6 Marvel Movies & TV Series You Need to Watch Before ‘Secret Invasion’
Marvel Cinematic Universe is already in its fifth Phase, which revolves around Multiverse and the extraterrestrial threat to Earth. ‘Secret Invasion’ is one of the most notable comic book events in the last 20 years and the way it tells us the story of Skrulls invading Earth and impersonating some of the most important superheroes and government people, and Nick Fury trying to figure out who to believe. This major event will be the focus of the upcoming Disney+ TV show coming this June called ‘Secret Invasion,’ with Nick Fury at the forefront.
However, the new fans of the MCU will probably need to watch some previous projects to understand the premise of the ‘Secret Invasion’ TV series. This article will list must-see movies and some honorable mentions that one could check out before the 21st of June.
Marvel movies to watch before ‘Secret Invasion’ (at a glance)
- Captain Marvel (2019)
- Iron Man 2 (2010)
- The Avengers (2012)
- Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014)
- Avengers: Endgame (2019)
- Spider-Man: Far From Home (2019)
At the end of the list, we will mention some honorable mentions you could throw in after these MCU projects to learn more about other characters that will feature in the ‘Secret Invasion’ series.
1. Captain Marvel (2019)
We start with none other than ‘Captain Marvel,’ which is essentially an origin story for the Avengers Initiative. The movie sets us in the 1980s and 1990s, where we learn the origins of Captain Marvel and Nick Fury, but most importantly, we are introduced to the Kree-Skrull conflict in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Of course, Carol is at the forefront of the movie, but we also meet Talos, a Skrull who is looking for his family on Earth, and another alien species called Kree, who are in a centuries-old war with Skrulls. From the ‘Secret Invasion’ trailers, we saw that Talos and his daughter, G’iah, will be heavily featured in the series, which puts the ‘Captain Marvel’ movie at the forefront to watch before the Disney+ show. Of course, ‘Captain Marvel’ is closely connected to the peak of Infinity Saga, namely ‘Avengers: Infinity War’ and ‘Endgame’.
2. Iron Man 2 (2010)
Now, one would say that the entire Infinity Saga needs to be rewatched to understand what is going on in ‘Secret Invasion,’ but that doesn’t have to be true. Most of the first three phases of MCU revolve around the threat of Mad Titan Thanos, who is looking for a way to “balance” the universe using Infinity Stones. Of course, that means disintegrating half of the universe’s population; however, that particular storyline isn’t that relevant in the ‘Secret Invasion.’ In the context of the second Iron Man movie, this project introduces us to Natasha Romanoff (S.H.I.E.L.D. agent at the time) and S.H.I.E.L.D.’s work style with Fury at the helm.
Of course, this movie features Tony Stark’s beginnings as Iron Man, James Rhodes as War Machine, and Nick Fury as the director of a secret government agency that saves Stark’s life.
3. The Avengers (2012)
Of course, the first Avengers team-up is important in many ways, but besides superheroes working together to stop the Chitauri invasion of New York, we also see how S.H.I.E.L.D. works on the field. This movie is monumental for MCU in many ways because it expanded the lore and served as a bridge to the next phase.
Agent Phil Coulson and Commander Maria Hill are a major part of the Avengers movie as well, with Nick Fury as their leader, and their appearance set up the important S.H.I.E.L.D. conspiracy, which we will discuss in the next entry.
4. Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014)
Most MCU fans will agree that ‘Captain America: The Winter Soldier‘ is still the best movie Marvel Studios made. It’s a suspenseful, politically driven movie with spy elements that is a rarity in the Marvel movies, but this one blew us out of the water when it first came out. ‘The Winter Soldier’ is where the S.H.I.E.L.D. conspiracy occurs and where its agents and their leader, Nick Fury, Maria Hill, Natasha Romanoff, and Steve Rogers, shine.
It’s set only two years after the Battle of New York. It sees S.H.I.E.L.D. being compromised and director Fury trying his best to keep Hydra from taking control over American leadership. The ‘Secret Invasion’ series reminded us in the trailers of this movie, with its dark and spy-ish vibe, and that’s something one can closely connect to the second ‘Captain America’ movie. Moreover, it’s so cool that Nick Fury is on the run.
5. Avengers: Endgame (2019)
‘Avengers: Infinity War’ brought us the biggest shock in the franchise, with Thanos doing ‘the Snap’ and essentially defeating our heroes, but we barely saw Nick Fury in that movie. Only in the post-credit scene, we saw Fury and Hill being “snapped” and the director sending a distress call to Captain Marvel to return and help the Earth.
‘Endgame’ is where we see Fury and his closest allies returning from the “Snap” and engaging in the final fight with Thanos, which results in the whole universe winning. Of course, Fury is not that prominent in this movie since he was dead, but as the first Avengers, ‘Endgame’ is a fundamental movie for the Infinity Saga and everything Nick Fury is in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
It also marks the change in the former director of S.H.I.E.L.D., who decides to leave Earth and wander the universe on Skrull ship, making Earth vulnerable to extraterrestrial threat.
6. Spider-Man: Far From Home (2019)
The second Spider-Man movie with Tom Holland as the Web-Slinger is important for the ‘Secret Invasion’ series since it heavily features Nick Fury and Maria Hill post-Endgame and an epic battle against Thanos. Besides Fury trying to recruit Peter Parker back to the new superhero group, we have a huge Skrull reveal at the movie’s end.
We also see what Fury was really doing after the ‘Endgame‘, clearing some doubts about his whereabouts and his new mission after the biggest battle in humankind’s history.
Other optional picks to watch before ‘Secret Invasion’
Of course, MCU has over forty projects, both movies and series, which at this point is impossible to watch at once – you should probably take a week or two to watch all MCU projects.
But some projects heavily feature Fury, but they’re not connected to the ‘Secret Invasion’ premise and storylines, like the ones we mentioned above. Besides Fury, Hill, and Skrulls, Everett Ross will have an interesting role in the Disney+ series, whose character is mostly featured in the first Black Panther and ‘Black Panther: Wakanda Forever’. If you’re interested in his character, definitely check out those movies.
‘Avengers: Age of Ultron,’ the second major crossover, is also where Fury and Hill heavily feature, but once again, that movie isn’t that significant for the ‘Secret Invasion’ storylines. Of course, if you’re interested in their character profiles, definitely check out that movie as well.
‘Wandavision’ series has an interesting mid-credit scene that is connected to the Skrulls, but that is more relevant for ‘The Marvels’ movie that will be released at the end of 2023.
If you have any other suggestions about which Marvel project one should check out before ‘Secret Invasion,’ comment down below your suggestions.
