Marvel Studios is currently developing a Secret Invasion series for Disney Plus, with Samuel L. Jackson reprising his role as Nick Fury. Now, Kevin Feige has explained why the Marvel Comics storyline will be adapted as a television series instead of a feature film.
Brie Larson's Captain Marvel introduced the infamous Skrulls, a fictional race of extraterrestrial shapeshifters, to the Marvel Cinematic Universe. However, unlike their comic book counterparts, these particular Skrulls, led by Ben Mendelsohn's Talos, were refugees who lost their home planet to the Kree and posed no threat to Earth. Joining forces with Larson's Carol Danvers, Talos and the Skrulls successfully defeats the forces of Kree officer Ronan the Accuser before following the titular heroine on a journey in a search of a new homeworld.
However, shortly after the release of Captain Marvel, Kevin Feige indicated the Skrulls could play an essential role in the MCU's future, leading fans to suspect an adaptation of the Secret Invasion storyline might be a part of Marvel Studios' Phase 4 plans. During Disney's Investor Day call in December 2020, Feige confirmed the company is developing a Secret Invasion series for Disney Plus in which Mendelsohn will return as Talos alongside Jackson, prompting some fans to question why the eight-issue limited series wasn't being adapted as a feature film.
During an interview with Collider, Feige explained the Marvel team was interested in Secret Invasion due to the political paranoia aspects of the story and the chance to work with both Jackson and Mendelsohn again, adding that a Disney Plus series provided the best means of doing so in a way that distinguished the project from their previous works. "That's the sort of primary focus of that and, of course, it will tie into other things and the Skrulls in ways you haven't seen before, but yes, anything could be anything. Wise words… But we wanted to do that as a series because it would allow us to do something different than we've done before."
Published from April through December 2008, Marvel Comics' Secret Invasion chronicled the long-term infiltration of Earth by the Skrulls, who secretly assumed the identities of many superheroes for several years before initiating a full-scale takeover of the planet. Consequently, the Avengers began turning against each other due to a growing sense of distrust and paranoia. During the official announcement of Marvel Studios' Secret Invasion, Feige noted that a sect of Skrulls has similarly infiltrated every level of life on Earth in the MCU.
The continuing relationship between Jackson's Nick Fury and Mendelsohn's Talos was first established in Marvel Studios' Spider-Man: Far From Home. Set decades after the events of Captain Marvel, the film featured a post-credits scene revealing that Talos has assumed Fury's identity with his permission while the former S.H.I.E.L.D. director was on board a Skrull spaceship.
After an extended wait due to the delayed release of Black Widow, Marvel Studios' Phase 4 will launch in mid-January with the premiere of WandaVision. As the debut installment of Phase 4 and the first Disney Plus series from Marvel Studios, the series is expected to provide more insight into what the company has planned for the MCU in the coming years.
Source: Collider