Secret Invasion Director Debunks Major Thunderbolts Cameo Rumor

Through its first two episodes, Marvel’s Secret Invasion has already proven that the limited series is going to deliver plenty of exciting twists and surprises. There have already been some shocking deaths and twists that fans didn’t see coming, but the cameos that the Marvel Cinematic Universe is known for haven’t really been a factor just yet. One particular cameo that has been the subject of quite a few theories is Julia Louis-Dreyfus’ Valentina de Fontaine, who has been putting together characters for the Thunderbolts team that will be at the center of their own movie.

Secret Invasion director Ali Selim was asked about that specific cameo during an interview with SFX Magazine, and he firmly denied the character’s involvement in the series.

“Those things on the internet are quite funny,” Selim explained. “Julia Louis-Dreyfus is not in the show… I’m not sure how that ended up there.”

He went on to say that cameos as a whole aren’t something that he’s super interested in. Selim wants the reveals and surprises to come from the story of the show itself.

“It’s all about surprise, intention and reveal, and repeat,” the director said. “I hope there’s a lot of that in there. But in terms of cameos, that’s less interesting to me than the heart of the story, which I think we really found, and the heart of that story is: ‘Who can you trust?’”

Secret Invasion Episode 2 Twist

One of those big surprises that Selim alluded to arrived at the end of the show’s second episode. It was revealed that Nick Fury’s wife is actually a Skrull, though we don’t know yet know if he’s aware of that. Speaking to , Selim addressed Fury’s role in the twist.

“In the script, he knows,” Selim said. “And when we shot it, it was interesting that maybe he didn’t know. We ultimately edited it in a way that made people feel like, ‘I wonder if he knows or not.’ I can’t tease anything forward about his wife. The conversation in the lobby after the premiere the other night was, ‘Does he know she’s a Skrull? Or does he now?’ And I think either way works.”

“I think his wife is a support and a complication,” he added, “and I think you will learn interesting things about their relationship going forward. But ultimately, that is the personal issue that he needs to confront to make this make sense to him.”

What Is Secret Invasion About?

The MCU’s top superspy Nick Fury is back in Secret Invasion, the limited series that premiered 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.