Secret Invasion, TV series for the Marvel Cinematic Universe (2023) - Film review by Kadmon

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Article updated: 2023.12.04

The Secret Invasion (2023) is a contemporary fantasy TV series. The TV series was reviewed by Kadmon.

Product: Secret Invasion, TV series for the Marvel Cinematic Universe (2023)

Original title: Secret Invasion / Marvel's Secret Invasion

Series: Marvel Cinematic Universe

Other adaptations of the story: Fantastic Four Vol 1 #2: The Fantastic Four Meet the Skrulls from Outer Space!, graphic novel (1961), The Ultimates #7–13: Homeland Security, graphic novel series (2002-2003), Secret Invasion, graphic novel series (2008), The Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes Season 2 #7, #10-12  (2012), Secret Invasion: Mission Earth, graphic novel series (2022-2023)

Previous entries in the series: Captain Marvel (2019)

Setting: contemporary fantasy Earth (Marvel Universe - Marvel Cinematic Universe)

Product type: TV series, 6 x 1 hours, Genre: contemporary fantasy action, Features: action, fantasy, contemporary fantasy, science fiction, super-human abilities, thriller, Style: ?

Release: 2023.06.21-07.26

Watched: recently (2023.12), first time

Rating: Average, Enjoyment: Average

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This is my review of Secret Invasion, a contemporary fantasy action TV series for the Marvel Cinematic Universe from 2023. It's about an extra-terrestrial terrorist organisation trying to take over the Earth. I only recommend it to fans of the genre.

Secret Invasion, TV series for the Marvel Cinematic Universe (2023)
image © Marvel (Disney)

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Review (spoiler-free) - Secret Invasion, TV series (2023)

As I've been constantly bombarded with previews, I knew that Secret Invasion is coming. As I considered the original graphic novels acceptable, I was interested. After I've read the more recent Secret Invasion series, I was less thrilled though. I've seen the previous theatrical releases of the MCU, but I've never watched any of the MCU TV series.

After the initial bad reviews, it took me a long time to finally dare to watch the series.

The Secret Invasion TV series is about an extra-terrestrial terrorist organisation trying to take over the Earth.

The story is okay. The consistency is fine, although slow. There are no proper character arcs, but there's a minor arc for one of the main characters. There were several minor logical problems, that I was able to accept, and some major ones that really took away from the story.

The cinematography is okay. The sets look good. The action scenes are easy to follow, or sometimes properly distracting, when the story requires it.

The characters are not very well developed. Neither the established characters, nor the new ones get proper introductions. The actors,  who portray them are fine.

The music (by Kris Bowers) is good, it fits the story. For me, listening to the intro music was probably the most enjoyable part of watching the whole series.

Secret Invasion is a watchable contemporary fantasy action series, that I think fans of the genre might enjoy.

My experience

I was mostly satisfied with Secret Invasion (2023) TV series up to Ep4. Although I prefer logical plots with some twists, Secret Invasion engaged my interest.

Rating: ?. Up to Ep4, Secret Invasion is watchable.

Enjoyment: ?. Up to Ep4, Secret Invasion is interesting.

Rewatchability: I'm not sure. I think it's mostly the surprise of the story that makes you feel interested.

Chance of watching it again: Low. Now that I know the story, there's probably no need to watch it again.

Chance of watching a sequel: As I'm still a fan of Marvel comics, I'll probably watch it, especially if it's a feature movie.

Secret Invasion, TV series for the Marvel Cinematic Universe (2023)
image © Marvel (Disney)

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Episode review with no spoilers - Secret Invasion, TV series (2023)

Episode #1: Resurrection

Written by Brian Tucker & Kyle Bradstreet. Directed by Ali Selim. Released: 2023.06.21

The episode is an interesting start for the series, it got me hooked.

We get some very basic info about the setting and the main characters.

The episode ends with a conclusion that sets up the sequel.

Rating: Average (2 out of 3 points), Enjoyment: Average (2 out of 3 points)

Episode #2: Promises

Teleplay written by Brian Tucker. Story written by: Brant Englestein & Brian Tucker. Directed by Ali Selim. Released: 2023.06.28

The episode slowly continues the plot of the previous episode. It has some seemingly illogical elements.

The episode ends with a reveal.

Rating: Average (2 out of 3 points), Enjoyment: Weak (2- out of 3 points)

Episode #3: Betrayed

Written by Brian Tucker & Roxanne Paredes. Directed by Ali Selim. Released: 2023.07.05

The episode slowly continues the plot of the previous episodes.

The episode ends with a reveal / shocker.

Rating: Average (2 out of 3 points), but Weak (2- out of 3 points) in retrospect of Episode #4, Enjoyment: Average (2 out of 3 points)

Episode #4: Beloved

Written by Brian Tucker. Directed by Ali Selim. Released: 2023.07.12

The episode slowly continues the plot of the previous episodes. Not much happens in this, but I felt it got a better tempo than the previous episodes.

The episode ends with a shocker.

Rating: Average (2 out of 3 points), Enjoyment: Average (2 out of 3 points)

Episode #5: Harvest

Written by Brian Tucker & Michael Bhim. Directed by Ali Selim. Released: 2023.07.19

The episode slowly continues the plot of the previous episodes. Not much happens in this, just like the previous episode, but it was just as good as that.

