Secret Invasion Episode 1 Recap and Ending, Explained: Samuel L. Jackson Enters MCU’s Phase 5

Disclaimer: This article contains major spoilers from Secret Invasion episode 1-2

After seven odd series featuring our favourite Avengers and new superheroes in everything between a sitcom and a detective drama, the Marvel Cinematic Universe is back with a new series. Secret Invasion directed by Ali Selim, starring Samuel L. Jackson who returns to play Nick Fury is expectedly different. Joining him are Maria Hill (Cobie Smulders), special agent Sonya Falsworth (Olivia Coleman making her MCU debut), General Talos (Ben Mendelsohn), newly introduced Skrull G’iah (Emilia Clarke) and others. Like most series coming from the studio of late, it continues the MCU’s trend of ground-level storytelling. Across 6 episodes, the espionage thriller is set to play out a conflict between the shape shifting Skrulls and Fury. Basically, we can trust nobody.

Secret Invasion picks up years after the events of Captain Marvel (2019). Back then, Nick Fury and Carol Danvers had promised the Skrulls that they would find them a home, a promise that wasn’t fulfilled. Turns out, the repercussions of lying to a powerful alien race that can take on your mom’s disguise are huge. The first two episodes barely have any superhero action save for an off-duty James Rhodes (Don Cheadle). This is a major departure from the popular comic book run that revolved around Skrulls secretly spying on humans using their abilities to take their form and featured pretty much everything major Marvel superheroes out there.

Filmfare had the opportunity to view the first two episodes of Secret Invasion ahead of the show’s release. Here’s everything that went down in the premiere and what it all leads up to in the next episode.

What happens in episode 1 of Secret Invasion?

Secret Invasion episode 1 opens in Moscow, Russia. We see Everett Ross (Martin Freeman) meeting Agent Prescod who tells him that the Skrulls are responsible for the terrorist attacks happening across the globe. He urges Ross to call Nick Fury to Earth from the S.A.B.E.R Space Station and shows him the Skrulls’ plans to back up his claims. Ross doesn’t look convinced but agrees to make some calls. When he starts acting suspiciously, Prescod senses something is wrong and attacks him. After a chase sequence, it is revealed that Ross is a Skrull – Talos. Of course, this brings Nick Fury back to Earth and he links up with Maria Hill and Talos to take care of the Skrull insurgency.

Talos briefs Nick Fury about the rebel Skrulls who are tired of waiting around for Fury to find them a new home. They have taken human form and have been orchestrating terrorist attacks to wipe out humans from the planet. And it looks like there are more of them than Fury would like to believe. Talos was kicked out of the Skrull council and Gravik (Kingsley Ben-Adir), a rebel leader, took his place. Elsewhere, we see James Rhodes talking to the President about Fury’s absence on the space station. The president asks him to deal with Fury, naturally upset that he has abandoned his priorities in space.

Fury gets kidnapped while he’s on a walk and when he reaches his destination, he is surprised to meet MI6 agent Sonya Falsworth, an old accomplice. Meanwhile, we see G’iah who along with rebel Skrulls has been living in nuclear power plants that have been shut down for years (Skrulls are not affected by radioactivity), bring a Skrull into the fold. Here, it is revealed that they have been living as refugees and kidnapping humans to not just take on their faces but also their minds. It is important to note that G’iah is Talos’ daughter who has joined Gravik and his cause. The latter has a bigger stake in stopping the insurgency.

What happens at the end of Secret Invasion episode 1?

Amidst all the chaos, Nick Fury, Maria Hill and General Talos are informed of a terrorist threat from a rebel called Vasily Poprishchin. They need to get a handle on the situation before Sonya, who is also looking for information against the Skrulls, finds out. And she isn’t as forgiving. Gravik asks G’iah to bring over bombs from Vasily. She gets her hands on the bombs before Fury and Co. get there. Maria fails at stopping G’iah. Next up – Talos tries to stop G’iah and reveals that her mother Soren is dead and tells her to stop working with Gravik. This doesn’t work and G’iah carries on with the bomb.

After another confrontation between Talos and G’iah, we learn that there are so many Skrulls that it is hard to pinpoint who is a human and who is a Skrull in human form. And remember how nobody stopped G’iah from delivering the bombs? Yeah, the bombs did explode. During the attack, Gravik takes on Nick Fury’s disguise and mercilessly kills Maria Hill.

So is Maria Hill really dead?

The most shocking part of Secret Invasion episode 1 is Maria’s death. The character has been on the Marvel roster for years now. To take her out in a show that had the perfect opportunity to explore her story further seems like a strange move. While Gravik kills Maria, Fury feels responsible (as he should). It is a heartbreaking moment in a show steeped in the lingering feeling of loss. Maria trusted him and has been a consistent help to Fury since she was first introduced in The Avengers (2012). Hill dies in his arms. Not only did Fury lose one of his most important allies, but his presence in Russia also complicated things for the U.S.

What will happen in episode 2?

While the first episode is slow in the build-up, the next episode moves fast. Without spoiling much, Fury will be left to deal with the fallout of the terrorist attack. Not only will he have to contend with his personal loss but also answer for his part in Maria’s death. Episode 2 will also reveal more about the rebel Skrulls’ plans. More importantly, Fury will be visited by an old friend who will come bearing unexpected information and intentions.

The first episode of Secret Invasion is currently streaming.

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