Secret Invasion: Sonya Falsworth's Paul Robeson Joke Explained

This article contains spoilers for "Secret Invasion" Episode 1, "Resurrection"

After spending years in space semi-retirement, Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) is back in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, sporting a full grey beard to go with his grey superspy morality. This time, however, his reasons for saving the world hit far closer to home than usual. The show's big threat is a rogue Skrull faction and as the alien race's main point of contact on Earth, Fury makes it his personal mission to put a stop to Gravik's (Kingsley Ben-Adir) plans. 

The first episode of the Disney+ MCU show brings back a number of familiar characters but also introduces us to a handful of new power players. Arguably the most mysterious of them all is MI6 agent Sonya Falsworth (Olivia Colman), who introduces herself by having her men abduct Fury from Moscow. Falsworth's sense of humor runs on the dry side, and she immediately displays her snark by wondering whether the caught man is Fury or the ghost of Paul Robeson. As a famous Black performer and activist, Robeson may seem like a strange comparison point to the former S.H.I.E.L.D. director ... but as it turns out, both men have ties to Moscow.

Like Fury, Robeson was a physically large man who was known to visit Russia, but he was no spy (via Biography). In his youth, Robeson was a star athlete, pro footballer, and lawyer, but he soon transitioned to a career in entertainment. As a popular singer and actor, he became a genuine global superstar. However, his fascination with the Soviet Union and prominent human rights activism was too much for the McCarthy-era United States. He spent the majority of the 1950s blacklisted in his home country, and unable to travel abroad because the U.S. refused to renew his passport. Though the passport issues were cleared in 1958, the experience wore him down significantly. 

Robeson's signature tune was "Ol' Man River," the song Falsworth mentions during her meeting with Fury. As for why she name-drops Robeson in the first place ... as it happens, the performer was an immensely popular figure in the UK, so there's every chance Falsworth could have been subjected to his work over the years. As such, Robeson being an American who had some sway in Britain and an interest in Russia is a clear parallel to Fury's situation in "Secret Invasion" Episode 1 — especially since Fury has also been sidelined for a lengthy period, and after finally returning to action, he's not quite the man he once was.