‘Secret Invasion’ Is the Grittiest MCU Series To-Date | Review
The first two episodes of Secret Invasion present a series that is tonally disconnected from Marvel’s most recent Phase 5 projects. It’s extremely violent, jam-packed with literal acts of terrorism, set against the backdrop of geo-political conflict, and it takes some surprisingly big swings. While those big swings are impressive in a certain light, especially when the MCU’s wishy-washy commitment issues with character death are called into question, it ultimately feels like a swing and a miss.
Audiences who were horrified to watch off-brand Captain America (Wyatt Russell) behead a guy with the shield while they had their coffee and Mini-Wheats, may be put off by just how gritty and dark Secret Invasion gets. It’s far more in line with the tone of the Captain America trilogy than any of the family-focused, humor-filled stuff that’s been bringing in mixed reviews in the past year. As promised, Secret Invasion is a full-blown conspiracy theory and political thriller, which neatly matches creator Kyle Bradstreet’s previous series, like Mr. Robot. This is not your off-beat She-Hulk, or even Moon Knight—which was a different brand of dark and edgy.
The Falcon and the Winter Soldier comparison is definitely warranted because Secret Invasion does utilize extremist activist groups (in this case, an outfit of Americans taking action against Russia) as a tool for the Skrulls to create chaos on Earth. For casual Marvel fans the whole Skrull subplot may be a bit of a mind twist, especially when the episode makes it clear that you can’t trust anyone or anything you see on-screen. Except for one thing, which seems depressingly final. There’s a certain degree of irony that Episode 2 features a walk-in meat locker when the premiere has one of the most gratuitous examples of fridging in recent memory. At least the writing seems aware of what it's doing, by blatantly referring to the character’s death as an attempt to hurt the male character.
Image via Marvel Studios
As anticipated, Samuel L. Jackson’s return to Nick Fury is brilliantly handled and the character arc that begins in the premiere and starts to come into focus in Episode 2, sets the stage for something really interesting. His dynamic with Olivia Colman’s cool and collected spy Sonya Falsworth makes for very compelling scenes, they both offer up the right brand of dry, unamused humor that works very well together. While Secret Invasion is very much a series about Nick Fury and most of what happens in the first two episodes revolve around him, it's Talos (Ben Mendelsohn) who provides the emotional anchor so far. The storyline, as twisty and obscured as it is, has only begun to unravel, and it seems like the connection between Talos and G’iah (Emilia Clarke) will be one to watch. In a similar way, Gravik’s (Kingsley Ben-Adir) ruthless storyline as the leader of the Skrull rebellion seems posed to present some really compelling character work for Ben-Adir.
Secret Invasion is proof that the MCU can tell more mature stories, but it does underscore why it's important for the franchise to find a more balanced, happy medium between the stories playing out on the silver screen and on Disney+. Secret Invasion is an exceptionally well-crafted series, and the first two episodes feature tight writing from Bradstreet and Brian Tucker, impressive visuals courtesy of Ali Selim’s keen direction, and an aesthetic that feels wholly unique and perfectly in line with the thriller genre. Even though it makes some jarring choices, it has the potential to be one of the MCU’s better Disney+ series—if it manages to stick the landing and avoid those frustrating color-coded energy battles that seem to plague the franchise.
FINAL VERDICT: B-
