Another 'Avengers' Star Returning for 'Secret Invasion' on Disney+

By Daniel S. Levine

The SHIELD band is getting back together for Secret Invasion. Cobie Smulders will star in the latest Marvel Studios series for Disney+, which already includes Samuel L. Jackson and Ben Mendelsohn back in their previous Marvel Cinematic Universe roles in the six-episode show. Secret Invasion began production this fall and will premiere next year as part of the MCU's Phase Four.

Smulders will be back as SHIELD Agent Maria Hill, Deadline reported Wednesday. The former How I Met Your Mother star first played the role in The Avengers (2012), then reprised the part in Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014), Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015), Avengers: Infinity War (2018), Avengers: Endgame (2019), and Spider-Man: Far From Home (2019). She was one of the few MCU movie actors to appear on ABC's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., starring in three episodes. Smulders recently earned praise for playing Ann Coulter in Impeachment: American Crime Story for FX.

Very little is known about Secret Invasion, although it will probably draw some inspiration from the 2008-2009 limited series comic of the same name. The Skrulls, the shape-shifting alien race introduced to the MCU in Captain Marvel (2019) will play a major part. Mendelsohn will play Talos, the character he played in Captain Marvel, while Jackson will once again star as Nick Fury. The new-to-the-MCU cast includes Kingsley Ben-Adir (One Night in Miami), Olivia Colman (The Crown), Emilia Clarke (Game of Thrones), Killian Scott, Christopher McDonald and Carmen Ejogo. Kyle Bradstreet, who worked on Mr. Robot, is credited as creator and executive producer.

Producer Jonatan Schwartz, who previously worked on Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, told The Direct that the Secret Invasion series will not be a direct adaptation of the Secret Invasion comic. "Like all of our adaptations, it's definitely not a 1:1 adaptation of the comic books, although it takes a lot of that kind of paranoid spirit, and runs with it. I think that's literally everything I can say about it. We're going to leave the secret in Secret Invasion for now," he said.

Hawkeye is the MCU series now unfolding on Disney+, with new episodes being published on Wednesdays. The series features Jeremy Renner back as Hawkeye, and Hailee Steinfeld as Kate Bishop. Moon Knight, She-Hulk, Ms. Marvel, Ironheart and Armor Wars are also in development, as is a Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special. 

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