The episode ends with the promise of a conclusion.

Rating: Average (2 out of 3 points), Enjoyment: Average (2 out of 3 points)

Episode #5: Home

Written by Brian Tucker & Kyle Bradstreet. Directed by Ali Selim. Released: 2023.07.26

The episode concludes the story. I gave it an Average rating, because even though it's an actually good story, the major faults of logic took away from my entertainment.

Rating: Average (2 out of 3 points), Enjoyment: Average (2 out of 3 points)

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Review with spoilers - Secret Invasion, TV series (2023)

I mostly liked the Secret Invasion TV series. Episode #2 was a bit weaker, and Episode #3 was worse, but the rest was acceptable.

Promise of the first scene

A secret agent meets with a guy who has acquired the plans of a terrorist organisation, he believes is extra-terrestrial (Skrulls). The secret agent kills the guy, and turns out to be a Skrull. I assume we'll find out more about the terrorists, and by the end of the series, the terrorists will be defeated.

Execution: Indeed, we got to know a lot about them, and they were defeated. I consider this okay.

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The episodes - Secret Invasion, TV series (2023)

Episode 1: Resurrection

Promise of the first scene

A secret agent meets with a guy who has acquired the plans of a terrorist organisation, he believes is extra-terrestrial (Skrulls). The secret agent kills the guy, and turns out to be a Skrull. I assume that in this episode we'll find out more about the terrorists.

Execution: Not only did we find out more about the terrorists, we've seens their planned act of terror going off. I consider this a fine fulfilment of the promise.

Episode 2: Promises

Promise of the first scene

We see how the Skrulls got on Earth, with the help of Nick Fury. I have no idea where will they want to go with this.

Execution: By the end we see that Fury is together with one of the Skrull refugees. This could have been established a little better in the second scene, where we see them working together. I'm not entirely satisfied with this promise.

Episode 3: Betrayed

Promise of the first scene

The Skrull terrorist leader shows the Skrull Council the machine that will give them extraordinary powers. I assume we'll see the first super-Skrulls in action in this episode. They will probably cause some destruction.

Execution: We didn't get any more reference to that. I find this disappointing.

Episode 4: Beloved

Promise of the first scene

We see that the girl, who was shot at the end of the previous episode, is not dead at all, because she used the Super-Skrull machine on herself. I find this unsatisfying, and I feel it takes away from the previous shocker ending. I assume she'll use her new powers to combat Gravik, but probably not in this episode, seeing how slowly the series advances.

Execution: I was right that we didn't see her doing anything in this episode. So, the whole scene with her could have been postponed to be put in an episode where it would provide something useful for the plot.

Gravik used his Super-Skrull powers, but it was one episode later than it should have been.

Episode 5: Harvest

Promise of the first scene

We get to know that the Skrulls are looking for the DNA of the Avengers. As it's the penultimate episode, I really hope that by the end of this, we'll finally get there, so there could be an epic confrontation at the conclusion.

Execution: In the end, we got those DNA samples, so I'm totally satisfied with the promise.

Episode 6: Home

Promise of the first scene

Fury talks with his wife. This makes me assume that by the end of the episode, the wife will die. The creators included this scene to create this tension for some emotional response, so one of them will needs to die, and Fury won't. If they manage to use this device for anything else, I'll be delighted.

Execution: Wow, they did manage to surprise me. This was a good ending.

Plot summary / Synopsis

Episode 1: Resurrection

Moscow: Agent Ross (Martin Freeman as Everett K. Ross) meets with a local secret agent (Richard Dormer as Prescod), who tells him about a terrorist plan, presumably created by the Skrulls. This act of terror could incite a war between Russia and the USA. As the local agent gets suspicious, he attacks Ross, who kills him. After this, a man starts to follow Ross, that turns into a chase. During the chase, Ross is seriously wounded, and turns into a Skrull. The man chasing him turns out to be Talos, the Skrull.

Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury) arrives back on Earth from the Sword space station. He meets with Maria Hill (Cobie Smulders as Maria Hill) and Talos (Ben Mendelsohn as Talos). They explain that Talos has been expelled from the Skull Council, and the new leader (Kingsley Ben-Adir as Gravik) is hostile towards humans, because they still couldn't find them a new home. They suppose that the leader hides in Russia, and wants to build a nuclear bomb.

Later, Fury gets kidnapped by Brittish secret agents, who bring him to the head of the agency (Olivia Colman as Sonya Falsworth). The head of the agency explains to Fury that they won't cooperate, and that he is not ready for this operation. Fury places a camera in the room.

Somewhere in Russia: A man approaches a military base. There he has to reveal to a girl (Emilia Clarke as G'iah) that he is a Skrull. The girl greets him in New Skrullos.

They capture human terrorists, take over their looks and memories, to take their place in their organisations.

Moscow: Thanks to the camera, Dury gets to know who is the man, who can build the bomb. They decide to visit him with Talos, but the Skrull girl got there first. By the time they meet him, the girl has been there, and the man has been replaced with a Skrull, who attacks them. They notice the girl who is leaving, and when Talos catches her, it turns out that she is his daughter, G'iah. Talos tells her that her mother was killed by the Skrull terrorists. She reveals that the explosion will happen the next day. She offers to mark the backpacks of the terrorists who will carry the bomb.

