Secret Invasion

Available on Disney+ now

Marvel appear to have put the brakes on their small-screen output as of late, which - given the mixed success of their releases last year - may not be such a bad thing. While series such as WandaVision and Loki proved that the comic book powerhouse can deliver smart and affecting television, outings such as Ms. Marvel and She-Hulk felt more like a case of making content for the sake of it.

Secret Invasion doesn’t entirely represent an upgrade on those shows, but does feel distinctly more mature from much of the MCU’s more puerile showings, with the vibe of Kyle Bradstreet’s contained series being more that of Cold War espionage than your usual superhero antics. Above all else, the show serves as a great vehicle for Samuel L. Jackson’s Nick Fury, who has oddly had to wait 11 movies before being placed front and centre of his own narrative.

Jackson is supported by a pretty impressive ensemble cast, with Emilia Clarke and Olivia Colman notably making their MCU bows (albeit in fairly perfunctory roles), and Kingsley Ben-Adir making for a more noteworthy villain than we have grown accustomed to. Franchise regulars Ben Mendhelson and Don Cheadle are also back, with the latter particularly having fun in a role that pleasingly plays against type.

While series director Ali Selim does a good job of crafting a show that feels more akin to Homeland than anything Avengers-related, Secret Invasion does ultimately fall foul of the general Marvel adage, in the sense that its finale essentially consists of two CGI-heavy, super-powered nemeses smashing and crashing through their differences. Nonetheless, that tiresome ending aside, this is a mostly engaging series that features some stellar acting from its impressive cast.