Although Marvel has yet to officially announce a premiere date for its first big TV event of the year, it’s coming up fast. But the more we learn about Secret Invasion, the more it sounds like the most un-Marvel-like Marvel series yet…albeit in the best possible way. Now, we can finally put a few names to some of its MCU newcomers. In a wide-ranging preview of the upcoming show, Vanity Fair has revealed the identities of characters to be played by Kingsley Ben-Adir and Emilia Clarke. However, if you prefer to stay in the dark until the show hits Disney+, be warned—there are possible spoilers ahead.
Like its comic book source material, Secret Invasion follows a Skrull plot to conquer the Earth. But instead of disguising themselves as superheroes, the shapeshifting aliens have their sights set on individuals in positions of much higher authority. The series’ announcement took a lot of fans by surprise, since the Skrulls were depicted as a more peaceful race in 2019’s Captain Marvel. But we now have official confirmation that the Skrulls appearing in the show are members of a rival splinter faction led by Ben-Adir’s Gravik, who has grown tired of waiting for Nick Fury to help his people find a new home. Rather than let diplomacy take its course, he decides to take matters into his own hands with an army of radicals behind him.
RELATED: The Infiltration Begins In the First Secret Invasion Trailer
Gravik’s team notably includes Clarke’s character, which isn’t Abigail Brand as many have speculated. In fact, Clarke is playing a Skrull named G’iah, who has actually shown up in the MCU before. She is the daughter of Talos (Ben Mendelsohn) and appeared as a child during the scene in Captain Marvel where the Skrull leader reunites with his long-lost family near the end of the film. Unfortunately, as she grew older, G’iah began to disagree with her father’s peaceful ideals. And she might even see him as a failure these days.
“It’s hardened her, for sure,” said Clarke. “There’s a kind of punk feeling that you get from this girl. She’s a refugee kid who’s had Talos for a dad, you know what I mean? Maybe the fact that we didn’t know he had a kid up until this point tells you everything you need to know about their relationship.”
“These people promised a lot of stuff a long time ago, and not a lot has happened,” added Clarke. “So understandably, a certain amount of resentment has been built. There’s a lot of emotions that live within her. And there’s a lot of confrontational aspects to her character that have come from circumstance. You understand why she has the feelings that she does.”
Secret Invasion will premiere on Disney+ sometime this year.
Are you excited to see Ben-Adir and Clarke’s characters? Let us know in the comment section below!
Recommended Reading: Secret Invasion
We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program. This affiliate advertising program also provides a means to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.