The next day, they go the the parade. As the backpacks were empty baits, they cannot stop the explosions from going off, causing mass destruction. Maria Hill is shot by the leader of the Skrull terrorists, disguised as Fury.

Episode 2: Promises

1995: In a flashback, we see the recap of the events of the Captain Marvel movie, regarding the Skrulls.

1997, London: Nick Fury offers the twenty Skrull refugees that as long as they accept to wear human disguise, and help them protect the Earth, he and Captain Marvel will try to find them a new home planet.

Present, Russia: Nick Fury and Talos escapes from the explosion site, just like the girl and the leader of the Skrull terrorists. The Russians capture the Skrull terrorist (Ben Peel as Brogan), who poses as an American extremist.

Talos reveals that about a million Skrull refugee lives on Earth now in secret. Fury, angered, asks Talos to leave him.

Skrull Council: There's a meeting, revealing that several of the world's leaders are actually Skrulls. At first, they are against the terrorist acts, they feel it destabilises their work to rule the planet. Then they agree that the terrorist leader should lead them in a war to conquer the Earth.

One of the Council members (Seeta Indrani as Shirley Sagar) disagrees and calls Talos about this.

London: They call James Rhodes (Don Cheadle as James "Rhodey" Rhodes) to London, to investigate the involvement of the USA in the explosion in Moscow. After the hearing, Fury meets Rhodes. Fury reveals to Rhodes what he knows about the Skrull plot. Rhodes tells him that Fury is fired from his position. Fury refuses to accept this.

Moscow: The head of the UK secret agency takes over the captive Skrull from the Russians. She starts to interrogate him. He tells her that the Skrull terrorist leader is working on a machine that will make the Skrulls stronger, with the help of scientists (the Daltons).

The Skrull terrorist leader also finds this place, and comes to rescue the prisoner. They quickly kill the quards, but the head of the UK secret agency escapes. The Skrulls take their captured member, they drive him for a while before executing him. They leave the corpse in a forest.

Nick Fury's home: Nick Fury goes home. Before he enters his home, we see that his wife (Charlayne Woodard as Varra / Priscilla Davis) was a Skrull before changing into human.

Episode 3: Betrayed

New Skrullos: The Skrull terrorist leader shows the Skrull Council the machine that will give them extraordinary powers.

1998, New York: We see Nick Fury working with Varra (Charlayne Woodard as Varra / Priscilla Davis), a Skrull, who uses the guise of a black woman.

Present, Nick Fury's home: We see that somebody asks Fury's wife about Fury on phone.

Somewhere: Talos meets with the Skrull terrorist leader in a restaurant. The leader explains to Talos that they will wipe out humanity. Talos asks him not to do that. While they are meeting, the girl sends information about the next terrorist act to Fury.

Somewhere else: Talos meets with Nick Fury. Talos reminds Fury that he was so succesful in his position because of the Skrull shapeshifters he used as agents. Fury calls the head of the MI6 that he got information that some sabotage will happen on a UK submarine (Neptune). The MI6 leader gives them information about the captain of the submarine. Talos and Fury go to the home of the captain, kill the Skrull guards, and capture the Skrull posing as the captain. The Skrull imposter refuses to stop the attack, and taunts Talos, causing Talos to kill him. Talos calls his daughter to get the secret codes out of the mind of the real captain, kept in the Skrull base. She gets the information, Talos stops the attack.

New Skrullos: After her betrayal, the girl tries to escape, but she is caught by the terrorist leader. He tells her that by preventing the previous terrorist act, she revealed herself to be the mole in their organisation, who leaked information to Fury. He shoots her, and leaves her to die.

Nick Fury's home: Fury's wife gets a new assignment from the Skrull terrorist leader. She seems to hesitate.

Episode 4: Beloved

New Skrullos: It turns out that the girl isn't dead, because she used the Super-Skrull machine on herself.

2012, Paris: We see how Nick Fury got together with his future wife.

In a church: According to her assignment, Nick Fury's wife meets Rhodes. Rhodes turns to be a Skrull in disguise (Raava), and he boasts that he was the one who fired Fury. He tells Fury's wife that she has to kill Fury.

Nick Fury's home: Fury's wife goes home, but doesn't kill Fury.

Rhodes's hotel: Fury visits the Rhodes imposter. While they are talking, Fury gives a drink to Rhodes. Rhodes blackmails Fury that he'll make the footage public, where it seems that Fury shot Maria Hill. Later, it is revealed, there's a tracker inside that drink.

Somewhere: The Skrull terrorists attack the convoy of the president of the USA. Thanks to the tracker, Fury arrives to help the president. During the rescue, the terrorist leader stabs Talos. Fury shoots the terrorist leader in the head, but he is able to survive it due to the Super-Skrull treatment.

Episode 5: Harvest

New Skrullos: It turns out that the Skrulls are looking for the DNA samples of the Avengers to use it in the Super-Skrull machine. The Skrull terrorist leader tells Rhodes to reveal it to the president of the USA that the Russians were working with Skrulls in the terrorist act, and to show him the location of New Skrullos in Russia. Rhodes is sceptical.

Hospital: Rhodes confront Fury, and sends him away, so he could be alone with the president. He tells the president what the terrorist leader asked him.

