The miniseries 'Secret Invasion' has concluded on Disney+. The new project in the Marvel cinematic universe turned out to be very interesting, but unfortunately, only at the conceptual level.

After the premiere of the third installment, many fans were momentarily transported back to a time when every Marvel Studios project was a major, exciting event. James Gunn's farewell film managed to deliver positive emotions and instill a bit of faith in the superhero universe. However, 'Secret Invasion' brought viewers crashing back down to Earth. And it's not even about the plot.

Evgeny Belousov

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What's the Plot?

Agent Ross (Martin Freeman) meets an informant in Moscow who claims that the Skrull race, by changing their appearance, is committing terrorist acts in various parts of the planet to trigger World War III, which would serve their interests (sounds like a typical plot on Russian TV channel REN TV). The informant has irrefutable evidence that the secret invasion has already begun. Such news should force Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson), who is in space, to personally intervene.

As a result, the former director of S.H.I.E.L.D. descends to Earth and, teaming up with Maria Hill (Cobie Smulders) and his old Skrull friend Talos (Ben Mendelsohn), decides to confront a hostile alien faction led by Gravik (Kingsley Ben-Adir). Thirty years ago, a young Fury befriended the aliens and let them live among people on the planet while he searched for a new home for them. But over so many years, many grew tired of waiting, and the race split into two factions, one of which intends to make Earth its new home. Gravik gathered loyal Skrulls around him, including Talos's daughter G'iah (Emilia Clarke), and planted his spies all over the world, so Fury will have to think carefully before trusting anyone.

Who Are the Skrulls — A Big, Big Secret!

'Secret Invasion' is already the ninth Marvel Studios series in two years (counting 'What If...?'). During this time, viewers have realized that the creators' output is hit or miss. The MCU series swings from one extreme to another, as it can either be a charming and engaging project like 'Loki', or another 'She-Hulk'. The show about an alien invasion was touted as a paranoid spy thriller. Something like 'The Other War' was planned, but with shapeshifting aliens instead of Nazis, and in the end, the only thing they have in common is Fury's presence on screen.

The six-episode project was a potentially interesting spectacle, as the comic book source material with the same name is a massive crossover where the Skrulls began their takeover of the planet after the events of Civil War, even replacing superheroes (Captain Marvel, Black Bolt, etc.). But the series directed by Ali Selim strayed very, very far from the source material.

It can be said that 'Secret Invasion' is suffocating under its own ambitions. The creators perfectly understand the potential that has fallen into their hands, but they simply lack the resources to fully realize it. The series could have been built on the total distrust of the characters towards each other and themselves, but it all boils down to a simple question: 'Is this a Skrull in front of us or not?' However, this question doesn't always arise, because the main characters, naturally, are not subject to replacement, and the cards regarding some secondary characters are revealed too quickly and shown directly. There are, unfortunately, almost no plot twists to speak of.

Additionally, the Skrulls don't feel particularly dangerous, as many of them are figured out too quickly (considering that in the comics, neither Professor X nor Doctor Strange could detect the substitution). The show lacks a feeling of total distrust towards everyone, and Fury doesn't seem too old, helpless, or vulnerable as was claimed. It turns out that removing the hero's eyepatch is not enough to convince everyone that the great spy is no longer the same. Yes, Fury overlooked (sorry) Earth, but the hero still has some powder in his keg and connections left.

Adding to the unrealized potential is the inclusion of Super-Skrull in the plot. In the comics, the antagonist possessed the abilities of the Fantastic Four, but the team of heroes hasn't been introduced into the cinematic universe yet, so the villain's superpowers were cobbled together, so to speak, from scraps and sticks (specifically, from Cull Obsidian and Groot). The implementation looks very funny. Like, they couldn't get the DNA of other characters. Although a logical question arises: if the Skrulls can replace any person, why didn't they replace the superheroes currently on Earth (and there are plenty of them)? The answer is obvious: 'Secret Invasion' simply doesn't have such resources, so even Fury doesn't call anyone for help. So to speak, for the sake of the script.

Although we have to make do with little in terms of plot, the acting cast is full of big names. Besides the familiar Samuel L. Jackson, Ben Mendelsohn, Martin Freeman, Cobie Smulders, and Don Cheadle as Colonel Rhodes (which already sounds impressive), the series features Emilia Clarke and Oscar-winning Olivia Colman. Of course, where is there room for anyone else? It's hard enough to fit in those who are already there.

