Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 Paves the Way for Secret Invasion

There are numerous reasons to be thrilled about Marvel’s upcoming Disney+ series, Secret Invasion. Not only does it boast an impressive cast, but it also draws inspiration from an iconic comic book storyline, with the talented Kyle Bradstreet (known for Mr. Robot) serving as the head writer. However, what truly sets Secret Invasion apart for me, in anticipation of Phase 5 of the MCU, is its deliberate departure from the Multiverse Saga, much like Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3.

While I remain cautiously optimistic about Marvel’s ability to revitalize the Multiverse Saga, I’m not holding my breath. The ongoing saga has thus far lacked the captivating and coherent storytelling that made the Infinity Saga so exceptional, and now the studio faces the challenge of determining Jonathan Majors’ future within the MCU.

Given these circumstances, Guardians Vol. 3 succeeded admirably by sidestepping the complexities of the multiverse. It provided a satisfying conclusion to James Gunn’s trilogy while delivering an outstanding standalone sci-fi adventure. Most importantly, Marvel refrained from incorporating extraneous plotlines solely to set up future movies, as was the case with Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania.

It’s worth noting that Secret Invasion has already been filmed and edited, so any lessons Marvel learned from the response to Guardians Vol. 3 won’t impact this series directly. However, like Vol. 3, Secret Invasion shares a connection to the Infinity Saga, and it aims to tie up loose ends from Captain Marvel and Spider-Man: Far From Home.

Phase 3 of the MCU was undoubtedly a high point for the franchise, despite a few missteps along the way. I’m optimistic that Secret Invasion, picking up where Phase 3 left off, will have the opportunity to remind us why we initially fell in love with the MCU.

Moreover, it seems that this show has an abundance of storytelling to delve into, without the need to overly concern itself with Kang’s activities. The narrative revolves around a group of shapeshifting Skrulls infiltrating positions of power worldwide. Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson), Talos (Ben Mendelsohn), and Maria Hill (Cobie Smulders) find themselves up against Gravik (Kingsley Ben-Adir), the leader of the Skrull rebels, who complicates matters further by enlisting G’iah (Emilia Clarke), Talos’ daughter.

With the inclusion of War Machine (Don Cheadle) and Everett Ross (Martin Freeman), Secret Invasion brings together some of the most talented actors in the MCU, many of whom haven’t received much screen time since the start of the Multiverse Saga. This is where I believe the series will truly shine.

On the other hand, if Marvel becomes too desperate to set up The Marvels (which Secret Invasion will also do), it runs the risk of falling flat. Striking a balance has been a challenge for Marvel in recent years, but let’s remain hopeful that it will be present in one of the remaining MCU projects in 2023.