Secret Invasion Review: Another Not-So-Secret Marvel Disappointment

Before every one of their projects was guaranteed to become a massive blockbuster, Marvel Studios was often complimented for taking bold risks nobody else would. They took space operas featuring talking trees and superhero sequels styled like 1970s political thrillers and turned them into some of the year's biggest hits, all while growing an overlapping cinematic universe several other studios tried and failed to replicate. But ever since "Avengers: Endgame" hit theaters, the MCU has been criticized for lacking direction. To many, Phase Four has felt overstuffed, rushed, and full of patchy visual effects (though opinions vary — most people agree that "WandaVision" is a high point). This has left even the franchise's most ardent defenders frustrated. 

The latest Marvel Disney+ series, "Secret Invasion," aims to wipe the slate clean by documenting a shape-shifting alien race's attempt to infiltrate Earth. These are the Skrulls, introduced in 2019's "Captain Marvel," to which this series serves as an unofficial sequel. The Skrulls have a long history of imitating powerful people in the comics, which gives "Secret Invasion" the opportunity to return to the paranoid thriller pastiche that served the studio so well in "Captain America: The Winter Soldier" (though it tips its hat more obviously towards "Invasion of the Body Snatchers" than "Three Days of the Condor"). Unfortunately, whereas every iteration of "Body Snatchers" derives tension from keeping the audience in the dark about who has been replaced by an unseen invader for as long as possible, "Secret Invasion" spells things out too obviously at the earliest conceivable moment.

Marvel Comics' "Secret Invasion" limited series was advertised with the tagline "Who do you trust?" Based on the two episodes screened for critics, that's a question audiences won't need to ask. This is a particular shame, as the project marks Samuel L. Jackson's first Marvel leading role. In recent years, MCU projects have taken pains to stress the character's uncertain whereabouts, as he's been helping the Skrulls in deep space. When he returns to his home planet, he discovers that millions have taken over the Earth by posing as powerful people. 

As he promised Skrull leader Talos (Ben Mendelsohn) that he would keep the alien race safe on Earth several decades prior, Fury naturally feels responsible. People aware of the conspiracy are increasingly treating him with suspicion, especially as he's been across the galaxy with the Skrulls for the past few years. Talos also appears to harbor some guilt of his own, as he took in figures like Gravik (Kingsley Ben-Adir), a rebel Skrull who has infiltrated several NATO countries and unleashed chaos. The first episode takes place primarily in Moscow, where we learn that Skrulls are likely responsible for several countries unexpectedly declaring war on each other. They've replaced human leaders with their own, and now Colombia is targeting the Philippines.

I imagine that 95% of viewers are, like me, anxious to see whether the show will blame Russia's invasion of Ukraine on the aliens, especially since the Russian setting of this inaugural outing is likely to invite comparisons to the Cold War thrillers of John le Carré. While they were presumably an influence, the current conflict is an elephant in the room the show avoids addressing. The series was, of course, devised and partially shot before the war began, but it doesn't make the first episode's narrative, which explores attempts to stop a Skrull terrorism front called "Americans Against Russia," any less surreal. A throwaway line about how that group's actions have turned the international community against the U.S. to ally with Russia is especially striking. This Earth couldn't be further removed from the planet we're currently living on.

The Russian setting of "Secret Invasion" is made even more distracting by the fact that exterior sequences use distinctly British shooting locations. At one point, a stately building (the Piece Hall in Halifax, specifically) is used as a stand-in for a Moscow square, with Saint Basil's Cathedral awkwardly photoshopped in over the horizon. Yet this was a rare moment within these two episodes in which I found myself complaining about Marvel's infamously lackluster visual effects, because most of the secondary alien characters are brought to life via extras in cheap Halloween masks.

I don't want to completely write "Secret Invasion" off as another small-screen Marvel flop after two episodes. The second outing ends on a note that renders Nick Fury's relationship to the Skrulls more ambiguous than it seems at first glance, which hopefully means future installments fully embrace the paranoid thriller genre these opening chapters fall short of accurately emulating. There's also an enormous amount of fun to be had with Olivia Colman's supporting performance as MI6 agent Sonya Falsworth. The actress has a fantastic time in a role that stretches the boundaries of her quaint comedic persona, with an interrogation sequence in the second episode serving as an especially dazzling highlight. She's speculated to become more of an adversary to Nick Fury going forward, and considering her drop-of-a-hat transformation from a powerful figure in the mold of Judi Dench's M to a theatrically domineering presence not dissimilar from a Bond villain, she might be reason enough to stick with "Secret Invasion" for a while longer.

As much as I've been yearning for more stand-alone Marvel projects, the relatively self-contained nature of "Secret Invasion" might be its biggest downfall. Based on a property with wide-ranging implications for the Marvel universe, this is the rare tale that would benefit from interconnected storytelling. The revelation that familiar heroes haven't been themselves for years could have shaken up a franchise casual audiences find increasingly stale, myself included. This surprises me, as someone who is exhausted by cinematic universes, and yet I hope the show pulls that particular trick out of the bag as it continues. For now, though, it disappoints by playing a bold sci-fi premise too safe, despite the universe-rupturing source material it adapts.

"Secret Invasion" premieres on Disney+ on June 21.