London: The head of MI6 visits a guy who is revealed to be a Skrull imposter.

New Skrullos: A group of Skrulls try to kill the leader, but using his super powers, he kills them all.

London: Fury meets the girl. She tells Fury about the Super-Skrull powers. Later, Fury gets a call from the terrorist leader, who tells him that he wants the DNA samples of the Avengers, otherwise he'll get the USA nuke New Skrullos. He tells Fury to prepare for high radioactivity in the area when he comes.

The Dalton's home: The head of the MI6 visits the Skrull scientists. One of the Skrulls gets killed, the other gets captured for interrogation.

Nick Fury's home: The girl visits Fury's wife. They bury the body of Talos together. They get attacked, but they defeat the attackers.

Finland: Fury and the head of MI6 go to a hideout, and they retrieve the DNA samples the terrorist leader asked for. Fure tells her that Rhodes is a Skrull imposter. He also reveals that the terrorist leader knows about the DNA samples, because Fury asked his Skrull agents to collect these samples after the battle with Tanos.

Episode 6: Home

New Skrullos: Fury kills the guards and walks into the settlement. He only finds dead Skrulls inside. He goes into the radioactive area to meet the terrorist leader. The leader tells Fury that the whole thing is his fault, as Fury lied, and didn't find them a new home. Fury admits that he gave up finding a new planet, and hoped that Earth will be their new home. Fury gives the DNA to the terrorist leader, and he switches on the Super-Skrull machine while Fury is also inside.

Hospital: To get the president of the USA out of the hands of the Rhodes imposter, the head of MI6 creates a ruse, then starts to take out the bodyguards.

New Skrullos: Fury is revealed to be the Skrull girl in disguise. With her new super-powers, she defeats the leader, and frees the human captives.

Hospital: Fury enters the hospital, and shoots the Rhodes imposter.

USA: The president of the USA declares war on every alien species. This leads to a worldwide wave of attacks on Skrulls and suspected aliens.

UK: The MI6 offers the Skrull girl that she could be the leader of the Skrull refugees, and they could work together to protect them. The girl accepts this.

Somewhere: Fury is ready to go up to the space station when his wife arrives. They decide they will go together. Fury is ready to accept her even with her original looks, she doesn't need to wear a human guise.

Plot points of interests

The were a couple of changes to the setting and characters.

Forces

MI6: The secret agency service of the United Kingdom. Lead by Sonya Falsworth.

Skrulls: Alien shapeshifters, who took refuge on Earth. Another settlement is on planet Tarnax IV, under the regime of Emperor Dro'ge.

Species

Skrulls: An extra-terrestrial species.

• Shapeshifting: They are able to shapeshift into human forms at will. When they die, they change back to their original form. Body parts cut off from them turn back into their original shape. Sometimes they seem to be able to manifest clothes or other items, this is not made clear.
• Strength: They are a lot stronger than humans. They are able to break steel chains without effort. They are able to throw other Skrulls through pillars that break the pillars.
• Resilience: They are able to withstand more physical punishment than humans. A fall from multiple stories kill them. A few pistol shots kill them. Geting thrown through a pillar that breaks just slows them. They seems to be highly resistent to radioactivity.
• Mind reading: They have a device that allows them to read the minds of captured humans so they could take over their lives with proper memories.

New characters

Gravik: The leader of the Skrull terrorists. Although he worked for Fury for years, he is short-sighted and hotheaded, acts without thinking. He receives Super-Skrull treatment, giving him every possible superpower. He was seemingly killed by G'iah.

G'iah: The daughter of Talos. She was leaking information about the terrorist plans, until she had to reveal herself and escape. She receives Super-Skrull treatment, giving her every possible superpower.

Sonya Falsworth: The head of the MI6.

Changes to characters

Maria Hill: She got killed by Gravik.

Nick Fury: He doesn't wear his eye-patch any more. He had a Skrull wife. but he left her when she came back to existence after the snap.

Soren: She was killed before the beginning of the series by the Skrull terrorists of Gravik.

Talos: He was expelled from the Skrull Council. His wife was killed by Skrull terrorists. Killed by Gravik.

Characters killed

Gravik: G'iah broke his neck in Ep6. Although I doubt that it would cause him much harm, being immortal, and having regeneration powers.

Maria Hill: Gravik shot her in Ep1.

Talos: Gravik stabbed him in Ep4.

Technology

Face cloaking device (Photostatic Veil): The wearer is able to project any kind of face on the mask. Probably the same technology that was used in Captain America 2: The Winter Solder (2014) and Black Widow (2021).

Skrull mind reader: Allows a Skrull to read the mind of a captive human in the machine. (Update: In The Marvels (2023), we see there's a portable version of this, and it can be also used by humans, it's not specifically for Skrulls.)

They are probably constantly connected to the mind of the Skrull imposter, so they don't need to memorise the details, they can access them any time. If this is true, it would allows special sensors to track the Skrull imposters, and also to find the location of the mind reader device.

Super-Skrull machine: Gives a Skrull extra-ordinary powers.

• Regeneration: The user is able to shrug off deadly wounds. Probably from the Extremis.
• Tentacle growth: The user is able to extend their arms into tentacles. Probably from Groot.

