The latest Marvel Studios series has arrived for Disney+ and based on an advanced viewing of the first two episodes, this is a darker and more intense series than fans have seen with prior Marvel series.
The six-episode series runs at just over 50 minutes an episode and features a slow-burn story that is interspersed with brief but intense bouts of action that is more contained than the adrenaline-fueled spectacles that are common for the studio’s cinematic counterparts.
Following events introduced in “Captain Marvel”, Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) has returned to earth and finds that a Skrull faction has become deeply militant over the failure of humanity to fulfill their promise of finding a race for their displaced people and have taken up clandestine actions to strike back.
When Talos (Ben Mendelsohn), leans that a strike is pending, he and Fury team up with some associates to save the day. The return of Fury does not sit well as various people including Agent Sonya Falsworth (Olivia Colman), who decides to take matters into her own hands, and fans will love her cheery yet icy and brutal methods to get the job done.
The series takes its time to introduce the characters and there is a nice mix of supporting players and special guests are given time to develop and allow the audience to see their motivations and where they are at this place in time in the Marvel universe.
Jackson gives a new depth to Fury as the characters mention that he is not the same since the Blip and he talks about having a crisis of faith which caused him to leave Earth. His return is not met with the open-armed embrace that many would expect and he is struggling to find his place in a world that seems to have moved on without him.
The production values are solid and the action is more brutal and graphic at times than many would expect from Marvel and there is a much darker tone underneath the series which should resonate well with fans.
The supporting cast is great and I cannot wait to see more from Colman and Emelia Clarke as the series unfolds as based on what I have seen, Secret Invasion is the best of the Marvel Live-Action series to date.
The series will debut on Disney + on June 21st.
