Marvel Studios' Secret Invasion is set to make Emilia Clarke the MCU's next huge star, evident by her mysterious role being kept under a watchful eye in a new promotional tweak.
The former Game of Thrones headliner became a major story once she was announced to be part of the Secret Invasion cast, as this show brings one of Marvel's most monumental comic stories ever to life. Since she was confirmed for inclusion in the cast in mid-2021, Marvel has been diligent about keeping Clarke's role in the series a secret, with the actress herself even noting how scared she was of spoiling the surprise for fans.
Recently, however, fans may have had that surprise spoiled anyways after a GIF from the trailer revealed the name Abigail Brand, indicating that this is who Clarke is playing. With Secret Invasion still not due on Disney+ for about six months, this is certainly a considerable spoiler considering how important of a character Brand is to the source material's storyline in the comics.
But following that unexpected leak, the studio quickly took action in an attempt to keep the secrets of Secret Invasion hidden as much as possible.
Marvel Deletes Emilia Clarke Spoiler for MCU Show
In late October 2022, the Streamr Twitter account pointed out a Tenor GIF for Secret Invasion that spoiled Emilia Clarke's role in Marvel Studios' Secret Invasion. The GIF showed Clarke from the show's first trailer saying "It's the beginning," and the name "Abigail Brand" was listed below her. Following that reveal, Marvel has now removed all indications of it by taking the name off of the Tenor GIF.
In the comics, Abigail Brand is known as the director of SWORD, and she's even present when the Skrulls destroy the organization's headquarters during the "Secret Invasion" comic run.
Is Emilia Clarke's Secret Invasion Casting True?
These indications certainly point to Emilia Clarke playing Abigail Brand in Secret Invasion, indicating that this story could be one of the biggest that the MCU has delivered on Disney+ to date. And should this be her role, Clarke's hopes to stay in the MCU for the next decade could have much more validity should Brand become the eventual director of SWORD in the MCU.
In terms of spoilers, it's more of a shock that Marvel let this news become public in the first place, making it completely unsurprising that the name was removed from the GIF mere days after it made its way online. Even while Marvel plans to use Clarke and her character as part of the marketing campaign for Secret Invasion, the studio continues to wait for the right time for fans to know the news.
However, there is, of course, the chance that this may have been a mistake on Marvel Studios' part, prompting the removal of references to Abigail Brand. Clarke was previously rumored to be playing a different character altogether, so there's a possibility that there has been a mix-up behind the scenes.
With only one trailer for Secret Invasion available to watch, Clarke's place in the story is sure to bring intrigue as Marvel waits to officially confirm whether she's playing Abigail Brand or not.
Secret Invasion is due to release on Disney+ in Spring 2023 as the first MCU series in Phase 5.
