Secret Invasion Star Emilia Clarke Has High Praise For Marvel: 'They're Drinking Some Water Over There'

As the debate over superhero fatigue rages on, the Marvel Cinematic Universe shows no signs of slowing down. Arguments abound as to whether or not the quality of these films and TV shows has degraded as the quantity has risen. I love comics, and honestly, I still get excited about every new addition to this world. That said, Marvel could benefit from focusing more on the project at hand and less on setting up its seemingly unending stream of content. For better or worse, the MCU continues at a breakneck pace.

While Phase 4 lacked the cohesion and emotional resonance of Phase 3, it definitely had its moments. The comics themselves have had some pretty rough spots over the years too, so I'm still looking forward to upcoming projects. One of the most exciting of these is "Secret Invasion." Although Marvel head honcho Kevin Feige has said the show won't attempt to match the scope of the 2008 limited series from Brian Michael Bendis and Leinil Francis Yu — which included countless tie-ins — it would seem the premise will share some common threads with the source material. "Secret Invasion" is, as the title suggests, about a Skrull invasion the heroes of the world are completely unprepared for, as the shapeshifting alien race had been replacing prominent figures for quite some time leading up to their attempted takeover.

Several actors will be reprising their roles for the Disney+ series, including Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury and Ben Mendelsohn as Talos, as well as Cobie Smulders' Maria Hill, and Don Cheadle's James Rhodes. There will be some new faces added to the mix as well, with one of the most notable being "Game of Thrones" star Emilia Clarke. According to the performer, working with Marvel is a blast.

When speaking to Collider recently, Emilia Clarke discussed what it's like working with the Marvel machine and her response was overwhelmingly positive. She said:

"It's mind-boggling. I've got to tell you, the way that those shows and films are created is mind boggling. It's like everyone at Marvel knows how to unlock the Rubik's cube, and you couldn't even possibly — I can't do a Rubik's Cube to save my damn life. I hope a lot of people can't also. It's like they have some secret thing, and it just works. It just works! I've tried to understand it, and I've tried to be like, 'Okay, logically how is this, how do you guys, what's the ... ?' They're drinking some water over there. I don't know what it is. It's fabulous. [...] They nail it. They just absolutely nail it. I'm not the only actor to say that working with them is just kind of brilliant. It really is. We had a lot of laughs. They're just so chill, and I think I'm not that chill, and I think if I were them, I would be so unchill all the time."

It's relatable that Clarke would struggle to remain calm if she were in charge of such a large and expensive machine with so many moving parts. Who wouldn't? Inarguably, one of the MCU's greatest assets is having someone like Kevin Feige in charge, someone who clearly loves the source material and has a clear vision for the future. Hopefully, James Gunn and Peter Safran will be able to do something similar with DC Studios.

Much like every other MCU project, "Secret Invasion" is very, um, secret. So much so, that Emilia Clarke's role has been shrouded in mystery. While it was seemingly revealed by a GIF (which has since been edited) that she is playing Abigail Brand, Marvel has not confirmed this. It would make sense for Clarke to be portraying Brand, who is the leader of S.W.O.R.D. — the organizational counterpart to S.H.I.E.L.D. responsible for extraterrestrial threats. The agency was introduced to the MCU in "WandaVision," and it's easy to imagine Brand showing up in "Secret Invasion." Plus, it would be a great role for Clarke. It'll also be interesting to see how the story unfolds, considering the MCU has, thus far, painted a much more nuanced picture of the Skrulls than the comics, in which they are typically depicted as pretty straightforward villains, with few exceptions.

Either way, it's comforting to know that just because Marvel has dominated cinema doesn't mean it's a terrible place to work. As Clarke mentions, she isn't the first actor who has had lovely things to say about working with the studio. Plenty of Marvel stars past and present have given the experience glowing reviews. Now, if only Marvel learned how to treat their VFX people with the same care.