Why Agent Prescod From Secret Invasion Looks So Familiar

Contains spoilers for "Secret Invasion" Episode 1, "Resurrection"

"Secret Invasion" is the latest adventure in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but fans shouldn't come into the series expecting a conventional superhero show. In this one, Earth is invaded by a group of rogue shapeshifting Skrulls who operate in the shadows, and it's up to Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) and his team to flush them out. Furthermore, their mission paves the way for an engaging mystery that takes cues from spy thrillers and film noir.

The first episode of "Secret Invasion" also introduces viewers to Agent Prescod (Richard Dormer), who appears in the opening scenes and essentially addresses the show's setup to Everett Ross (Martin Freeman): what if the people who are responsible for protecting our planet are actually hostile aliens? Ross is skeptical, of course, but Prescod's theory isn't exactly far-fetched.

Starring in a Marvel project is a big deal, and "Secret Invasion" will undoubtedly raise Richard Dormer's profile in the eyes of viewers. That said, many fans will probably recognize the actor from other notable projects. Let's take a look at some of them.

There's a good chance that most people discovered Richard Dormer thanks to "Game of Thrones." He portrays Beric Dondarrion in several episodes of HBO's fantastical drama, leading the Brotherhood Without Banners into battle time and time again. He also wields a flaming sword — which Dormer thinks is much cooler than a lightsaber from the "Star Wars" franchise — and that comes in useful when he's slicing and dicing his way through White Walkers and other miscreants.

For fans of "Game of Thrones," Dondarrion will go down in history as a beloved character who regularly cheated death and provided plenty of memorable moments. However, bringing some of those scenes to life was an arduous task for the actor behind the character, especially during the filming of some of the more action-packed episodes. For example, Dormer struggled on the five-month shoot for "Beyond the Wall," as he and the other cast and crew members had to contend with winter storms and freezing temperatures. Fortunately, it was worth it in the end, as "Beyond the Wall" is an epic episode.

"Secret Invasion" is arguably the grittiest project in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The Disney+ series is heavily inspired by paranoid espionage thrillers, and it deals with some heavy themes such as terrorism. With that in mind, Richard Dormer is a fitting actor to cast in a role, as he's starred in some effective panic-stricken thrillers in the past, including the Yann Demange-directed "'71."

Unlike "Secret Invasion," though, "'71" was inspired by real events. The film stars Jack McConnell as a British soldier who gets sent to Belfast during the early years of the Troubles between the United Kingdom and Ireland — and he isn't exactly welcomed by the locals. To make matters worse, he gets separated from his unit and must survive the streets on his own amid violent riots and people trying to hunt him down.

Dormer, meanwhile, portrays a character named Eamon, a former Irish army medic who encounters McConnell's character along the way. The actor doesn't have a major role in this one, but his character's actions do impact plot events.

"Game of Thrones" turned Richard Dormer into a household name, leading to more big roles for the actor. One of those outings was Sky Atlantic's "Fortitude," an ice-cold horror-mystery series about murders in a sleepy town on the edge of the Arctic Circle.

"Fortitude" tells the story of Sheriff Dan Anderssen (Dormer) and his quest to find out why people keep dying in strange and mysterious ways. It isn't an easy mission, however, as everyone in the town is hiding something, but how many of them are capable of committing violent crimes? Of course, Anderssen isn't exactly the goody-two-shoes type either, as he's a gruff fella who's prone to the occasional outburst.

Calling "Fortitude" a straight-up whodunit undersells its mystery, but it's the type of show that will appeal to fans of weird genre-bending curiosities like "Twin Peaks." Dormer, meanwhile, told Esquire that he was attracted to the project because his character is shrouded in mystique and moral ambiguity. "There's a real human, compassionate side to the man," he said. "But also there's a dark side — very quick to anger."