Secret Invasion star Samuel L. Jackson insisted the upcoming Disney+ miniseries needs to play out to properly set up The Marvels ahead of the Marvel Cinematic Universe film's release this November.
Speaking with Empire, Jackson addressed the connection between Secret Invasion and The Marvels ahead of the former's premiere this June. The acclaimed actor, who reprises his role as ex-S.H.I.E.L.D. director Nick Fury in Secret Invasion, teased why the events of the miniseries need to play out before The Marvels hits theaters. "This series has to happen so that The Marvels can happen. All these things are connected in an interesting sort of way," he said.
The Marvels is the long-awaited sequel to 2019's Captain Marvel, featuring Brie Larson as Carol Danvers and her eponymous superhero alter ego. At the end of Captain Marvel, Carol promised to find a new home for The Skrulls. However, 30 years after the events of Captain Marvel, when Secret Invasion picks up, that promise hasn't been honored, leading to a radicalized group of Skrulls infiltrating Earth and assuming the identities of political figures to claim what they believe is owed to them by force.
Nick Fury and the Skrulls' Changing Relationship
The impending takeover by the Skrulls is one of many things weighing on Fury's mind during Secret Invasion. As Jackson previously revealed, Fury is a more complex and vulnerable character than before given everything that happened in his life. From the deaths of his Avengers colleagues to the destruction Thanos' snap caused in Infinity War, as well as the collapse of the S.H.I.E.L.D., Fury is a more reflective and paranoid person, wondering what his purpose in life is after all these events transpired. Additionally, his battle with the Skrulls is a personal one given his long-standing connection with the extraterrestrial shapeshifters.
Jackson will reprise his role as Fury in The Marvels, working with the Skrulls in deep space. The Marvels sees Carol, Kamala Khan/Ms. Marvel (Iman Vellani) and Monica Rambeau (Teyonah Parris) try to figure out why their powers are now entangled with each other, leading the three to team up. The Marvels will introduce Fury's cosmic answer to the S.H.I.E.L.D. dubbed the S.A.B.E.R, with the titular space station previously featuring in Spider-Man: Far From Home.
Secret Invasion features Jackson alongside Emilia Clarke, Don Cheadle, Kingsley Ben-Adir, Ben Mendelsohn, Cobie Smulders and Olivia Colman. Jackson also serves as an executive producer on the miniseries, a first for the actor in the MCU. Consisting of six episodes, Secret Invasion has been dubbed an "event" by Marvel, the first MCU project to gain such a distinction.
Secret Invasion premieres on Disney+ on June 21. The Marvels opens in theaters on Nov. 10.
Source: Empire