Ben Mendelsohn made a major impact in Phase 3 of the Marvel Cinematic Universe when he brought popular Skrull leader Talos from the comics to the big screen in 2019’s Captain Marvel. Now, after a quick cameo in a post-credits scene from Spider-Man: Far From Home in 2019, he’s set to join the MCU’s impressive group of Disney+ stars in the upcoming Secret Invasion series alongside Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury.
Almost appropriately for a show focused on a changing world with plenty of mystery, production for Secret Invasion hasn’t yielded much in terms of leaked images from the set or information about the plot. The series boasts a stellar cast surrounding Jackson and Mendelsohn, which includes MCU veterans like Cobie Smulders and a high-profile newcomer in Emilia Clarke, although Marvel is keeping any other details close to the vest.
Although the show likely won’t release until sometime in 2023, a recent set video gave fans a look at actors like Clarke and Smulders as they bring their characters into play for Secret Invasion. Also shown in this recently released set video was a look at Mendelsohn in his first MCU outing since he closed out the Infinity Saga.
Ben Mendelsohn Shooting Secret Invasion
Twitter user @BlueHarvesttoys released a 10-second video of Ben Mendelsohn on set for Marvel Studios' Secret Invasion as he reprises his role as Talos in the MCU.
This comes from Leeds, England, as Mendelsohn walks down the street in costume and asks the onlooking crowd "Am I late?" before entering a nearby building:
@heavyspoilers in Leeds watching the secret invasion filming pic.twitter.com/8ZamWHActo
The look at Mendelsohn comes with another photo from Twitter user @willsemory showing Samuel L. Jackson on set for his role as Nick Fury, although it's unknown if Jackson was in character while bursting into laughter. The top of Mendelsohn's head can be seen behind another person wearing a beanie to Jackson's left:
wait is that ben mendelsohn on the set of secret invasion or am i tripping pic.twitter.com/ecCHinrbca
Mendelsohn was last featured in the MCU during Spider-Man: Far From Home's post-credits scene, which shockingly revealed that Nick Fury and Maria Hill were being impersonated by Mendelsohn's Skrull Talos and his wife, Soren, in disguise throughout the entirety of the movie.
The tag sequence showed Talos informing the real Fury, who was on an off-world mission in a Skrull spaceship, that "everything kind of went off the rails" after the true motives of Quentin Beck's Mysterio were unveiled.
Talos Back from Far From Home
Outside of the Far From Home post-credits scene, fans haven't seen Talos truly in action since he helped Carol Danvers defeat the Kree and save the Skrulls in 2019's Captain Marvel. Now, the Skrull leader will have the opportunity to fully explore his partnership with Fury as the two work through rogue groups of shapeshifters that have infiltrated Earth post-Avengers: Endgame.
In these pictures, Talos appears in his human form that resembles former SHIELD director Keller from Captain Marvel, and he doesn't appear to have any of the classic dots on his face that would indicate CGI work planned for later. Captain Marvel used real-life prosthetics to transform the actor into his alien form, and there's a real possibility that Marvel will use this technique again to keep the look consistent.
As Talos makes his MCU return, the MCU has the opportunity to explore more of his work with Fury from before the events of Secret Invasion as the Skrull general learns how his people have invaded Earth, working through their plans for a takeover.
Having already posed as Fury in Far From Home likely for close to a year, as noted in Spider-Man: No Way Home, Talos has something of a headstart in working through Secret Invasion's mysteries thanks to his access to SHIELD information. Now, the stakes will be even higher as he helps Fury save the planet from something even more dangerous.
Secret Invasion will likely release on Disney+ sometime in 2023.
