman has claimed that Woodard is portraying Priscilla Fury, the wife of Nick Fury and an agent of S.W.O.R.D.
Elsewhere, Martin Freeman confirmed to RadioTimes.com that he will reprise his role as CIA agent Everett K. Ross in the series after originating the role in Captain America: Civil War and returning in both Black Panther and Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.
Finally, Samuel L. Jackson confirmed on the Happy Sad Confused podcast that Don Cheadle would reprise his role as War Machine/James 'Rhodey' Rhodes in the series.
Marvel's Secret Invasion trailer
An epic new trailer, which confirmed Secret Invasion's release date, was recently released. Watch it below:
We get even more of a glimpse of Clarke and Colman's characters, while a more vulnerable Fury speaks of "one last flight".
Further details were revealed in a new featurette, released in May 2023.
Meanwhile, Talos alerts him to the danger that a Skrull faction led by Gravik (Kingsley-Ben Adir) poses, as they're threatening to take what was promised to them by humanity - however they have to.
The first trailer for Marvel's Secret Invasion debuted at San Diego Comic-Con 2022.
Marvel's Secret Invasion plot
As is standard for any Marvel Studios production, plot details for Secret Invasion are being kept top secret for the time being, but we do know that the show will feature "a faction of shapeshifting Skrulls who have been infiltrating Earth for years".
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If the comic books are any indication, it's likely this rogue group will not wish to work in tandem with humanity, as Talos and his allies have, but rather take over the Earth for themselves following the loss of their homeworld.
The original Secret Invasion story saw several major Marvel superheroes replaced by Skrull imposters – think Invasion of the Body Snatchers and you're on the right track – so this show could sow the seeds for that happening in the MCU.
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Check out what else is on with our TV Guide and Streaming Guide, or visit our Sci-Fi hub for more news and features.
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