Marvel’s Secret Invasion Ep 1 Review
As I was tuning in to watch the premiere of Marvel’s Secret Invasion on Disney+, I had no idea what to expect. The Secret Invasion was a pivotal event for Marvel in the late 2000s, so my expectations were high. What I didn’t expect was for this spy thriller to be an allegory for the frustration of Millenials onwards for the broken promises of the older generations. Conversely, it also shows those older generations struggling with the fact that they failed to maintain those promises. Combined with Nick Fury in a state unseen in the MCU, Secret Invasion might prove interesting.
As an aside, Marvel’s decision to use AI art to create the intro is a brilliant move to show the alien uncertainty behind the show. However, it could backfire due to the controversy about the concept.
Millennials and Gen Z Skrulls Become Radicals
As the episode starts off, we see the same scene that got teased by Marvel on their secret website a few weeks back. This time, though, we’ve got the added bonus of seeing a late-night chase that ends with a surprising reveal about who was a Skrull in disguise. Following that, we get into the conflict of the Secret Invasion. In essence, the Skrulls are growing disheartened about not being able to find a new homeworld, with the younger generation losing faith in their elders. As a result, Talos has been thrown out of his people’s governing body in favor of Gravik, a young radical who wants Earth to be the Skrulls new home, minus humanity.
Go on social media today, and one can find a lot of talk from Millenials and Gen Z’ers being fed up with how everything is. They’re upset at how their lives aren’t turning out how they want to. What’s more, they’re mad at how the previous generations have failed to keep their promises about making the world a better place. These negative feelings feel reflected perfectly in Gravik and his faction, many of whom qualify as Millenials and Gen Z’ers in terms of age. They’re fed up with waiting and are taking matters into their own hands. Whereas in the real world, that would involve starting an online business, theirs involves false-flag operations meant to start World War III. And much to Talos’ sadness, his daughter, G’iah, is working for Gravik.
Emilia Clarke Was Born to be G’iah
Ever since she became the Mother of Dragons, Emilia Clarke’s become one of the most prolific actresses in the world. Fans have been clamoring for her to join the MCU for some time now, and with Secret Invasion, they’ve gotten their wish.
It’s only been one episode, but so far, Emilia Clarke’s settle in quite nicely to her role as the grown-up version of Talos’ and Soren’s daughter. No longer the sweet and innocent child that befriended Monica Rambeau, the G’iah fans meet as an adult is hardened and fed up with her father’s failures. However, her actions come from a genuine desire to help her people. She truly thinks Earth is the best hope the Skrulls have, and amongst her own people, she’s very warm and kind. This only makes her interactions with her father, and the realization that her mother, Soren, died offscreen, possibly at Gravik’s hands, all the more heartbreaking.
A Broken Nick Fury
Then there’s Nick Fury, who sits on the other end of the spectrum of characters in this show. When first introduced, Fury served as more-or-less the big good of the MCU. After all, it was his idea that brought together the Avengers and gave rise to the modern age of heroes. Then came the Blip, and Fury was snapped from existence along with half of the universe. As a result, he didn’t get to play a role in the heroes efforts to undo the damage Thanos caused. The most he could do was watch as Blac Widow and Iron Man gave their lives to fix things.
The end result of everything is that the implacable man who always seemed to have a plan is now gone, possibly for good. In its place, we have a Nick Fury who’s visibly aged and no longer sure of what to do. The most shocking part is the fact that the first episode sees him repeatedly blindsided and caught off-guard by events going on around him. If Nick Fury’s having trouble staying ahead of the game, then Earth might be in trouble. Truly, this is Nick Fury at his lowest, and what happens in this episode only serves to push him even lower.
Let the Spy Games Begin
You can’t always tell how a show’s going to go based on the first episode alone. On the one hand, Secret Invasion is the most spy thriller the MCU’s been since Captain America: the Winter Soldier. On the other hand, the AI opening controversy. Given that it’s the MCU, though, people are going to pay attention to what happens.
Given how this was one of the big stories that shaped the comics right as I started collecting comic books, Secret Invasion has a special place in my heart. As such, my expectations for it are high; doubly so given how it has Samuel Jackson and Emilia Clarke working on the same show.
