The stars and creators of Marvel’s Secret Invasion got together for a virtual press junket recently and discussed a variety of topics, including comparisons to the beloved comic series, joining the Marvel Cinematic Universe and more.
The press junket featured Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige, director Ali Selim, producer Jonathan Schwartz, and stars Cobie Smulders, Ben Mendelsohn, Don Cheadle, Kingsley Ben-Adir, Olivia Colman, Emilia Clarke, and Samuel L. Jackson.
The biggest thing about this new Disney+ series that stands out to comic book fans is just how different it is from the “Secret Invasion” comics. Feige was asked about the concept for this series and why it’s so different.
“Well, that was always the idea. We knew we weren't going to have every character in the Marvel Universe the way it is in the comics, and it really was to focus on Sam Jackson and really to focus on this ensemble that you see here today, in that as we said political sort of thriller aspect to it,” Feige said. “And we had an amazing group of writers and our amazing director, who helped us shepherd it all.”
Schwartz expanded on that a bit and explained that the seeds for Secret Invasion were planted a long time ago.
“I think if you really go back, it did kind of start on Captain Marvel, even if it wasn't a Secret Invasion idea yet. I think it was the idea that there was more to do with this relationship and with these two characters, with Nick and with Talos,” Schwartz said. “And then we started, the Disney+ door sort of opened up and we got the opportunity to kind of play more in genres and expand the sandbox of what we can do. And that made Secret Invasion by itself a story that A, had great source material behind it and was a comic event that a lot of people knew and responded to, and was a very cool genre, specifically for these two characters. And I think that's what really brought the show to life.”
Making this story much more intimate that its comic counterpart was the plan and Selim talked a bit about that being what drew him to the project.
“Well, I think it's a very human show. It's the Nick Fury story. He's a human. He does have his own version of superpowers, but they're not like superhero superpowers. And it's a story about him putting his feet back on the ground once again after some time,” Selim said. “And I like that because I like human stories that come from the heart and are human-scaled and reach for a universal appeal rather than the reverse of that. And I liked the espionage, political-thriller element, and we went back to look at The Third Man, and The Conversation, and things like that are very grounded and really human. And I hope that we brought enough of that to create the tone. And then there is, without spoiler alert, there is a point in the story where Nick Fury realizes this is his own battle, and he sort of becomes a classic American western hero. And the tone sort of shifted in the later episodes to Nick Fury as John Wayne.”
As for some of the characters returning to the MCU for this new series, Smulders discussed where Maria Hill is at in the beginning and what her relationship is like with Nick Fury.
“So it was really exciting to come back, but you know, speaking of, again, about strain, I think the relationship is quite strained because she's been calling, and he hasn't been answering,” Smulders said.
Smulders also talked about what it must have been like for Hill to return from the Blip.
“Yeah, absolutely. I think Maria Hill came back and someone else was sitting in her desk, and immediately kicked them out and got to work,” she said. “I think there was just a mountain of cases to get to, which is part of her resentment towards Fury, 'cause he was not around.”
Cheadle’s James Rhodes is another returning character for this series, though it appears his role has changed quite a bit since the last time we saw him.
“I think we're just kind of finding out what's happening with Rhodey as this series goes on. He's in a different role. We see him as more a political animal than we have in the past,” Cheadle explained. “He's been more of a military man, but now he's sort of, you know, in some ways, a right hand of the president and this special envoy, in that regard. But I think what I'm looking forward to is just seeing more, you know, getting under the hood of who he is and seeing how this relationship, not only with Nick Fury, but the other cast members evolves.”
Of course, there are also several newcomers to the MCU, including Clarke, who opened up about what drew her to work on this project.
“All the people sitting right here. Like, literally. Who on Earth would ever not want to be sitting here with this? With these – With all of these incredible people? It's like, even just a single one of these people on their own is enough,” Clarke said. “Altogether, it's completely undeniable.”
Colman is another new addition to the MCU and she tried her best to explain a bit about her character, Sonya Falsworth, without getting into any spoilers.
“Sonya works for MI6. That's okay, isn't it? And she likes wearing red. And she's quite funny,” Colman laughed. “And she's potentially a little bit not that nice sometimes.”
Jackson also elaborated a bit on Colman’s description of her character, calling her “possibly the most dangerous woman in the UK.”
Ben-Adir joins the MCU as the villainous Gravik and he opened up a bit about what drew him to portraying that character.
“Well, I think to begin with, we had many conversations for hours at the beginning, like, just like Gravik, I don't really trust why anything was coming to me,” Ben-Adir said. “But, yeah, he just felt like a part that I hadn't sort of been approached for before. There was an opportunity to do something a little bit different with this one, and yeah.”
Jackson also let us know what we will see from Fury, a character we’ve now known for 15 years, in this new series.
“ Well, the more you find out about him, then the more you're gonna like him. The more I like him. It's, you know, it's just, you know, peeling the onion and having a good time,” Jackson said. “You meet people that I know, and I never had an in-depth scene with Don. So it was wonderful to do and to have that little, you know, abrasive thing happen there, you know? It's kinda great and kinda nice to know that, you know, that we have that kind of relationship, or I assumed it was that. And that's some new information. We get other new information. We go to his house, you know. We don't know if it's a condo. You got to watch to find out if I live in a condo or a real house.”
And finally, after all the MCU projects Jackson has been a part of, he was asked where this one ranks for him.
“Well, it ranks as number one in terms of things that I've done in the, you know, Marvel Cinematic Universe. I really loved Winter Soldier, so that tone, you know, flows into this in a very real kind of way,” Jackson said. “And it's a story about people doing people stuff, you know, without, you know, all those supers coming in to save you and help you and doing all that other stuff.”
Marvel’s Secret Invasion is now streaming on Disney+ with new episodes premiering every Wednesday.