SECRET INVASION Casts ONE NIGHT IN MIAMI Star Kingsley Ben-Adir As The Show's Lead Villain

SECRET INVASION Casts ONE NIGHT IN MIAMI Star Kingsley Ben-Adir As The Show's Lead Villain

The Secret Invasion TV series heading to Disney+ has found its lead villain, as One Night In Miami star Kingsley Ben-Adir will take on a lead role in the Marvel Studios spinoff. Read on for details...

By JoshWilding - Mar 15, 2021 08:03 AM EST
Filed Under: Secret Invasion
Source: Deadline

While we expected Captain Marvel 2 to adapt the Secret Invasion storyline, that arc will instead receive the spotlight in a series of its own on Disney+. How closely it will tie into the sequel remains to be seen, but we know Samuel L. Jackson (Nick Fury) and Ben Mendelsohn (Talos) have lead roles in the show.

Now, Deadline is reporting that One Night In Miami star Kingsley Ben-Adir will play the lead villain.

Unfortunately, we have no word on who that might be, and there are literally dozens of possibilities. We'd be willing to bet money on him being a Skrull, especially as the comic book event Secret Invasion is named after focused on Earth's Mightiest Heroes assembling to battle an invasion of the shape-shifters, not knowing who to trust (chances are this will be a little smaller in scale, though).

Ben-Adir recently played Malcolm X in Regina King's One Night In Miami, while he's also known for starring as President Barack Obama in Showtime limited series The Comey Rule. He's also appeared in The OA, High Fidelity, and Peaky Blinders, though this is arguably the actor's biggest role to date.

Between Spider-Man: Far From Home's post-credits scene, that Monica Rambeau tease in WandaVision, and the Captain Marvel franchise, it's clear Marvel Studios has big plans for the Skrulls. Whether Secret Invasion is a culmination of that or the finale remains to be seen, but we'll keep you updated.


Could these characters be Skrulls? Click the "Next" button
below to see 10 MCU heroes and villains who just vanished!

10. Nova Prime

BCS1232

Convincing Glenn Close to join the MCU was a big win for filmmaker James Gunn as he developed Guardians of the Galaxy for Marvel Studios.

Her role as Nova Prime was minor, but still crucial to how the story played out. Richard Rider was M.I.A., but the existence of the Nova Corps proved to be more than enough to leave fans chomping at the bit for their MCU future.

Unfortunately, Thanos decimated them off camera in Avengers: Infinity War, so we can only assume Nova Prime was among the fallen. The reason we have to assume that, however, is because Marvel Studios has never bothered to address what became of the interplanetary police force.

Did Thanos leave half of them alive? Are they all dead. Who knows. 
 

9. Aaron Davis

BCS123

Atlanta star Donald Glover is one of the biggest talents working today, and even those who hated Solo: A Star Wars Story agreed that his take on Lando Calrissian was a highlight. 

Bringing the actor into the MCU was huge, but as Aaron Davis (Miles Morales' uncle, and the vigilante known as Prowler), he brought little to the table in Spider-Man: Homecoming. A funny exchange with the inexperienced wall-crawler followed, as did a throwaway mention of Aaron's nephew.

What felt like a perfect way to introduce Prowler and/or Miles in the sequel was completely overlooked, no great surprise when Peter Parker was heading overseas. Unfortunately, Spider-Man 3 looks to be equally unlikely as a platform to bring Aaron back. 

What a waste.
 

8. Betty Ross

BCS12

Betty Ross is the definitive Bruce Banner love interest, and Liv Tyler did nothing but good work in 2008's The Incredible Hulk

When that film was released, the plan at Marvel Studios was to have Earth's heroes assemble to fight a Hulk who had fallen under the control of Loki. When Joss Whedon boarded the project, the film was overhauled, and the Green Goliath story played out in an entirely different way. 

It's likely Betty was once part of The Avengers, but Bruce moved on to Black Widow, and then left the planet entirely. He's back now, though, and has Bruce's intelligence.

Despite all of that, it seems he's never once looked Betty up. Marvel, meanwhile, has forgotten all about the bond these two share.
 

7. Dr. Selvig

Sif3

In the early days of the MCU, Dr. Erik Selvig was a major part of how the stories in this shared world unfolded. He was in Thor, then The Avengers. He was crucial to Thor: The Dark World too, and even showed up Avengers: Age of Ultron

Avengers: Endgame confirmed he was among those Thanos snapped out of existence, but that means he eventually came back with everyone else. Only Spider-Man: Far From Home has covered the aftermath of the Blip, so Selvig could return, but as it stands, he's still been M.I.A. for going on six years. 

When and why did he stop being so important to the MCU? 

When Joss Whedon left by the looks of it, and Marvel Studios instead decided that these heroes didn't need the assistance of a big brain like Selvig.
 

