Marvel’s first live action series in 2023, Secret Invasion, follows a diminished Fury facing another world-threatening calamity. Fury, once a leader of S.H.I.E.L.D., was blipped out of existence by Thanos after Avengers: Infinity War. As Secret Invasion begins, he returns to Earth, developing a new defense system and regaining confidence. But the first episode is slow and hopefully picks up in the next episode.
Read this review to find out if Marvel’s Secret Invasion episode “Resurrection” is worth watching.
About Marvel’s Secret Invasion
- Season 1, Episode 1: Resurrection
- Directed by Ali Selim
- Written by Kyle Bradstreet, Brian Tucker
- Synopsis: Nick Fury and Talos unite to stop the Skrulls who have infiltrated the highest spheres of power in the universe.
- Airdate: June 21, 2023
- Starring: Samuel L. Jackson, Ben Mendelsohn, Cobie Smulders, Olivia Colman, Martin Freeman, Emilia Clarke, Don Cheadle, Kingsley Ben-Adir, Killian Scott, Samuel Adewunmi, Richard Dormer, Uriel Emil, Dermot Mulroney, Tony Curran, Irmena Chichikova
If you want to avoid spoilers for this episode then skip to the overall section at the end.
Warning: Spoilers for Marvel’s Secret Invasion Season 1 Episode 1 Resurrection
Recap Marvel’s Secret Invasion (2023): S1E01 – “Resurrection”
Secret Invasion, a six-episode limited series starring Samuel L. Jackson, Emilia Clarke, Don Cheadle, and Cobie Smulders, follows an alien race that can shape-shift and replace our most trusted friends and confidants. The story follows the Skrulls, a mischievous alien force known in the Marvel Cinematic Universe for starting intergalactic war in Captain Marvel. In the first episode, Agent Ross (Martin Freeman) is revealed to be a Skrull, and Talos (Ben Mendelsohn) is trying to rout out bad Skrulls on Earth that want to kill all humans. The show also introduces new villains Gravik (Kingsley Ben-Adir), who was allegedly rebuffed by Fury’s “abandonment” after The Blip and prays on the collective rage of young, displaced Skrulls.
Fury’s been hiding out in space on a station called S.A.B.E.R. He comes back to Earth and is soon kidnapped and brought to Sonya (Olivia Colman), an old MI6 ally. She tells Fury that he is “in no shape for the fight that lies before us.” Meanwhile, everything turns upside down on Earth. G’iah (Emilia Clarke), Talos’s daughter, has joined a haven for Skrulls called “New Skrullos,” where they can safely eat and drink Skrull food and show their true alien skin. Many Skrulls who serve Gravik maintain their human forms to make it more difficult for humans and Skrulls alike to identify them.
Gravik is reportedly trying to uncover the location of Russia’s unmarked nuclear storage facilities to threaten World War III. G’iah remains his follower and is mad at her father. She’s especially mad at him for lying about her mother’s death.
Agent Hill is angry at Fury for taking a break in space after Thanos turned him into a bunch of dust. They track down the dirty bomb maker and G’iah has a change of heart. She uses paint to help the trio track down the backpacks with the boms. Unfortunately the evil Skrulls separates the crew and sends them on a wild goose chase through Moscow’s square. Gravik takes on Fury’s form and shoots Maria Hill, who dies at the scene.
Overall Marvel’s Secret Invasion (2023): S1E01 – Resurrection
Secret Invasion, an espionage show in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), aims to evoke the paranoia of 1980s Cold War flicks set in Earth’s backstreets. There are a lot of parallels to Falcon and the Winter Soldier.
The Skrull rebel faction’s methods echo those of the Flag Smashers, and they plan a false flag operation to drag the US into a war with Russia. But the show’s central premise lacks authentic tension, since the human cast is already confirmed as “Not Skrulls”. The show’s first episode demonstrates enough strength to encourage investment, with Samuel L. Jackson providing humor and well-rounded characters like Gravik and G’iah. The show’s best character is Sonya Falsworth (Olivia Colman), a delightfully unhinged MI6 agent, who delivers darkly threatening words with the energy of an excited mother.
The episode is ok but fails when compared with other spy shows like The Americans (2013) and Homeland (2011). It even falls short comparing it to Marvel projects like The Falcon and the Winter Soldier (2021) and Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014). It especially fails when compared to the comic book storyline it’s based on.
There’s enough going on to keep it entertaining. But for now you shouldn’t sign up for Disney + just to watch the show. But if you have a subscription wait till the second episode and watch them back to back. From what I’ve heard the first two episodes are tied together pretty closely.
Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
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What did you think of Secret Invasion?
<span class="dsq-postid" data-dsqidentifier="43533 https://www.thegeektwins.com/?p=43533">1 Comment
I think this has been a big story in the comics over the years but it doesn’t seem all that important to the MCU. I’m not sure why they’re even bothering with it.