The following contains spoilers for the Secret Invasion, now available to stream via Disney+.
Secret Invasion director Ali Selim reveals he received advice not to read the titular Marvel Comics storyline that the live-action miniseries is based on when he had just joined the project.
Speaking with Screen Rant, Selim delved into how he became involved with the Marvel Cinematic Universe show and the inspiration behind the Samuel L. Jackson-led effort. Selim admitted he wasn't involved with the script when he came on board but received advice to avoid reading the eponymous crossover storyline as he tried to bring Marvel's first "event" to the small screen. "When I took on this job as director, I didn't write the script. So a lot of those decisions were made by Kyle Bradstreet and the other team of writers that we had. The first thing I was told is don't read the comics. It had nothing to do with what we're trying to do here," Selim said.
Secret Invasion is based on the titular narrative spanning a self-titled eight-issue limited series and various tie-in books published by Marvel between April and December 2008, chronicling a long-term invasion of Earth by the Skrulls. However, Selim said the story for the live-action series builds off the "electricity" created between Nick Fury (Jackson) and Talos (Ben Mendelsohn) in Captain Marvel, identifying a narrative furthering their relationship while expanding the MCU and looking at characters who aren't in the comics. "This story was really born out of the electricity created between Sam Jackson and Ben Mendelsohn or Nick Fury and Talos in Captain Marvel. And they said, "Oh, we got to do something with that." So they found a story that would serve that relationship and would expand the MCU and other characters who are not in the comic books. I think it's a story unto itself," he said.
Secret Invasion's Harrowing Storyline
Also featuring Cobie Smulders (Maria Hill), Don Cheadle (James "Rhodey" Rhodes/War Machine), Emilia Clarke (G'iah) and Kingsley Ben-Adir (Gravik), Secret Invasion follows a new-look Fury as he copes with various harrowing events from his past, involving the deaths of multiple Avengers in Infinity War and Endgame, as well as the collapse of the S.H.I.E.L.D., which he previously directed. A more pensive and paranoid Fury also has to deal with the Skrulls' wrath after a radicalized group of the shape-shifting alien race, led by Gravik, assume the identities of various high-level figures to take over Earth after feeling Fury and Carol Danvers went back on their word to find them a new home. Unfortunately for Fury, he faces more tragedy in the series premiere of Secret Invasion as one of his close allies dies near the end of the episode.
Early reviews for Secret Invasion have been solid yet lukewarm, earning a 66% critical approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes, considerably the lowest for an MCU series on Disney+, though those reviews only consider the first two episodes. Meanwhile, fans of the show blasted Secret Invasion for using AI-generated opening credits, a move Selim defended, claiming such visuals fit with the show's theme.
Jackson is an executive producer for Secret Invasion, with Selim helming all six episodes of the miniseries after joining the show in March 2021. The events of Secret Invasion set up the upcoming Captain Marvel sequel, The Marvels, which hits theaters across North America on Nov. 10.
Secret Invasion is now streaming via Disney+, with new episodes released each Wednesday.
Source: Screen Rant