6. Lady Sif

Sif

Sif will make her MCU return in Thor: Love and Thunder, though rumor has it Jaimie Alexander might return before then in Disney+ series, Loki.

This marks a long overdue return for the hero, but also leaves us to wonder why Marvel Studios was so quick to move on from the character. She was never as crucial to those first two Thor films as she should have been, and never got chance to explore a romantic relationship with the God of Thunder despite there being a connection between them.

The last time we saw Sif was when she and Volstagg visited The Collector. 

Perhaps, instead of returning to Asgard, she chose to traverse the spaceways, and it's there Thor will find her as he travels with the Guardians of the Galaxy? 
 

5. Mitchell Carson

Carson

Once a major player in S.H.I.E.L.D., it was later revealed that Mitchell Carson was another undercover HYDRA operative. That was why we saw him in Ant-Man attempting to acquire the Yellowjacket armor.

That plan failed, but he made it out of Darren Cross' building alive to fight another day. 

He wasn't completely empty-handed, however, as his briefcase was full of Pym Particles. There's a lot that could be done with those, but there's been no sign in the past six years that Marvel Studios plans to either bring Carson back or reveal what ended up happening to them. 

Marvel forgot this character, and created what some might describe as a plot hole as well.
 

4. Dr. Cho

BCS1232

With the Chinese box office becoming increasingly important, many film studios in the mid-2010s realising that embracing the Middle Kingdom might increase the chances of success in the country.

Iron Man 3 included scenes specifically shot for China, though many filmgoers there took umbrage with the way those were presented. Despite that, Avengers: Age of Ultron still prominently featured Claudia Kim, an actress who is a big star in that part of the world.

As Dr. Helen Cho, she played a crucial role in how the sequel panned out. 

Despite being attacked by Ultron, Cho later joined the staff of the New Avengers Facility...and hasn't been since. We don't know what became of her, but she's been forgotten.
 

3. Abomination

Sif3

It's worth mentioning Samuel Sterns here because Marvel Studios teased his transformation into The Leader, only to forget all about that villain and do nothing with him. 

With no solo franchise for Hulk, perhaps we shouldn't be overly surprised by the disappearance of one of his greatest foes from the MCU. However, leaving a ready-made villain like Abomination behind might be one of the biggest mistakes the MCU has made. 

He could have easily fallen into the hands of HYDRA or been used against the Avengers in a film like Captain America: Civil War.

Tim Roth will reprise the role in Disney+'s She-Hulk, but that comes over a decade after he first played this villain. Marvel forgot him for a while, but it seems this is one more character they've finally decided to do something with.
 

2. Rhomann Dey

Dey

It's all too easy to forget just how impressive Guardians of the Galaxy's cast was, with John C. Reilly another big name we never expected to see in the MCU.

As Rhomann Dey, he made a lasting impact, and added even more heart to a film packed full of it. 

Like Nova Prime, he's been missing in action since 2014; having him cross paths with the team again in Vol. 2 would have been easy enough. Unfortunately, we're again left to assume that both her, and his family, were victims of Thanos when the Mad Titan attacked Xandar. 

We hope there's a future for him in Vol. 3, but only if Marvel remembers him.
 

1. Dr. Leonard Samson

Dey3

Ty Burrell became a huge star after starring in The Incredible Hulk thanks to Modern Family, but Marvel Studios still failed to bring the actor back to the MCU as Dr. Leonard Samson.

That's a weird decision, and this psychiatrist could have fitted into any number of films. For starters, he could have been the shrink Tony Stark spoke to at the end of Iron Man 3; albeit transformed into his heroic alter ego as Doc Samson. That would have required more screentime, though, and more than just the cameo he made in 2008.

It seems Marvel never had any serious plans for Samson, with his inclusion being little more than an Easter Egg for fans. 

It's no wonder then that he ended up being forgotten. 
 

CRIMINAL Prime Video Series Casts SECRET INVASION Star Emilia Clarke As Mallory
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CRIMINAL Prime Video Series Casts SECRET INVASION Star Emilia Clarke As Mallory

Marvel's SECRET INVASION Star Kingsley Ben-Adir Reveals How He Responded To The Show's Negative Reception
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Marvel's SECRET INVASION Star Kingsley Ben-Adir Reveals How He Responded To The Show's Negative Reception

