Secret Invasion: Samuel L. Jackson Says Marvel Wasn't Afraid to Explore Topic of Racism
Marvel Studios is hard at work developing their Phase 5 lineup of projects that will be building towards the epic conclusion of The Multiverse Saga in Phase 6, and fans are really excited for what's next. The most recent Marvel Studios project to be released is the Samuel L. Jackson-led Secret Invasion, and it has already aired two very surprising episodes, with one concluding in a major Marvel Cinematic Universe death. Initial reactions for Secret Invasion have been mixed, and it's looking like the series will be more of a slow burn. One of the highlights of the series has to be Jackson's triumphant return as Nick Fury, and he's even better than before. Jackson is currently doing press for the series, where he's revealing that Marvel Studios wasn't afraid to do one very specific thing with the series. In a new interview with Variety, Jackson says that Marvel wasn't afraid to let Secret Invasion explore the topic of racism.
"[What it's like for Fury to have] that much power as a Black man, and how they can be diminished at any moment by someone else just saying a specific thing or changing the trajectory of one's career path because of it," Jackson told the trade in a new interview. "Rhodey and Fury have risen to this place where we have a certain amount of power, even though we're better than the people who have power, we still got to suppress ourselves in a specific way. And Marvel's not afraid to let us explore that."
Jackson went on to reveal that Secret Invasion used things that were real to him to develop Nick Fury's backstory, "I used to take the train every summer from Chattanooga, Tennessee to Washington, D.C. I couldn't go in a dining car because it's segregated. When they put me on the train, they gave me a shoebox with food in it, then I ate that food. We used things that were real for me as a person to give Nick Fury the kind of history that he has, to inform the story in a real way about, you know, how he wasn't always this [powerful], or he does look at America in another kind of way."
"It wasn't on the page. It was him telling us a story. He's very connected to Nick Fury in a way that no writer ever could be." Secret Invasion director Ali Selim added about Jackson/Fury’s story.
What is Secret Invasion about?
Secret Invasion centers around MCU veterans Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) and Talos (Mendelsohn) as they deal with an invasion of shape-shifting Skrulls who have infiltrated all aspects of life on Earth. Other MCU veterans will include Smulders as Maria Hill, Don Cheadle as James "Rhodey" Rhodes / War Machine, and Martin Freeman as Everett K. Ross. New cast members will include Emilia Clarke, Kingsley Ben-Adir, Olivia Colman, Carmen Ejogo, Christopher McDonald, Dermot Mulroney, and Killian Scott. The series will be written and executive produced by Kyle Bradstreet, and directed by Thomas Bezucha and Ali Selim.
The first two episodes of Secret Invasion are currently streaming on Disney+.
What do you think about Samuel L. Jackson's comments? Are you excited to see the rest of Secret Invasion? Let us know in the comments below or by hitting up our writer @NateBrail on Twitter!