Marvel Studios’ television shows are capturing the public consciousness in compelling ways, and Secret Invasion is the latest to join the list. The live-action Disney+ series boasts a pretty compelling ensemble cast, including a number of new additions to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and fans have speculated at length as to who they could be playing. That includes Happy Gilmore and Hacks actor Christopher McDonald, and in the series’ second episode, we discovered who he is playing. Spoilers for the second episode of Secret Invasion below! Only look if you want to know!
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Midway through the episode, audiences are shown media coverage of the Skrull attack on Russia, and the various real-world figures who are reacting to the ordeal — only to reveal that nearly every major player is part of the secret Skrull council. Among these members is Chris Stern, a cable news anchor played by McDonald — and who is quickly revealed to be a Skrull. While this might not be the Norman Osborn fancasts that fans had had when McDonald was first cast, it’s still an interesting role for him to factor into the series.
Why did Christopher McDonald join Secret Invasion?
As McDonald explained in a 2021 interview, he had been “praying for” the opportunity to join the MCU in some capacity.
“That was a fun phone call,” McDonald explained. “My agent and my manager got together. They called me and said, ‘Chris, are you sitting down?’ I said, ‘I’m in my car, I’m driving home.’ ‘Yeah, you might want to pull over.’ I said, ‘Whoa, what’s happening?’ ‘No, it’s good. Pull over.’ They tell me about this whole offer that comes in to join the MCU, and I’m like, ‘Wow! This is only something I’ve been praying for because it’s the number one thing that comes out of Hollywood.’”
“Kevin Feige just kills it,” McDonald added. “It’s spectacular, 23 movies they’re in now, and now the television shows with WandaVision and Loki. It’s an actor’s dream. So I’m going to come to London and make this thing happen in a month’s time. I think a month and a half’s time I’ll be there doing it.”
What Is Secret Invasion About?
The MCU’s top superspy Nick Fury is back in Secret Invasion, the limited series premiering June 21st on Disney+. Samuel L. Jackson returns in the new Marvel Studios series, showcasing Fury’s attempt to get to the bottom of a Skrull invasion that goes all the way to the most powerful positions in various governments and organizations on the planet. In Secret Invasion, Fury teams with allies Maria Hill (Cobie Smulders), Everett Ross (Martin Freeman), and Talos (Ben Mendelsohn), while James Rhodes AKA War Machine will appear in a mysterious capacity. Other newcomers to the Marvel Cinematic Universe include Emilia Clarke, Olivia Colman, and Kingsley Ben-Adir.
“People haven’t seen it, so, you know, you ain’t getting nothing from me, right,” Mendelsohn told ComicBook.com in a recent interview. “But we do deal a lot more with what’s going on. I mean, one spoiler. I will give you. There is an invasion in the show, right? It is a secret. That’s the other part of it. But getting to deal with the rifts, the fault lines of that invasion, we get to explore different starts to that.”
Are you enjoying Disney+’s Secret Invasion series? What do you think of Christopher McDonald’s character? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below!
Secret Invasion is expected to debut on Disney+ on Wednesday, June 21st. If you haven’t signed up for Disney+ yet, you can do that right here.
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