The acting is probably the strongest aspect that 'Secret Invasion' can boast of. Samuel L. Jackson is as good as ever. The series was made as his benefit, so there's plenty of screen time for the m*****f*****. Of course, one would like a deeper dive into Nick Fury's psychology. To see the great schemer broken and shattered, experiencing a severe crisis of hopelessness, but finding the strength to defend the planet. However, we have what we have. But he and Mendelsohn have a special, wonderful chemistry. They are like two grumpy old men who have been friends for a hundred years. Only thanks to this duo does episode 4 manage to evoke any emotions.

Another gem in this pile of big names is Olivia Colman. She plays MI6 agent Sonya Falsworth, who simply exudes charisma and charm. As soon as the actress appears on screen, she immediately commands maximum attention, leaving everyone else in the background. Colman's character is someone we would really like to see more of in the MCU. The other actors look very unremarkable. Don Cheadle and Emilia Clarke didn't particularly stand out (except for being annoying), and Freeman and Smulders didn't appear on screen often enough to make an impression. So it turns out that the series, while seemingly large-scale and with renowned actors, didn't live up to its own ambitions. Sad, especially since 'there was an idea'...

A Secret to Everyone

The show's action takes place in several countries, but I'd most like to talk about Russia (just like on a federal TV channel). No, not about the stereotypical signs saying 'Pirozhki' and phrases like 'Na Zdorovie', but about the overall representation of the country by American filmmakers. What a narrow-minded portrayal! And it's not that it's offensive; it's just really, really shallow. Moscow looks cardboard and fake (even though part of the filming took place there). For every real shot, there are ten fake ones.

The Skrull base is located 312 km southwest of Moscow (i.e., somewhere near Bryansk) at some abandoned nuclear station that no one knows about. It's guarded by OMON, there are Zhiguli cars parked around, and the actors' Russian speech is barely understandable. In 2023, all this looks simply ridiculous and absurd. Just like one of the Skrull attacks, where Americans leading a group see a black guy and shout: 'It's the Russians!' Yes, that's exactly what a typical Russian looks like, what can I say. It's good that at least the signs and labels are made without errors, unlike in Jason Bourne's passport.

Overall, 'Secret Invasion' came out at completely the wrong time. The show strongly coincides with the current geopolitical situation in the world. There are a couple of sensible thoughts here regarding the behavior of humanity and the wars it wages, but for the most part, a series where two major powers are on the brink of World War III only adds to the creepiness. It's clear that when filming took place and the script was developed, no one could have foreseen any of this, but now a project where phrases are uttered about America having the strongest army, and where the US is on the verge of conflict with Russia, looks very inappropriate.

There's enough noise on this topic in the real world, and in cinema, one would like to escape from it. At least in that layer of cinema where projects cannot coherently discuss such a sensitive topic with the viewer. And 'Secret Invasion' is exactly from that layer. It tries to cram in a social agenda, the topic of emigration, an anti-war and Western propaganda stance, and turn this whole mess into mass entertainment for a teenage audience. Not the most successful field for such relevant discourse, in my opinion.

Now imagine that a six-episode series trying to appear so serious has a bunch of stupid script blunders. For example, Marvel completely forgot that Talos had two daughters in 'Captain Marvel', so only one appears in the series. Or during the terrorist attack on National Unity Day, two thousand people die, and that's with three small explosions in a fairly confined space that couldn't even hold that many people.

But the stupidest thing that happened to the series is the finale. It's almost impossible to talk about it without spoilers, so just take my word for it that after watching all the episodes, you will definitely feel a sense of indignation. First, indignation that 'Secret Invasion', with this implementation, cost over $200 million. And second, indignation that somewhere in America, the people who wrote this wonderful script are demanding a pay raise while on strike.

Overall, it feels like a neural network generated not only the project's opening credits but also wrote the script. To ruin an already mediocre series in the finale, jeopardizing the universe's hierarchy, is probably a tribute to 'She-Hulk'. Apparently, the Marvel cinematic universe really is run by K.E.V.I.N.

What's the Verdict?

Unfortunately, 'Secret Invasion' shatters almost all hopes for the universe's rehabilitation that 'Guardians of the Galaxy' had instilled. We are back to the times of Phase Four, when the quality of each project is highly questionable. On top of that, upcoming premieres don't look very appealing (except for 'Loki').

Of course, maybe something will still change, and Kevin Feige will piece together the fragmented multi-cinematic Marvel universe. Perhaps Fury will rise from the ashes and soon create new Avengers or something. For now, he is content that the secret invasion failed. And again, it's not about the plot.