Powers

 

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Analysis of the story - Secret Invasion, TV series (2023)

I mostly liked the story of Ep1, I didn't find problems that would have prevented me from enjoying Secret Invasion. I've found Ep2 a bit less entertaining.

The message of the story

I'm not sure there's one.

Ep1: "Don't trust immigrants"? All of the bad guys are immigrants. "Don't trust people of colour"? Most of the bad guys seem to have dark skin.

The structure of the story

The scenes of the Secret Invasion film are mostly played in sequence, following the same storyline. There are many flashback scenes. Ep3-6 starts with a recap of the previous episodes.

There's no single viewpoint character.

Ep1 has the usual arc of the dramatic structure - introduction, action, resolution.

Ep2 has a continuous narrative. Ep3-4 is somewhere in between - it has a story arc built into the continuous narrative.

Fan-service

Scenes and elements from previous works:

Fantastic Four Vol 1 #18: A Skrull Walks Among Us! (1963)

• Ep3-5: Gravik, as a Super-Skrull uses stretching, burning, and strength as super powers. In the graphic novel, the Super-Skrull got the powers from the members of the Fantastic Four - stretching, fire, strength and invisibility.

Captain America Vol 5 #25 (2007)

• Ep1: When Maria Hill was shot by the imposter Nick Fury, it reminded me of a similar event, when Steve Rogers was shot by the mind controlled Sharon Carter.

Iron Man 3

• Ep2: Extremis is shown in the Skrull research.

Avengers: Infinity War (2018)

• Ep1: Flashback scene shows how Nick Fury was destroyed by the snap of Tanos.

Avengers: Endgame

• Ep5: The battle with Talos is mentioned. Fury had the DNA collected from every blood sample after the battle.

Black Widow (2021)

• Ep3?: Mentioning Dreykov.
• Ep5: Face cloaking device.

Captain Marvel

• Ep2: Flashback scene shows how Nick Fury took the Skrull refugees.

Things I liked

• The intro sequence for the episodes is good. (Update: It was revealed that the intro was AI generated by Method Studios. This shows that AI can be used to generate interesting, surreal artwork.)

Ep1

• Ep1 had a proper story arc in itself, unlike most recent TV series.

Ep2

• The Skrulls have used previously established elements for their genetical research.

Problematic elements

Viewpoint characters: As the story went on, the creators introduced more and more viewpoint characters. This was especially distracting, as those characters weren't introdcuced, and their actions only made the main plot harder to follow. And worse, as we have seen what the terrorists plan, it never created the surprise in the viewer it could have, had we only seen the viewpoint of the SHIELD agents.

The Skrull plan: They try to make it look like terrorist organisations are attacking major nations, in order for the major nations attack each other. However, I find this outcome unlikely. Terrorists constantly attack nations, and most nations don't retaliate by attacking a whole country just to take revenge on a couple of terrorists. If those "terrorists" could have been traced back to get sent by the country, it would make a difference, but here, it doesn't seem to be the case.

However, let's suppose they manage to create a new world war, that destroys humanity, along with the infrastructure of Earth. Even if the Skrulls won't get harmed during this war - and that's highly unlikely, as bombs don't discriminate -, what they would get in the end is a scorched Earth, with a population of a million Skrulls.

They've left their original home, and took refuge on Earth because they hoped that the humans will protect them from the Kree. If they kill their own protectors, they would be fair game again, and the Kree would just kill the remaining last of them.

Aversion for protection: During the series, the many characters seem to illogically refuse to wear protection that could have prevented their problems.

• Ep1: Maria Hill got shot in the chest with a pistol. Protection: Bulletproof vest.
• Ep3: G'iahl got shot in the chest with a pistol. Protection: Bulletproof vest.
• Ep4: Talos get stabbed in the chest with a knife. Protection: Bulletproof vest. While a bulletproof vest doesn't protect totally against knife stabs, but from the angle Gravik was holding, it could have provided some protection, or require Gravik to stab a second time, giving Fury the time to shoot him.
• Ep6: The guards of New Skrullos got shot in the chest. Protection: Body armour.
• Ep6: Fury gets radiation poisoning in a high-radiation area. Protection: Radiation suit.

Unclear details: There are plenty of characters and locations we don't get introduction to, we only get to know them later, when someone refers to them. We often don't get told where are the scenes happening. After a while I didn't even care where a scene plays out, I just gave up.

• Ep1: The secret agent guy who gets killed in Moscow doesn't get named. I only assumed that he is the 'Prescod' they later refer to.
• Ep1: The location where Fury arrives. I assumed, he arrives in the USA.
• Ep1: The girl who seems to be the leader of the Skrulls in Skrulltown. Although I have to admit that telling her name might be a spoiler for those who know the MCU deeper, or listen to what Talos says about his daughter.
• Ep1: The lady who is the head of the secret agency. At first I thought they was Russians. And checking the Wiki, it turns out that it was her first appearence in the MCU, making the lack of introduction even worse.
• Ep2: The location of Nick Fury's home.
  
• Ep3: Where did Talos meet with Gravik?
• Ep3: Where did Talos meet with Fury?
• Ep5: Who is the guy that Sonya shot in the office? Who was he posing as?

Ep1: Resurrection

New Skrullos: The Skrulls don't disguise themselves on the base, even when they are in the open. There are plenty of satellites and even a SHIELD space station above them. How do they keep themselves hidden?

