Martin Freeman teased the potential for many Marvel Cinematic Universe crossovers set for the saga's first 2023 Disney+ series.
Freeman, who first debuted as Everett Ross in 2016's Captain America: Civil War before appearing in both Black Panther movies, will star alongside Samuel L. Jackson's Nick Fury in next year's Secret Invasion. This series is set to have fans questioning what is and isn't real in Marvel's super-powered franchise with secrets and mysteries throughout.
The title has been classified as a "Spy/Espionage" thriller set within the MCU, while also serving as a "crossover event series" for the franchise.
But just what can fans expect on the crossover front? Well, one of Secret Invasion's biggest names has addressed that idea specifically.
Martin Freeman Teases Secret Invasion's MCU Crossovers
Chatting with DigitalSpy, Secret Invasion star Martin Freeman brought up a number of crossovers set for the MCU series.
The Everett Ross actor explained how the story is "quite labyrinthine" (meaning 'intricate') in terms of "the amount of people crossing over with each other" as well as the stories being told.
Freeman called the series "pretty dark," calling the whole thing "a bit murky."
Comparing Secret Invasion to other MCU projects, he noted that "It feels pretty different to stuff [he has] seen:"
“It feels pretty different to stuff I’ve seen. It does feel like a little departure. Yeah, it does – in ways that I wouldn’t be that able to describe. Again, I’ve not seen it. I’ve not even read all of it.
The Marvel star lamented that "the bits [he's] read do feel different," simply because this is a television show and not a movie. Freeman remarked that with TV "you can luxuriate in things a little bit more," so you "got more time to get those knotty problems out:"
“The bits I’ve read do feel different, I guess: Because of the nature of television, you can luxuriate in things a little bit more. That storytelling process is just elongated. So you have got more time to get those knotty problems out, which is the beauty of television at the moment.”
He admitted while his character has a "very supporting role” in the streaming series, "it’s not The Ross Show by any means.” But Ross does have a "nice part" in Secret Invasion, making it "definitely worthwhile.”
When asked about bringing the character of Everett Ross from the big screen to the small screen, Freeman said "I go wherever they tell me to go:"
“I go wherever they tell me to go. You know what I mean? I’m a bit like Ross in that way. I’m just an agent who goes over there or over there."
He mentioned that he "just [likes] playing [Ross]" at this point, enjoying "whatever kind of situations they want to put him in:"
“I just like playing him. I like playing him in whatever kind of situations they want to put him in because he does bits of action and bits of espionage and bits of thinky-talky things, but also bits of running around."
Freeman added that Ross is "generally, we hope, on the side of good," but likes that "it’s always quite ambiguous" as well:
“He’s generally, we hope, on the side of good, but it’s always quite ambiguous. It’s ambiguous. And I enjoy that because I think life is ambiguous.”
Who Can Fans Expect to Crossover in Secret Invasion?
Secret Invasion has already been put out there as this crossover event for Marvel Studios, and Martin Freeman's quotes only reiterate that. But what does all that actually mean?
Fans have seen massive crossover events within the MCU on the big screen, but never in the franchise's relatively short tenure thus far on Disney+.
Seeing as Secret Invasion as a story is one that brings together so many heroes from across the Marvel mythos, making people play the guessing game of who's a Skrull and who isn't.
So these crossovers could really be anybody. Big names like the Avengers, the X-Men, and the Fantastic Four play a massive part in the comic version of the Secret Invasion event. While the Disney+ take on the story may not go as big as that, it still means the likes of Sam Wilson, Yelena Belova, or Peter Parker could make an appearance at some point throughout the series. But that is complete speculation at this point
For now, though, all fans can do is wait, as Secret Invasion is set to hit Disney+ sometime in 2023.
