‘Secret Invasion’ Team Aims To Answer What Makes Nick Fury A Superhero

After fifteen years with Nick Fury in the MCU, audiences are finally being treated to a story centered around the mysterious Nick Fury. But what makes this story worth telling? Why is Secret Invasion Nick Fury’s journey?

In a virtual press conference, the show’s cast and crew gathered to discuss what makes Secret Invasion so remarkable. Releasing on June 21st on Disney+, Marvel’s latest series is shaping up to be one of the franchise’s most character-driven stories yet.

The key takeaway of the panel was that this show will answer the question of what makes Nick Fury a superhero. Despite not having powers, it will emphasize what makes the character special through its plot that will lead Fury on a hero’s journey of his own.

Given the character’s long tenure in the MCU, the showrunners saw this series as an opportunity to give Nick Fury his well-deserved time in the spotlight. With countless entries in the superhero genre, the creative team wanted to take a different approach. Director Ali Selim described his views of the character, stating:

“He’s a human. He does have his own version of superpowers, but they’re not like superhero superpowers. And it’s a story about him putting his feet back on the ground once again after some time”

As Selim touched on, the series begins with a Nick Fury who has lost time after the events of the Blip. The plot begins with him struggling with the aftermath of the events of Infinity War and Endgame, beginning him down the path of his own hero’s journey.

Selim further emphasized that this human aspect of the show sets it apart from some of its counterparts. Rather than the focus being on the powers, the focus is on the people. He expanded upon building on these simple ideas, saying:

“I think it’s the fact that it really tried to delve into very simple human emotions, like trust and suspicion and the personal life of Nick Fury and inner life of Nick Fury. So it’s very different than people flying through the air”

With a non-superpowered protagonist, Secret Invasion highlights one of Nick Fury’s greatest strengths: his numerous interesting connections from his past. The show cleverly takes these elements of espionage and incorporates them into the tone and structure of the show. Samuel L Jackson expanded upon this idea, saying: 

I don’t think it’s just a Nick Fury story, ’cause we got all these other interesting people that are, like, flowing around through it, you know? It’s a Gravik story, it’s Emilia’s story, it’s Olivia’s story. It’s all these people that they’re being introduced to that make you want to say, well, shit, I want to go home with them too, see what’s happening. And it’s a great ensemble of people, you know?” 

As Jackson indicated, the show acts as a springboard to delving into the stories of its large ensemble of characters. Audiences are treated to familiar faces such as Ben Mendelsohn’s return as Talos, as well as new ones like Olivia Colman’s Sonya Falsworth. The show may be described as a human story but is certainly not just the story of one human.

Nick Fury’s past relationships are front and center as the series examines the connections that Fury once had with returning characters such as his ally, Talos, as well as characters from his past the audience has not yet met such as Sonya Falsworth.

The characters of Talos and Nick Fury first met in 2018’s Captain Marvel. However, while that movie was set in the past, this show catches audiences up on how their relationship has developed in the present-day MCU. Mendelsohn teased the potential strain that Fury’s absence has caused on the relationship between their characters stating that:

“It’s a bad time, you know? It’s a bad time. And by the way, him, you know, up there? Like, coulda used him. Like, I’m just sayin’. He’s been away a bit, you know?”

Meanwhile, the show will also introduce its audience to many new characters from Fury’s past such as Olivia Colman’s character, Special Agent Sonya Falsworth. Colman teases the relationship between her character and Nick Fury, saying: 

“Doesn’t strike me as much of a friendship, but they’ve got history. They trust each other, which is, I think, I mean, I’d say that. Maybe they don’t.” 

These were just some of the many insights into character relationships that the cast teased. With a discussion centered on these human elements of the show, it is clear that character work will be an integral element of Secret Invasion. With grounded ideas of human connection and emotion placed against the backdrop of a looming extraterrestrial threat, the show will certainly be a unique adventure, unlike anything we have seen yet in the MCU.

Secret Invasion premieres on June 21st on Disney +. Are you excited for the show?Check out my thoughts on the first two episodes here.

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