Episode 3: Betrayed

Trailer ruining the twists: As we have seen scenes with G'iah in the trailer that didn't happen yet, it's hard to believe that she really died. Especially as Gravik didn't even checked her, just left her wounded.

Episode 6: Home

Mirror match: While it's an often used trope in MCU movies, a battle between two superpowered being using the same power actually creates less tension, because the winner will be decided by the creators whim, instead of the preparation of the characters. This mirror match between all-powerful creatures is even more weightless, as we know that while they can inflict an infinite amount of damage, they can also able to withstand an infinite amount of damage, and then they can regenerate it.

Clothing in the DNA: When the Super-Skrulls change their shapes with the help of the DNA samples, they also replicate some of the clothing the user had. How does a DNA sample retain the clothing?

Poison darts: Unless there's some special "sleep potion" in the MCU, the poison darts that take out the guards have a high chance of just plain killing them. In order to act that quickly, they need to overdose them with the chemical. So, Fury just killed a couple of innocent agents, trying to protect the president.

Unanswered questions

Ep1: Resurrection

• How did the Skrulls disguise New Skrullos from satellite images?
• Why does Nick Fury goes against the plot in Russia without reinforcement?
• When they try to stop the plot, why don't they wear at least some bulletproof vests?
• When they shot Maria Hill, why don't they use their space lift to get her to SABER and heal her?

Episode 2: Promises

• At the hearing, why does Rhodes tell such rude and unprofessional things? (Update: As later revealed, he is a Skrull imposter, this makes the whole thing even more unwise.)
• Why does the rescued prisoner lie to Gravik when he knows that they have mind reading technology at their base? Does he hope that Gravik happens to forget about that?
• Why does Gravik have the rescued prisoner executed before reading his mind?
• Why do they leave the executed Skrull in the forest? The body will turn into a Skrull, making it extremely suspicious. Also, just shooting him doesn't secure that he properly dies.
• What happens to the Skrull lady, who left the Skrull Council? Did they really leave her unharmed? If they did, why?

Episode 3: Betrayed

• When Gravik grews suspicious of the girl, why doesn't he use the mind reading device on her?
• Why does Talos stick a knife into the hand of Gravik? Is that some kind of Skrull habit? It seems to me that they feel and heal similarly to a human, so this would have been a very unwise open hostility. (I understand that plot-wise the creators did that to show that Gravik has gone through the Super-Skrull enhancement, but in-character it didn't make much sense.)
• Why don't the guards of the captain wear bulletproof vests?
• When the girl tries to escape, knowing that she is in danger, why does she goes on the open road? And just like the rest of the Skrulls, why does she refuse to wear a bulletproof vest?
• When Gravik shoots the girl, why doesn't he check that she dies? At least, shoot her in the head to make sure she gets a fatal wound.
• Why does Gravik leave a dead body and a motorcycle right in front of the gate of their camp, especially at night? This could cause accidents if someone is not very careful.

Episode 4: Beloved

• When they attack the president, why don't they use anti-vehicle heavy weapons instead of getting in close combat? They should have attacked with missiles from the ground, and then start the attack with the helicopters to finish the job. If they wanted to kill the president, they could have just blown everything up, instead of trying to shoot everyone with automatic rifles. Even if they don't have the right weapons, they should have infiltrated the presidental reinforcements, who could have killed the president, while pretending to be rescuing him.
• Why does Gravik go with the terrorists to attack the president? The whole point of getting into terrorist organisations for the Skrulls is to get the humans do the dirty work for them. If he gets killed, their whole Skrull plot would be revealed.
• Why does Gravik use his special powers during the terrorist attack? The whole point of the attack is to make it look like Russians did it, and Russian soldiers don't have superpowers.
• Why does the Rhodes imposter drink what Fury gives him? He knows he couldn't trust Fury, and he doesn't need to gain Fury's trust by drinking anything. Even if it were the real Rhodes, he probably shouldn't touch anything Fury gives him after being a fugitive. (Even the plot doesn't need this. The tracker was not needed anyway, because they could have just tracked his car or followed the presidental convoy.)

Episode 5: Harvest

• If the Skrull scientists didn't use the Super-Skrull process on themselves, why did they decide against it?
• In Fury's home why didn't they use bulletproof windows and high security doors? I'd assume he'd feel the need and has the resources for those.

Episode 6: Home

• The Skrull guards at the gate of New Skrullos were regular Skrulls without any kind of armour. Why didn't they wear armour? Why weren't they turned into Super-Skrulls?
• What happened to all those dead Skrull around in New Skrullos? Did Gravik kill them all?
• Why did Fury decide to give Gravik the real DNA samples? What was his plan? Did he just hope that Gravik won't use the superpowers in the DNA for doing anything harmful?
• Why doesn't Fury wear a protective suit if he knows the area is radioactive? (Even if the Skrull girl was able to withstand the radiation, they could have at least try to make the ruse real.)
• Why did Gravik switch on the Super-Skrull machine while Fury was inside? Did he want to give him super-powers? How was he so sure that the presence of Fury won't mess up his own transformation?
• If Gravik got all of the powers from the super-heroes, how could G'iah defeat him? They should have been totally equal, and spend the rest of their days fighting each other?
• As Gravik had the power of Extremis healing, a broken neck would have been just something to shrug off. G'iah also came back from the dead using the same power, so she should have known this already.
• If the radiation in the area was so high, how come that all those human prisoners didn't get deadly radiation poisoning, while spending weeks, or even months in captivity?
• What happened to the Super-Skrull machine? Did the Skrull girl take it? Did the SABER take it? Was it destroyed?

