The Marvel Cinematic Universe has evolved tremendously since its inception in 2008 with Iron Man, starring Robert Downey Jr. The franchise continued to grow with a slew of successful films featuring an increasingly varied roster of superheroes until they all got together as Avengers to face countless threats under the leadership of Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson). Speaking of him, the forthcoming Marvel series Secret Invasion will be the franchise’s first series to be led by Nick Fury.
Secret Invasion is the ninth TV series in the MCU that shares continuity with the films. The series will follow Nick Fury, who has been away from Earth for some time, and after finding that the Skrulls are planning to take over the world by infiltrating all the major positions, he joins forces with loyal allies such as Talos (Ben Mendelsohn) and Maria Hill (Cobie Smulders) to stop it whatever the cost. Whether you’re new to the MCU or have been following it for a while, you should catch up on the franchise’s movies before diving into the series.
The Avengers
The Avengers was not the first film to feature Nick Fury, but as the leader of S.H.I.E.L.D., he was crucial in making the right judgments. In fact, he was the one who brought every superhero together to prevent the alien invasion, except for Thor (Chris Hemsworth), who tracked his brother Loki (Tom Hiddleston) all the way to Earth of his own volition.
However, The Avengers is the film that provided us with a fair look at Nick Fury and Maria Hill’s personalities, so it’s an excellent choice to watch before Secret Invasion, though it’s not absolutely necessary. The film follows Iron Man, Captain America (Steve Rogers), Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson), Hulk (Mark Ruffalo), Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner), and Thor as they fight to stop the invasion of Chitauri in New York City.
Captain America: Winter Soldier
Set about two years after the events of The Avengers, Captain America: The Winter Soldier provides a new look at Nick Fury in full spy mode fighting Hydra, making it an absolute must-see before Secret Invasion. Since the battle between the Skrull Invaders and Nick Fury will be fought primarily in the minds of the two sides, he will be unable to assemble a team of superheroes to fight back against the invasion.
In The Winter Soldier, Nick Fury suspects multiple people within the organization, making him the Lone Wolf as the S.H.I.E.L.D. is jeopardized when Hydra creates a Winter Soldier, who happens to be Steve Rogers’ friend Bucky (Sebastian Stan).
At the end of the film, Fury kills the commander of Hydra and then goes on a series of covert missions to eliminate the remaining threats. This reveals a lot about how Nick Fury handles situations when they aren’t in his favor, therefore, Captain America: Winter Soldier would be a great movie to watch before Secret Invasion.
Black Panther
In reality, Black Panther has nothing to do with Secret Invasion, except that there is a variable in the form of the character Everett Ross (Martin Freeman), who later appears in films such as Captain America: Civil War and Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. He seems to be playing a crucial part in the Disney+ series Secret Invasion, and with the first episode already airing, his role has become even more intriguing.
Black Panther provides an in-depth assessment of how Ross perceives the MCU world and exclusively sides with the bigger picture rather than submitting to global laws. So, if you want to get the most out of Secret Invasion, Black Panther will provide fantastic insight into Everett Ross’ character.
Captain Marvel
The preceding films are optional unless you want a head start on reviewing things that will appear in Secret Invasion, but it’s safe to say that Captain Marvel is the most significant film that lays the groundwork for the Secret Invasion. The Skrulls were introduced in the film as aliens who had lost their home planet, and with Carol Danvers (Brie Larson) helping them in finding a new home, they were portrayed in a positive light.
Many fans expected the Skrulls to deter them from invading the human planet after Nick Fury and Carol Danvers promised them a home, but Secret Invasion is heating things up, especially with Phase 4 exhausting the majority of Marvel’s steam.
If you’re new to Marvel, you shouldn’t try to watch Secret Invasion without Captain Marvel because Skrulls haven’t been seen in any previous films. You’ll understand who the Skrulls are and why they’re being pitted against the Kree, the film’s main antagonists.
Spider-Man: Far From Home
If Captain Marvel introduced us to the Skrulls, Spider-Man: Far From Home demonstrated what they were capable of. In Spider-Man: Far From Home, Quentin Beck (Jake Gyllenhaal), a former Stark employee, arrives to help Peter Parker (Tom Holland) and Nick Fury in stopping four enormous elemental creatures that have put the Earth in danger. However, it is revealed that he has been plotting to steal Stark’s technology, and Peter Parker joins forces with Fury to stop him.
While it appears that there is no link to Secret Invasion, the major plot line is revealed in the post-credit scene. Fury was never on Earth but rather in space on a different mission, and he sent Talos and Soren (Sharon Blynn) to stand in for both himself and Maria Hill in the meanwhile. He left the planet shortly after the Starks’ funeral and was seen commanding the S.A.B.E.R ship, which could indicate that we were dealing with a major threat on the scale of Thanos.
Furthermore, the post-credit scene raises a dangerous suspicion in the minds of fans: if Talos can assume the role of Nick Fury and complete his mission without being discovered, other Skrulls who are hell-bent on taking over the world will only seek the most powerful positions, such as that of a country’s president.
WandaVision
Even if you’ve seen every Marvel film, the term S.A.B.E.R. may be new because it first appeared in WandaVision, a series starring Elizabeth Olsen as Wanda that takes place after the events of Avengers: Endgame. While the show is largely about Wanda creating her own illusive family, it also features S.A.B.E.R., Skrulls, and Monica Rambeau (Teyonah Parris), who, while seemingly unrelated, are more interwoven than they seem at first glance.
S.A.B.E.R. is a new aerospace defense system spearheaded by Nick Fury that the US government initiated to fight against threats like Thanos. While he is busy supervising everything from Earth’s outer orbit, he also ensures that things operate smoothly on the home planet, as seen in the WandaVision post-credit scene.
Apparently, Monica Rambeau is a member of the S.W.O.R.D., another organization that deals with extraterrestrial threats and ensures global security, but during the final scene, she was visited by an FBI agent who was later revealed to be a Skrull in disguise sent by Nick Fury to recruit Monica for a mission. All of these events will be closely tied to Secret Invasion as they all take place around the time Nick Fury has to rush over to Earth to stop the Skrull invasion before it gets out of hand.
