Mixed Reviews for ‘Secret Invasion’ on Disney Plus

Secret Invasion on Disney Plus
Cobie Smulders and Samuel L. Jackson (Image credit: Disney Plus)

Secret Invasion, the latest entry in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, debuts on Disney Plus June 21. The series has Samuel L. Jackson in the cast with Ben Mendelsohn, Cobie Smulders, Martin Freeman, Kingsley Ben-Adir and Charlayne Woodward. 

The show centers on Nick Fury, played by Jackson, who learns of a clandestine invasion of Earth by a group of shapeshifting Skrulls. 

“Fury joins his allies, including Everett Ross, Maria Hill and the Skrull Talos, who has made a life for himself on Earth,” said Disney Plus. “Together they race against time to thwart the imminent Skrull invasion and save humanity.”

Also turning up in the cast are Emilia Clarke, Olivia Colman and Don Cheadle. 

Reviews have been hot and cold. USA Today saidInvasion is emblematic of the problem of modern-day Marvel: It’s a franchise full of waste. It wastes the talent of the A-list actors it manages to lure into its clutches. Clarke, a force to be reckoned with on eight seasons of Game of Thrones, sleepwalks through her scenes, barely wasting time on facial expressions. It’s a waste of the source material, too. The comics storyline on which the series is based is a beloved and acclaimed thriller, but its adaptation has been squeezed of all intrigue and nuance. And more than anything, Invasion is a waste of time for the viewer.”

A review in Variety was a little kinder, calling Secret Invasion “a genuine serial story within the lumbering Marvel apparatus.”

The Daily Beast, for its part, called Secret Invasion “yet another Marvel letdown. Samuel L. Jackson deserves better.” 

Ali Selim directs Secret Invasion. Executive producers are Kevin Feige, Jonathan Schwartz, Louis D’Esposito, Victoria Alonso, Brad  Winderbaum, Samuel L. Jackson, Ali Selim, Kyle Bradstreet and Brian Tucker. 

Michael Malone

Michael Malone is content director at B+C and Multichannel News. He joined B+C in 2005 and has covered network programming, including entertainment, news and sports on broadcast, cable and streaming; and local broadcast television, including writing the "Local News Close-Up" market profiles. He also hosted the podcasts "Busted Pilot" and "Series Business." His journalism has also appeared in The New York Times, The L.A. Times, The Boston Globe and New York magazine.