The following contains spoilers from Secret Invasion, Season 1, Episode 2, "Promises," now streaming on Disney+.
The first two episodes of Secret Invasion on Disney+ feature many familiar faces, but the series makes a good case for not calling in other Marvel Cinematic Universe heroes. This may be a surprise to fans since the Secret Invasion comic book event featured all of Marvel's heavy hitters. However, bringing in a bunch of movie stars would skyrocket the show's budget. As if anticipating fan complaints, Nick Fury makes a simple, common-sense argument about why the MCU heroes should stay at a distance.
What makes the Skrulls such great characters is that their unique powers mean that any MCU character, living or dead, could show up. Maria Hill may be gone, but some Skrull could impersonate her. Steve Rogers, Natasha Romanov or even Tony Stark could get a second life as a Skrull impersonator. While this works for the comics, the Secret Invasion series works better without MCU cameos galore. In fact, James Rhodes is a big MCU cameo and the last Iron Man that the universe has left. He asks Fury if they should call "our friends," but the reason why they shouldn't makes a lot of sense beyond simply saving a few million dollars in the budget.
Why Nick Fury Doesn't Want the Avengers Involved in the Secret Invasion
Rhodey and Fury have a very contentious conversation. When Fury leaves it feels like he and Rhodey are enemies. (It's also possible that James Rhodes is a Skrull in disguise.) Still, when Fury is explaining the threat to Rhodey, he very seriously asks if they should call on the Avengers. Fury laughs and dismisses the idea for an obvious reason. He points out that the Skrulls could duplicate the Avengers, commit some kind of atrocity and turn Earth's Mightiest Heroes into wanted terrorists. Given that Skrulls have enhanced strength and durability, they could easily pass for a superhero enough to convince a reactionary press and populace.
Of course, that's not the only reason Fury dismisses the idea, and it has nothing to do with the series' budget. Fury is right -- the world might turn against the Avengers, but that's happened before. Rather, he is taking this fight very personally. A number of characters point out that he's not the same man he was before the Blip. Whether out of a sense of responsibility, guilt, ego or all three, Fury wants to handle this fight on his own. However, even "the last friend [he's] got," James Rhodes, doesn't think Fury has what it takes to win.
Secret Invasion Still Has Plenty of Familiar MCU Faces in the Show
Even without the Avengers or other super-powered characters, Secret Invasion has plenty of familiar MCU characters. There is Everett Ross, though he did turn out to be a Skrull. Chances are, viewers will see him again when he's rescued from the weird alien contraption that allows Skrulls to "take" the mind of someone they duplicate. There is also Maria Hill, in the series for longer than Ross but was permanently removed from the narrative. Talos also appears, though his inclusion makes the most sense of all the guest stars. And, of course, there is the War Machine himself, James Rhodes. However, he traded his Stark tech armor for a Brioni suit.
There are certain to be more guest appearances from MCU characters, though it's reasonable to assume they will be cameos. The most likely character to appear will be Monica Rambeau since The Marvels trailer shows her and Fury working together. Like the Skrull in WandaVision, the smart money is on this cameo coming as a post-credits sequence. Yet, the first two episodes prove that Nick Fury, by himself, is enough to carry this thrilling series forward on its own. Bringing in the Avengers would be more trouble than it's worth.
Secret Invasion debuts new episodes Wednesdays on Disney+.