Summary
Secret Invasiondirector Ali Selim has come forward with more details on one of the show’s most shocking moments. The director revealed when a Skrull replaced Don Cheadle’s War Machine.
Based loosely on the 2008 comic story arc appearing in Marvel Comics,Secret Invasionfollows former Director of S.H.I.E.L.D Nick Fury as he joins Talos, a Skrull aligned with Earth, on a quest to thwart an invasion of Earth by a rogue group of the shape-shifting aliens. The narrative direction seemed poised to deliver myriad surprises, butSecret Invasionfailed to pull off its most impressive twistin revealing that longtime MCU hero Rhodey (a.k.a. Iron Man associate War Machine) had secretly been a Skrull for some time.
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The choice for Cheadle’s character to get the big reveal was seemingly easy for the actor, with Marvel Cinematic Universe boss Kevin Feige even going on record to say thatRhodey had to be a Skrull. More recently,Secret Invasiondirector Selim has commented on the most common question fans have had after the reveal in an interview withComicBook. “A lot of people have asked about, ‘Definitively, when did Rhodey…?’ I think his legs not working at the end of episode six and him being in the hospital gown points to ‘Captain America: Civil War’."
Going further, Selim mirrored Feige’s sentiment about the ambiguity being interesting from a fan perspective. “And, from there, does it have to be definitive, or is it more fun for the audience to go back and revisit every moment, every Rhodey moment and look at it with a different lens now that they think, ‘Oh, he might’ve been a Skrull there.’ And make the decision for themselves, or it’ll be answered in ‘Armor Wars.'” Despite its perceived flaws, the reveal and other surprises inSecret Invasionhave people wonderinghow long the Skrull threat might last in the MCUand how long it’s secretly been going on.
This development might have fallen flat in theSecret Invasionshow. Still, it will undoubtedly have significant ramifications for the plot of the War Machine-focused project starring Cheadle that was recently upgraded from a Disney Plus show to anMCU film titledArmor Wars. From the change in character perspective that being replaced must have on Rhodes to the emotional impact of being absent for the death of his closest friend and other allies, the lackluster response toSecret Invasioncould pay dividends forArmor Warsand other upcoming projects.
However, that approach is optimistic and doesn’t consider howMarvel’s bad pacing failedSecret Invasionand the fans who looked forward to it. Despite being out of the direct control of those involved with the projects currently on offer for Marvel Studios, the general downturn in fan interest alongside the strike action that has ground many projects at major studios to a halt seems to be leading up to a lot of hard decisions and changes for the Marvel Cinematic Universe if the executives behind it ever intend to reclaim some of the magic that previous phases benefited from.
Secret Invasionis available for streaming on Disney Plus.
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