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regularmovieguy
regularmovieguy - 3/15/2021, 9:26 AM
Woah, I like it.
LiteraryJoe
LiteraryJoe - 3/15/2021, 9:27 AM
Getting casting news for this already is insane, there's like ten more Marvel projects before this comes out. We have become spoiled. 😂
Vigor
Vigor - 3/15/2021, 9:31 AM
@LiteraryJoe - might indicate that they need him for another marvel project, first
LiteraryJoe
LiteraryJoe - 3/15/2021, 9:32 AM
@Vigor - That's a really solid point! That makes me think we'll at least see him in an after credit scene. Thanks for giving me that perspective!
FinnishDude
FinnishDude - 3/15/2021, 9:35 AM
@LiteraryJoe - Which will come first, this or Fantastic Four? He could be playing Super-Skrull 🤔
LiteraryJoe
LiteraryJoe - 3/15/2021, 11:09 AM
@FinnishDude - Woah, I like that. I'm pretty positive Secret Invasion is gonna be out first, I think it's on track for 2022? I think Fantastic 4 will be 2023 or 2024.
GhostDog
GhostDog - 3/15/2021, 9:27 AM
He killed in it One Night and was funny in Love Live on HBO Max.
aresww3
aresww3 - 3/15/2021, 12:13 PM
@BlackBeltJones - super underrated movie. can't believe regina was not nominated for an oscar. this film deserved all the oscars and yeah he was fire.
GhostDog
GhostDog - 3/15/2021, 12:17 PM
@aresww3 - Oscars [frick] up again.
Grogu
Grogu - 3/15/2021, 2:29 PM
@BlackBeltJones - He is brilliant in that film and I really like him in season 2 of The OA. He is quite likeable in Noelle too.
Grogu
Grogu - 3/15/2021, 2:32 PM
@Grogu - Been hoping Marvel would have him be part of the MCU. So glad they got him, very talented man.
GhostDog
GhostDog - 3/15/2021, 3:56 PM
@Grogu - I really enjoyed Noel too. He had great charm.
SerKurtWagner
SerKurtWagner - 3/15/2021, 6:46 PM
@BlackBeltJones - The lineup this year was one of the best in recent memory, but One Night and Regina getting snubbed for BP and Director really stand out.
WakandanQueen
WakandanQueen - 3/15/2021, 9:31 AM
YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS
DillonEnnis
DillonEnnis - 3/15/2021, 9:32 AM
in that banner pic of him he kind of looks like a John Romita Jr. drawing if that makes sense haha, I've always felt Romita Jr. kind of suffers from sameface and this actor just looks like it here
SimplyAz
SimplyAz - 3/15/2021, 9:32 AM
Yeeeeessss.......!!!

Fantastic news, I loved One Night In Miami, one of those movies that really state with you.
He was fantastic in the role

Repian
Repian - 3/15/2021, 9:32 AM
Good choice. Now find me young Abigail Brand to accompany Nick and Talos on this adventure.


bkmeijer2
bkmeijer2 - 3/15/2021, 9:55 AM
@Repian - now that would be a casting I can agree with
JustAChillDude
JustAChillDude - 3/15/2021, 10:07 AM
@Repian - yes please, and now that hayward’s gone we need a new director for SWORD.
Kumkani
Kumkani - 3/15/2021, 9:33 AM
Oh. Shit.
MyCoolYoung
MyCoolYoung - 3/15/2021, 9:38 AM
He stole the show as brother Malcolm. I’m intrigued
WakandaTech
WakandaTech - 3/15/2021, 9:39 AM
MCU 2022 is going to be INSANE

She-Hulk
Doctor Strange:in the Multiverse of Madness
Moon Knight
Thor:Love and Thunder
Black Panther 2
Secret Invasion
Blade
Iron Heart
Captain Marvel 2
Armor Wars
inkniron
inkniron - 3/15/2021, 9:41 AM
Villain? Please. Marvel's all about legacy characters lately. That's Nick Fury Jr.
WruceBayne
WruceBayne - 3/15/2021, 11:00 AM
@inkniron - now you might be on to something.
outsider
outsider - 3/15/2021, 9:42 AM
Huuuge get for Marvel, especially given how much range can be explored over a series -- as seen by WandaVision. He was phenomenal in 'One Night in Miami.' Not only is he immensely talented; he's also an insanely hard worker. Rest assured whoever he's playing, he's gonna bring it.
SpiderParker14
SpiderParker14 - 3/15/2021, 9:43 AM
I bet it's Super-Skrull or Dorrek VII.
LongMayHeReign
LongMayHeReign - 3/15/2021, 9:44 AM
Wasn't there a rumor going around that Marvel was gonna cast him as the new Black Panther or am I totally losing it?

Regardless Phase 4-5 are shaping up very nicely!
QuiGonsGhost
QuiGonsGhost - 3/15/2021, 9:44 AM
Nice!
DannRamm113
DannRamm113 - 3/15/2021, 9:46 AM
Did a good job in One Night in Miami.

Now lets get Eli Goree a job
campblood
campblood - 3/15/2021, 9:47 AM
Who the sh!t is Kingsley Zissou?
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