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• How does this story relate to the multiverse plotline of the other Phase 5 stories?
• Does the "war on aliens" mean that the USA declared war on New Asgard? And probably the Skrulls and other aliens living on the SABER space station? What about half-blood aliens like Starlord or Captain Marvel?

The Marvels (2023)

• Where is Varra during the events of The Marvels (2023)?
• Why would Valkyre bring more Skrull refugees to Earth, if this means will get into a warzone?

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Possibilities of improvement

Ep1-2

I felt that the episode is too long, probably a shorter cut would have made it better.

I've felt that there's about 4 hours worth of story in the series. That could have been 6 x 40 minutes, or probably 4 x 60 minutes.

Ep1: Trying to stop the explosion in Moscow: Introducing characters. Telling us about the Skrulls, how they got here, what are their problems. Fury has to ask Talos for his help. They get to Moscow, but can't stop the explosion.

Ep2: Trying to stop the submarine: Fury finds it out that a UK submarine will destroy an UN plane. They get there and stop them, but G'iah has to reveal herself, and escape from New Skrullos.

Ep3: Trying to stop the attack on the president: Fury finds out about Rhodes. He starts to track him. They run into the ambush. They are able to rescue the president.

Ep4: Trying to defeat Gravik: Fury has to hide, while making a plan with G'iah. While G'iah goes to confront Gravik, Fury goes to rescue the president. They are succesful.

How it could have been better?

Stick to the main plot (Fury tries to stop the Skrulls) and the main viewpoint characters (Talos and Fury). This would have allowed the audience to follow the story, get the information the main characters get, and get surprised when they got surprised.

 

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How does it compare to the other works of the creators?

I haven't seen any other works of the writer of Ep1-6 (Brian Tucker).

I haven't seen any other works of the writer of Ep1, Ep6 (Kyle Bradstreet).

I haven't seen any other works of the writer of Ep2 (Brant Englestein).

I haven't seen any other works of the writer of Ep3 (Roxanne Paredes).

I haven't seen any other works of the writer of Ep5 (Michael Bhim).

I haven't seen any other works from the director of Ep1-6 (Ali Selim).

How does it compare to other adaptations of the same story?

Fantastic Four Vol 1 #2: The Fantastic Four Meet the Skrulls from Outer Space!, graphic novel (1961)

The Ultimates #7–13: Homeland Security, graphic novel series (2002-2003)

Secret Invasion, graphic novel series (2008)

The Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes Season 2 #7, #10-12  (2012)

Secret Invasion: Mission Earth, graphic novel series (2022-2023)

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Behind the scenes

 

Thoughts about the reviews of others

 

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Uses for the film - Secret Invasion, TV series (2023)

Plot

• Set in a contemporary fantasy setting.
• An extra-terrestrial species tries to take over the world.
  • They try to incite a war between the greater nations to destroy humanity.
• A shapeshifting species infiltrate important organisations to take them over.
• An organisation wants to give superpowers to their members.
  • They use genetic modification to achieve this.
    • They gather DNA from super-humans for this purpose.

Scenes

Ep1

• The explosion scene could be used to depict an act of terror.

Ep4

• The attack on the presidental conviy could be used to depict an attack on a convoy.

Designs

 

Scenario ideas - Role-playing game scenario ideas

 

Scenario ideas - Wargame scenario ideas

Ep1: Resurrection

Fight in the warehouse: The defender sets up the playing area, with two entrances. The defender places one important item in every zone in the playing area. These items get destroyed if any kind of fighting occurs in 3 cm radius around them, or they get in the radious of an area attack. Missile attacks only count if the target of the attack is within 3 cm of the item. The defender places their leader and their other units anywhere on the playing area. Then the attacker places their units at any of the entrances. The attacker wins if they capture or kill the leader of the defenders, while more than half of their own troops survive. The defender wins if they defeat the attackers. The defender gets decreased Victory points for every destroyed item.

• Super agent defender: The leader of the defenders has super-human abilities. He also has to get away from the place to avoid getting captured. The attackers know of his abilities and his plan to escape. The defenders only win if their leader leaves through one of the entrances, and then they defeat the attackers. It's a draw if the attackers let the defender leader escape, but they defeat the rest of the defenders, while more than half of their own troops survive.

Episode 2: Promises

Fight in the facility: The defender sets up the playing area. There's a fortified room in the middle, with a source of potential information (prisoner / computer / artifact / unknown chemical compound). The defender places at least two entrances. The defender deploys their troops anywhere on the playing area, and a researcher in the fortified room. Then, the attacking player places the attackers at one of the entrances. The defender wins if they get at least 3 research points, and the researcher leaves the playing area, or they defeat the attackers. The attacker wins if they kill the researcher before they get 3 research points, while more than half of the attackers survive.

