‘Game of Thrones’ Star Emilia Clarke Joins Marvel’s New Disney+ Series

Emilia Clarke is joining the Marvel Cinematic Universe! The Game of Thrones alum has been cast in Marvel Studios‘ upcoming series Secret Invasion, according to a report by Variety. So far, her role in the Disney+ series has not been revealed, but fans are hoping it has something to do with fire.

Secret Invasion has been in development since last year and is one of the biggest titles coming in the next phase of the MCU. Clarke is reportedly one of the stars of the show, alongside previously announced cast members Samuel L. Jackson, Ben Mendelsohn, Kingsley Ben-Adir and Olivia Colman. However, both Marvel Studios and Clarke’s reps declined to comment on this casting news.

The title Secret Invasion gives some hint about the direction of the series since it is borrowed from a Marvel Comics crossover event released from June of 2008 to January of 2009. However, similar title adaptations in the MCU have already shown that they don’t necessarily have to stay too true to the source material. On top of that, the MCU has not yet established some of the key characters it would need to tell the story as written in the comics.

A better hint about the direction of the show is the other casting announcements we have so far. Clarke is new to the MCU, but Jackson has been playing S.H.I.E.L.D. leader Nick Fury for a decade now. Meanwhile, Mendelsohn appeared in Captain Marvel as the Skrull Talos, and is reportedly reprising that role here.

The show is expected to follow a group of shape-shifting aliens who have been gradually infiltrating human civilization on Earth for years. Previous reports indicate that Ben-Adir will be the main villain, and Kyle Bradstreet has been confirmed as the writer and executive producer. That leaves Clarke’s role as one of the biggest outstanding mysteries in the show.

Clarke has been nominated for four Emmy Awards for her performance as Daenerys Targaryen alone and remains a fan-favorite from the series to this day. Her character’s fate remains one of the most contentious parts of the series finale and of its entire final season back in 2019.

Fan theorists on social media are having a field day speculating about which Marvel character Clarke may play in the series, believing that she is too prominent an actress to take a role that’s not well-known already. Guesses ranged from Queen Veranke to Jessica Drew, a.k.a. Spider-Woman.

Fans also noted that Clarke is the third Game of Thrones alum to join the MCU — although none have made it to the screen yet. With Kit Harrington and Richard Madden appearing in this year’s upcoming movie Eternals, many are hoping for some kind of connection between the former castmates.