Cheadle's MCU Return In Secret Invasion Confirmed By Samuel L. Jackson
Samuel L. Jackson officially confirms Don Cheadle will appear as War Machine in Secret Invasion. Marvel's Disney+ slate is perhaps more packed than ever with numerous shows in various stages of development and a couple set to premiere in the coming months. While Moon Knight will begin in just two weeks, one Disney+ show that has been drumming up a lot of conversation lately is Secret Invasion. Announced back in late 2020, Secret Invasion will see Jackson return to play Nick Fury in what is his first lead role in the MCU; the series will adapt the Marvel Comics storyline of the same name, which covers a Skrull invasion on Earth.
Marvel's Disney+ shows have amassed some impressive stars, but it could be that Secret Invasion is the most noteworthy of them all. In terms of newcomers, the series will feature the MCU debuts of Emilia Clarke, Kingsley Ben-Adir, and Olivia Colman. Secret Invasion also sees the returns of several other franchise vets beyond Jackson, with Ben Mendelsohn and Cobie Smulders both reprising their roles as Talos and Maria Hill, respectively. Most recently, Jackson let slip that Martin Freeman will also appear in Secret Invasion as Everett Ross.
Evidently, Jackson wasn't finished confirming people for Secret Invasion. During a recent appearance on Josh Horwitz's Happy Sad Confused podcast (via The Playlist), Jackson rattled off praise for his many co-stars, including Clarke and Mendelsohn. He didn't stop there, as he then went on to reveal Don Cheadle is on the show as well. Jackson remarked:
“Don, Don Cheadle. I got Don, that’s my golf buddy. I didn’t realize it, but til we did this thing, I was like, ‘We’ve never worked together.’ We just kinda know each other, hang out and laugh… but we’d never worked together and we finally [got to work together].”
There were already hints that Cheadle would be playing James "Rhodey" Rhodes, aka War Machine, on Secret Invasion. Set photos for the series spotted Rhodey on a newspaper that's shown in the background of a scene, suggesting that he would at least get a shoutout or a cameo. Now though, it's clear that Cheadle and Jackson were able to shoot substantial scenes together for Secret Invasion. Rhodey's overall role in the series isn't clear just yet, but it could set up his own Disney+ series Armor Wars, which is expected to debut sometime after Secret Invasion.
Production on Secret Invasion still seems to be underway, so there's a good chance it won't premiere until the very end of the year, or perhaps even early 2023. That isn't too surprising, seeing as Moon Knight, Ms. Marvel, and She-Hulk are all rolling out ahead of it. Though little is known about the plot or the new players, the number of returning MCU characters proves Secret Invasion is not a show to be missed. Stay tuned for further updates.
Source: Happy Sad Confused (via The Playlist)