Unlike the 2008 comic book crossover event that inspired it, Marvel’s upcoming Secret Invasion series primarily revolves around Samuel L. Jackson’s Nick Fury and his efforts to quell a Skrull uprising that threatens the safety of Earth. The show is basically the first time that Jackson’s superspy has headlined his own MCU project rather than act as a supporting player to other Avengers. This allowed Jackson to explore sides of the character that audiences haven’t seen before.
While speaking to Vanity Fair, Jackson opened up about the tone of the series, which also marks his first live-action appearance as Fury since Spider-Man: Far From Home in 2019. But in contrast with Marvel’s traditional superhero stories, Secret Invasion presents more topical themes that result in a much tenser atmosphere.
“We don’t know who’s a friend, who’s the enemy,” said Jackson. “There’s a political aspect that kind of fits into where we are right now: Who’s okay? Who’s not? What happens when people get afraid and don’t understand other people? You can’t tell who’s innocent and who’s guilty in this particular instance.”
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That moral ambiguity will extend to Jackson’s character as well.
“I enjoy bad guys,” confessed Jackson. “A lot of times, having no conscience and going by ‘any means necessary’ is better than being the good guy who has to question the morality of what he’s about to do, And Nick walks that line. He makes the hard choices all the time. And that comes from him being in the shadow world where survival is what counts.”
Thankfully, Fury won’t be alone in his fight against the Skrull extremists. Aside from Ben Mendelsohn’s Talos, his allies include Martin Freeman’s Everett Ross, who recently showed up in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, and Cobie Smulders’ Maria Hill. Don Cheadle will also make an appearance as James “Rhodey” Rhodes, who seems to be keeping his War Machine armor in storage (for now) in favor of a more by-the-book approach to getting things done. However, he and Fury won’t always see eye to eye on the right course of action.
“This is a different kind of Rhodey—a political animal and not, you know, a guy who has a special suit,” noted Jackson. “He’s the President’s right-hand man in this. So he’s the guy that makes a lot of decisions—some good, some bad.”
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Fury will also meet some resistance from the “cold-blooded” MI6 agent played by Oscar winner Olivia Colman, filling a role that Jackson says we’ve “never seen her play before.” Apparently, she and Fury have a complicated past, and viewers will see them alternate between sharing common goals and butting heads over conflicting interests. Whatever happens, however, we can definitely rule out any cameos by members of Marvel’s costumed crowd.
“What he’s not doing is calling in his super friends,” revealed Jackson. “So that’s part of the whole dilemma. “I mean, people want them and he’s not bringing them. […] Why…? You’ll find that out. There’s a very good reason he’s holding back.”
Marvel hasn’t officially announced a release date for Secret Invasion. But it will likely premiere this summer.
Are you looking forward to Jackson’s return as Nick Fury? Let us know in the comment section below!
Recommended Reading: Secret Invasion
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