MARVEL MARATHON DEEP DIVE
SECRET
INVASION
Secret Invasion premiered on Disney+ on 21 June 2023 and ran six weekly episodes. Samuel L. Jackson’s Nick Fury and Ben Mendelsohn’s Talos face a rebel Skrull faction led by Gravik.
A SPY THRILLER FOR DISNEY+
HOW SECRET INVASION WAS MADE
Kyle Bradstreet was revealed in September 2020 to be developing a series for Disney+ with Samuel L. Jackson attached, and Kevin Feige officially announced Secret Invasion in December 2020. Ali Selim directed all six episodes after Thomas Bezucha left because of scheduling conflicts. Bradstreet worked on scripts for about a year before being replaced by Brian Tucker, who received the majority of writing credits, though Bradstreet remains credited on two episodes.
Filming had begun by 1 September 2021 in London under the working title Jambalaya, wrapped on 25 April 2022, and was followed by extensive reshoots from mid-June to late September 2022. Kris Bowers composed the score, and the budget was $211.6 million.
A TITLE SEQUENCE THAT DREW A BACKLASH
WHAT HAPPENED WITH THE OPENING TITLES
The opening title sequence was created by Method Studios using generative AI, which prompted significant backlash online, particularly because the series arrived during the 2023 Writers Guild of America strike.
“none of their artists had been replaced with artificial intelligence for the sequence.”
Method Studios’ statement
SPIES, SKRULLS AND A PRESIDENT
WHO IS IN THE CAST
Samuel L. Jackson plays Nick Fury, with Ben Mendelsohn as Talos, Kingsley Ben-Adir as Gravik, Emilia Clarke as G’iah, Olivia Colman as Sonya Falsworth, Don Cheadle as Rhodey and the Skrull Raava, Dermot Mulroney as the President, Killian Scott as Pagon and Charlayne Woodard as Varra. Cobie Smulders appears as Maria Hill and Martin Freeman as Everett Ross.
SIX WEEKLY EPISODES
HOW THE SERIES WAS RECEIVED
The series premiered at a red carpet event on 13 June 2023, and its six episodes ran from “Resurrection” on 21 June to “Home” on 26 July 2023, with runtimes of 35 to 58 minutes. Parrot Analytics called it the most in-demand new show in the US for the second quarter of 2023.
Rotten Tomatoes lists a 53% critics’ score from 204 reviews and a 43% audience score, and its consensus calls the series “a well-deserved showcase for Samuel L. Jackson.” Metacritic gives it 63 from 24 critics and a user score of 3.7. Richard Newby of Empire called it “a riveting, tense drama,” while Barry Hertz of The Globe and Mail wrote that “the chases are slow, the explosions meh.”
THE REWATCH
A NAACP IMAGE AWARD FOR DON CHEADLE
Don Cheadle won the NAACP Image Award for outstanding supporting actor in a TV movie, limited series or dramatic special, and the series earned nominations elsewhere. Feige said in September 2022 that the series would lead into Armor Wars, though The Marvels largely ignores its events.
In the Marvel Marathon it sits in the MCU release order guide between Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 and Loki Season 2. It sits between She-Hulk: Attorney at Law and Loki Season 2 in the MCU series order and Marvel TV shows in order guides. In the MCU timeline guide it comes between Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 and The Marvels.
QUICK ANSWERS
SECRET INVASION WATCH QUESTIONS
Do I need to watch other MCU projects first?
It helps to know Nick Fury, Maria Hill and Talos from Captain Marvel and the Avengers films. Feige described the series as a present-day follow-up to Captain Marvel.
How many episodes does Secret Invasion have?
Six, released weekly from 21 June to 26 July 2023.
Is there a second season?
None had been announced by October 2026, so it remains a single season.
Which Marvel Marathon guides include Secret Invasion?
It appears in the MCU release order, MCU series order, Marvel TV shows in order and MCU timeline guides. In the timeline it sits between Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 and The Marvels.
EDITORIAL NOTES
SOURCES AND UPDATES
Development, production, release, reception and awards details are checked against a series reference and aggregator scores, cited individually below.