Secret Invasion has finally given Samuel L. Jackson’s Nick Fury the chance to shine, and deservedly so. A Marvel Cinematic Universe mainstay since the franchise’s first-ever post-credits scene, Nick Fury has been instrumental as a behind-the-scenes operative, working tirelessly to bring the Avengers together, save S.H.I.E.L.D., and protect the world. But we’d never really gotten the chance to delve into his psyche, or his relationships beyond those superficial, all-business ones he had with the Avengers. While Fury’s partnerships with Brie Larson’s Carol Danvers and Cobie Smulders’ Agent Maria Hill certainly stand out among the crowd, it’s his dynamic with Talos (Ben Mendelsohn) that really interests me—and Secret Invasion has only made it better.
Whenever Fury and Talos are on screen together in Secret Invasion, you can sense that they have a shared history. They’ve known each other for 30 years, and it genuinely feels like that’s true. They joke around with each other, share intimate personal stories, argue and trade insults, and greet each other by lovingly touching foreheads. Despite being a working relationship in part, there is also real care and chemistry there.
Of course, Jackson and Mendelsohn are terrific actors, and they clearly play off each other well. But in the wider MCU, portrayals of deep, caring relationships have been largely absent or ineffective. Tony Stark and Rhodey had a similar long-standing friendship, but aside from a few solid character moments here and there (Tony’s understandable anger at Rhodey falling from the sky in Captain America: Civil War comes to mind), their relationship—almost entirely dependent on fun banter—felt somewhat hollow.
Perhaps even sadder is the build-up of the 100-year friendship between Steve Rogers and Bucky Barnes. In Captain America: The First Avenger, a genuine brotherly dynamic is at play. In Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Steve’s commitment to saving his friend from the Winter Soldier alter ego is utterly moving. But once Bucky becomes his H.Y.D.R.A.-free self, the two barely spend any time together. A brief memory shared of a day trip they took to Coney Island in Civil War and Steve defending Bucky from Iron Man’s wrath are just a couple of the crumbs the audience is given. I adore the Steve and Bucky friendship, but I wish we had been allowed to see more. In all honesty, after The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, Bucky’s friendship with Sam feels more established than his relationship with Steve.
All this is to say that I love Fury and Talos’ dynamic, and there is real warmth in its portrayal. I want infinitely more scenes of them together. But sadly, as is the case with most Marvel Disney+ shows, we are only being treated to six episodes of Secret Invasion. Yes, this is the MCU, and unless one (or both) of them is killed during the show, there’s a good chance we’ll see them again later down the line. But will we get those same truthful, genuine scenes? Will we get to see their real dynamic play out on screen once more? I hope so—we just can’t know for sure.
(featured image: Disney+)
