Secret Invasion is a 2023 Marvel miniseries, the most recent of nine — so far — Disney+ shows that follow the main MCU storyline. This one follows everyone’s favorite (and former) S.H.I.E.L.D. director Nick Fury as he tries to save Earth from a group of rebel shape-shifting aliens called Skrulls, all whilst navigating his own personal life and his struggle to find his place on Earth after the events of Avengers: Infinity War (AKA half the universe go poof).
The very first thought I had while watching this show was actually the opening intro, and how stunning the visuals and music are. The sequence features several pieces of art relating to this ominous idea of aliens hiding among us, and societal and political turmoil. They have this swirly, dream-like effect that is really interesting to watch.
The studio actually received quite a bit of online backlash for its use of generative AI to help create the images, especially because the series was released during the 2023 Writers Guild of America strike in which a big issue was the use of AI over real people and artists. I personally don’t see a problem with it — and I don’t really see why people are so shocked that a major studio would use AI, especially with how commonplace it’s becoming. In terms of AI-generated art, I’m fairly confident that even with how advanced it has become, it’s not going to replace real artists. I think it will just be another industry tool that artists use to make great art.
The music is also worth mentioning. Its hauntingly beautiful and dramatic, classical sound fits the darker tone of the show really well.
One thing MCU fans should know about this series is that it’s much heavier and more mature than what they may be used to with other MCU miniseries like Hawkeye or WandaVision – it has more in common with Netflix’s TV-MA Marvel spin-off shows like Jessica Jones and Daredevil. It’s a gritty drama about the loose cannon and emotional anomaly that is Nick Fury, as he struggles to handle a crisis that was only created because of his own broken promises.
You may remember 2019’s Captain Marvel, in which we see a much younger Fury who, at this point, is not much more than your everyday detective/cop. In this movie, he teams up with the title’s namesake character to battle the Skrulls, green shapeshifting aliens, who they believe are trying to invade Earth – when in reality, they are just refugees who have been on the run after their home planet was destroyed and more than half their population eradicated. By the end of the movie, our heroes realize the Skrulls are indeed not the real enemy, and Fury promises that he’ll help them to find a new home planet.
Fast forward a few decades, the blip happens and takes Fury with it. After being blipped back into existence, he retreats to space for years in an attempt to avoid his problems and his own feelings of displacement after being gone for so long, as well as feelings of uselessness and inferiority after witnessing such a powerful force that was Thanos. What he doesn’t realize until the events of Secret Invasion, is that a million Skrulls have been living on Earth, with many of Earth’s prominent political leaders being Skrulls in disguise. Feeling abandoned and betrayed by Fury’s disappearance, a rebel group of Skrulls decide they want to stage a coup and take over Earth completely – and they don’t care who they have to kill to do it.
I won’t spoil any more of what happens in the show, but I will say it’s definitely worth watching for yourself. Samuel L. Jackson’s performance as Nick Fury was impeccable, as usual, and I really enjoyed the new cast of characters we’re introduced to as well.
No show is perfect, and Secret Invasion is no exception. I found some of the chase and action scenes to be a bit sluggish, and there were times when the writing felt a little cheesy and played out.
Overall though, I’d still say it’s worth the watch. The show may not be everyone’s jam, especially younger Marvel fans, but it’s a great binge-watch if you enjoy tense dramas.
