Nick Fury Takes The Lead In Marvel’s Secret Invasion

Secret Invasion is next in line to grow out the Marvel Cinematic Universe through Disney+’s array of Marvel originals. But is this Nick Fury-centric series helping guide the MCU in a more positive direction after several bad reviews in a row of Marvel content?

When the series picks up, it is clear that Secret Invasion’s biggest Marvel connection is to Captain Marvel and Nick Fury’s relationship with Talos and his past with the Skrulls. The background conflict follows that the Skrulls may be going rogue and wish to take over Earth, eliminating the human population in the process.

The series premiere makes it clear that Nick Fury is not the man he once was. Rather than the man on top, the person three steps ahead with all the plans and backup plans, he has never been the same since returning from the Blip.

Nick Fury has lost some of his motivation and has abandoned Earth for a few years, but will his return help him regain control?

In the past, Marvel movies and shows have been condemned for trying to force jokes where they were not needed to keep the MCU’s comical tone in place. Secret Invasion’s first episode does not make that mistake, instead understanding that while sarcastic comments are allowed as a way to add moments of humor, the show does not need to go out of the way to add comedy in a way that will undermine the severity of the situation at hand.

While appearing in other MCU projects, such as Captain Marvel and in the post-credits scene of Spider-Man: Far From Home, Skrulls have not been a heavily present population in previous Marvel projects.

Marvel may be using Secret Invasion to show that they will be more active in the MCU moving forward, especially when the upcoming The Marvels comes out, given Carol Danvers’ connection to the group.

While Nick Fury has been involved in Marvel projects for years, his role has jumped between being a key player and a background character. For the first time, Nick Fury’s involvement rests at the heart of the story, finally allowing his character to be explored beyond the strong presence for the Avengers he had always been.

While Secret Invasion spends a lot of time suggesting that Nick Fury had lost his way, the series still has plenty of time to dig into how he dealt with the aftermath of Avengers: Endgame and show how he can return to the man he had been, or take how he had responded to the Blip to show he is more vital than he had ever been before.

Secret Invasion spends a lot of time setting up the complicated friendship between Fury and Talos and how Talos struggles with the idea of harming one of his own. The premiere’s painfully unexpected ending may be exactly what Nick Fury needs to prepare himself for what will follow. Still, while Secret Invasion takes a different and potentially more serious approach, will this be the show that can help restore Marvel’s reputation? Or will it only help the MCU fall further?