Where You've Seen The Cast Of Marvel's Secret Invasion Before

As the MCU's Phase 4 comes to a close, many fans are looking forward to what's coming next. Thankfully, the fine folks over at Disney have taken the guesswork out of things by laying out all the action-packed Marvel entertainment for the next decade with Phase 5.

Marvel's Phase 5 includes all the major film and television properties that will be released by the studio between 2023 and most of 2024, which will feature many of your favorite superheroes as well as plenty of newcomers to the spandex scene. Bigger entries into the MCU such as "Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania" and "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3" are already generating buzz months in advance, while other projects, such as "Ironheart" and "Echo," are flying under the radar for now. Yet, there's one addition that seems to have the most interesting implications for the greater MCU — "Secret Invasion."

Based on a comic run of the same name, the "Secret Invasion" Disney+ series centers around the Skrulls, a race of shapeshifting aliens introduced in "Captain Marvel." The story will focus on a group of hostile Skrulls who have begun secretly inserting themselves into Earthly affairs by imitating important people without anyone knowing, including some superheroes. Playing off other pieces of paranoia-inducing storytelling such as John Carpenter's "The Thing" and "Invasion of the Body Snatchers," this series will test how much trust these beloved MCU characters have for one another. 

"Secret Invasion" will bring back fan-favorite superheroes and fresh faces to further complicate things, so read on to find out where you've seen the cast of Marvel's "Secret Invasion" before.

Marvel fans will recognize Cobie Smulders as former SHIELD operative Maria Hill who has sadly appeared less and less in the MCU since her debut in 2012's "The Avengers." Her return for "Secret Invasion" marks a new era for the character of Maria Hill, which will undoubtedly allow more depth than ever before across the six-episode series. During a press interview with TVLine, Smulders noted how this project allowed her to dive deeper into the character than previous incarnations. She said, "it's the most depth I've been able to show of Maria Hill," before adding, "That's the beauty of these series that Marvel is doing, you're able to really get backstory of these characters."

Smulders is known for much more than her admittedly small role in the MCU since she has been part of some legendary shows and movies over the years. Her most iconic role has got to be Robin Scherbatsky in the beloved CBS sitcom "How I Met Your Mother," which she starred in for the entirety of its 2005 to 2014 run. Aside from that, Smulders has been in countless projects such as "Safe Haven," "Jack Reacher: Never Go Back," "A Series of Unfortunate Events," and "Impeachment: American Crime Story" as infamous Fox News pundit Ann Coulter.

At this point, Olivia Colman can be considered acting royalty. This fantastic British actress has become a household name over the years thanks to her extensive filmography in period dramas, prestige shows, and gut-busting comedies. Colman is a newcomer to the MCU with her debut appearance coming in "Secret Invasion" as Sonya Falsworth (via Murphy's Multiverse). Not much is known about this new character aside from the fact that she has a previously established relationship with Nick Fury which seems to be friendly — at least from what we've seen in the trailer.

While it will be awesome to see Colman finally appearing in the MCU, her acting background goes well beyond superhero fare. She is an Academy Award-winning performer who is best known for her role as Anne, Queen of Great Britain in "The Favourite" and Queen Elizabeth II in Netflix's "The Crown." Comedy fans may be more familiar with her earlier work on series such as "Peep Show," "Beautiful People," and "Fleabag." Other notable entries in her massive filmography include roles in "Broadchurch," "The Father," "Hot Fuzz," "Murder on the Orient Express," and "Empire of Light," to name just a few.

Talos is a genuinely fascinating and complex character, especially by MCU standards, where things are usually pretty black and white. This empathetic Skrull was a one-time enemy of Captain Marvel and now a friend of Nick Fury who simply wanted to find a new home for his people following their extermination by the villainous Kree. Talos is portrayed by actor Ben Mendelsohn who has been featured in this role in both "Captain Marvel" and "Spider-Man: Far From Home," but it seems as though "Secret Invasion" will really highlight the complexity of this character.

Ben Mendelsohn seems to gravitate towards more antagonistic roles while also having the talent to transcend any kind of typecasting. At this point, he is probably most known for his role as Imperial Director Orson Krennic in "Rogue One," who oversaw the construction of the Death Star well before its eventual destruction during the events of "Star Wars: A New Hope." Mendelsohn also played another big screen villain in Steven Spielberg's "Ready Player One" as Nolan Sorrento, the greedy CEO of IOI who wants to control the OASIS for himself. 

Other notable appearances for Ben Mendelsohn include roles in "The Dark Knight Rises," "Darkest Hour," "Bloodline," and "The Outsider."

Having recently appeared in "Black Panther: Wakanda Forever" is Everett K. Ross, played by Martin Freeman. Ross is a CIA agent who often has encounters with Wakanda thanks to the vested interest of the United States in their vibranium resources. His appearance in "Secret Invasion" is not totally clear yet, but it's safe to assume that anything espionage-related, such as an infiltration by shapeshifting Skrulls, will cause Agent Ross to get involved.

His role in the MCU has gotten Freeman some appreciation recently, but it's hardly his most famous work. His filmography is stacked with appearances in some of the most popular franchises in both film and television. In fact, the biggest role of his acting career was as Bilbo Baggins in Peter Jackson's prequel trilogy "The Hobbit," which shows the events of the novel of the same name set before the massive "The Lord of the Rings" story. 

Freeman also gained cult fame from his portrayal of Watson in the BBC series "Sherlock" alongside another Marvel veteran Benedict Cumberbatch, who plays Doctor Strange. Other major roles for Freeman include Tim Canterbury in the British version of "The Office," Lester Nygaard in "Fargo," and Arthur Dent in "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy."

Not all the actors rumored to appear in "Secret Invasion" have openly declared characters as Marvel often keeps some details under wraps so audiences are surprised later on. When it comes to the role Christopher McDonald will be playing, there are almost no confirmed facts at all. According to Deadline, McDonald is signed on to appear in the Disney+ series as a possibly original character who has yet to be seen in the franchise. Only time will tell how big or small of a role this proves to be in the ongoing narrative about Skrulls hiding amongst us, but there are some rumors he may be playing the MCU's interpretation of Norman Osborn — one who is distinct from the multiversal appearance of Willem Dafoe's Green Goblin in "Spider-Man: No Way Home."

Regardless of his particular part in "Secret Invasion," McDonald should be easy to spot once you see him in the show. He is a longtime actor mainly known for his comedic work over the years, with his most iconic role being the bad guy in the 1996 Adam Sandler comedy "Happy Gilmore." McDonald may also be familiar to fans of the HBO Max series "Hacks," where he plays Marty Ghilain (a role for which he earned an Emmy nomination) and Attorney General Harry Daugherty in "Boardwalk Empire." 

Some of his more dramatic roles include Darryl in "Thelma & Louise," Tappy Tibbons in "Requiem for a Dream," and the voice of Kent Mansley in "The Iron Giant."