Researching: The researcher can spend an action on the source. Roll a d6. On 1-3, they get a Research point. On 4-5, nothing happens. On a 6, the source gets a Stress point. If the source gets a round of rest, it will lose a Stress point. Otherwise, if they push the research, if they roll equal to or more than 7-Stress points, the source becomes unusable (unconscious / delirious / short circuited).

 

Miniatures - 1/50-1/60 (28-32mm scale)

Civilians: Human-sized (S3) modern (advanced) human female / male civilian.

Skrulls: Human-sized (S3) modern (advanced) human female / male civilian, with their skin painted green.

Skrulls in human form: Human-sized (S3) modern (advanced) human female / male civilian.

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Similar stories - Secret Invasion, TV series (2023)

Short stories like Secret Invasion

 

Novels like Secret Invasion

 

Graphic novels like Secret Invasion

Fantastic Four Vol 1 #2: The Fantastic Four Meet the Skrulls from Outer Space! (1961): Aliens (shapeshifting Skrulls) commit crimes to get rid of their opposition (the Fantastic Fours) before they try to take over the planet (Earth).

Secret Invasion: Mission Earth (2022-2023, Marvel): Aliens (shapeshifting Skrulls) infiltrate some important organisations (Avengers, SHIELD) to take over the planet (Earth). They are defeated by secret agents (Maria Hill, Nick Fury), with the help of another faction of the aliens.

Secret Invasion (2008, Marvel): Aliens (shapeshifting Skrulls) infiltrate the population to take over the planet (Earth).

The Ultimates #7–13: Homeland Security (2002-2003, Marvel): Aliens (shapeshifting Chitauri) try to take over the planet (Earth). This graphic novel was also the basis of the Ultimate Avengers: The Movie (2006) and The Avengers (2012) movie, with the Skrulls replaced with the Badoon.

Movies like Secret Invasion

Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014): A terrorist organisation (HYDRA) infiltrates important positions to take over the planet (Earth). Nick Fury uses agents who can disguise themselves (using technology) as other people to defeat them.

The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen (2003): A terrorist organisation collects the sources of super-human abilities of a group of heroes to conquer the planet.

Ultimate Avengers: The Movie (2006): Aliens (shapeshifting Chitauri) try to take over the planet (Earth). Based on The Ultimates #7–13: Homeland Security (2002-2003.

TV series & episodes like Secret Invasion

The Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes Season 2 #7, #10-12  (2012): Aliens (shapeshifting Skrulls) infiltrate the population to take over the planet (Earth). Based on Secret Invasion (2008).

Games like Secret Invasion

Marvel HeroClix: Secret Invasion (2008): Aliens (shapeshifting Skrulls) infiltrate the population to take over the planet (Earth). Based on Secret Invasion (2008).

Computer games like Secret Invasion

Marvel Avengers: Battle for Earth (2012): Aliens (shapeshifting Skrulls) infiltrate the population to take over the planet (Earth). Based on Secret Invasion (2008).

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Frequently asked questions - Secret Invasion, TV series (2023)

Is the Secret Invasion film based on a book or comics?

Yes, Secret Invasion is based on the Secret Invasion comics from Marvel Comics. Probably closer to Secret Invasion: Mission Earth (2022-2023) than the original Secret Invasion series from 2008.

Is the Secret Invasion film a remake or reboot?

No, the Secret Invasion film is neither a remake nor a reboot.

Is there a post credit scene in Secret Invasion? Does Secret Invasion have end credit scenes? Does Secret Invasion have a post credit scene?

No, there's no post-credit scene in Episode #1-6 of the Secret Invasion TV series.

Where can I see Secret Invasion? What is Secret Invasion playing on? What streaming service is Secret Invasion on? Where can I watch Secret Invasion online? Is Secret Invasion available on Netflix? Is Secret Invasion on Amazon?

As of 2023.06.24, Secret Invasion is only Disney+.

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Resources - Secret Invasion, TV series (2023)

Official

Disney+: Secret Invasion: Official website.

Marvel: Secret Invasion: Official article.

Information

IMDB: Secret Invasion (2023): Database article.

WikiPedia: Secret Invasion (TV series): Database article.

Letterboxd: Secret Invasion 2023: Database article.

Rotten Tomatoes: Secret Invasion 2023: Database article.

TVTropes: Series / Secret Invasion (2023): Database article.

MCU Wiki: Secret Invasion: Database article.

Creation

: Concept art article / video.¤

Reviews with no spoilers - Secret Invasion TV series (2023)

: Review article / video about the Secret Invasion film with no spoilers.¤

Reviews with spoilers - Secret Invasion TV series (2023)

: Review article / video of the Secret Invasion movie, with spoilers. Includes a very detailed plot summary.¤

Analysis - Secret Invasion TV series (2023)

: Analysis article / video, explaining the finale of Secret Invasion.¤

https://www.thedigitalfix.com/marvel-cinematic-universe/secret-invasion-tv-series-comic-differences

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T8z4CNl25YM

Ryan George: Secret Invasion Pitch Meeting

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Buying the product - Secret Invasion, TV series (2023)

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Have you seen the Secret Invasion series for the Marvel Cinematic Universe? How do you like the episodes? Would you recommend it to others? Do you know reviews or resources you'd like to add? What further thoughts do you have about it? Tell your opinion in the comments!