Marvel announces five new Disney+ series: Secret Invasion, Ironheart, more

By Rick Marshall Published December 10, 2020

The next few years were already looking good for Marvel fans, but with Disney adding several new shows to the upcoming schedule, they’re looking even better.

During the Disney Investor Day event held December 10, Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige announced several new live-action and animated series headed to streaming service Disney+ in the near future. Among the shows will be several projects set within the Marvel Cinematic Universe and featuring veteran MCU actors, as well as a few stand-alone series and specials.

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First and foremost among the new live-action series is Secret Invasion, which will bring Samuel L. Jackson back as Nick Fury and feature Captain Marvel actor Ben Mendelsohn as the shape-changing Skrull named Talos. The show will find the pair caught up in an invasion of Earth by the Skrull, and Feige indicated the project will be an important crossover event that shapes the future of the MCU.

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Samuel L. Jackson is back as Nick Fury and Ben Mendelsohn from Captain Marvel returns as the Skrull Talos in Marvel Studios' Original Series Secret Invasion. Coming to #DisneyPlus. pic.twitter.com/AuInHMuBRW

— Marvel Studios (@MarvelStudios) December 11, 2020

Also headed to Disney+ is Armor Wars, a series that will have Don Cheadle reprise his MCU role as James “Rhodey” Rhodes. The series will explore what happens when Tony Stark’s high-tech armory falls into the wrong hands.

Don Cheadle returns as James Rhodes aka War Machine in Armor Wars, an Original Series coming to #DisneyPlus. A classic Marvel story about Tony Stark’s worst fear coming true: what happens when his tech falls into the wrong hands? pic.twitter.com/K6M0q9mcNM

— Marvel Studios (@MarvelStudios) December 11, 2020

Another armor-related entry into Marvel’s upcoming slate of shows is Ironheart, a series that will follow teenage prodigy Riri Williams, who reverse-engineers one of Stark’s Iron Man suits and becomes the protector her Chicago neighborhood. Dominique Thorne has been cast in the title role.

Coming soon to #DisneyPlus, Dominique Thorne is genius inventor Riri Williams in Ironheart, an Original Series about the creator of the most advanced suit of armor since Iron Man. pic.twitter.com/VB94VyPr9e

— Marvel Studios (@MarvelStudios) December 11, 2020

On the lighter side, Marvel also announced plans for the new animated series I Am Groot, featuring everyone’s favorite sentient tree, Groot. The kid-friendly series will follow a young Groot around the universe as he gets into all manner of trouble and interacts with a variety of MCU characters.

Everyone’s favorite little tree, Baby Groot, will star in a series of shorts on Disney+ featuring several new and unusual characters.

I Am Groot, an Original Series from Marvel Studios, is coming to #DisneyPlus. pic.twitter.com/U5nfDkFKjW

— Marvel Studios (@MarvelStudios) December 11, 2020

And finally, Marvel indicated it has big things in store for the holiday season in 2022, beginning with the live-action Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special. Marvel’s first official, live-action Christmas special will be written and directed by Guardians of the Galaxy filmmaker James Gunn, and shot during the production of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3.

The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special. James Gunn is back to write and direct.

The Original Special is coming to #DisneyPlus in 2022. 🎁 🎧 pic.twitter.com/8JqjhPo6Cn

— Marvel Studios (@MarvelStudios) December 11, 2020

Get comfortable, Marvel fans. It’s going to be a busy few years.

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Enter Nick Fury’s world in a new Secret Invasion featurette

Samuel L. Jackson in Secret Invasion.

In 2008, Samuel L. Jackson's Nick Fury established himself as one of Marvel's power players in the post-credits scene of Iron Man. And this summer, Fury is finally getting his MCU spotlight in Secret Invasion, a new Disney+ original series that follows up on the events of Captain Marvel three decades later. Remember the innocent Skrull refugees from that film? They've all grown up bitter about not having a home of their own. That's why the Skrulls have decided to make Earth their new world, and they don't care how many humans they have to kill to make that happen.

Marvel Studios’ Secret Invasion | Featurette | Disney+

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Samuel L. Jackson in Secret Invasion.

Do you remember the last time that Nick Fury appeared in the MCU? It was a light-hearted post-credits scene in Spider-Man: Far From Home, where Fury was apparently vacationing on a Skrull starship and looking for his missing shoes. But you won't find anything funny about the new trailer for Secret Invasion.

Instead, Marvel's upcoming Disney+ series is embracing a sense of paranoia that's been missing from its movies for years. After all, it's hard to trust anyone when the Skrulls can change their appearance on a dime. The worst part is that this is all Fury's fault.

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Marvel’s Armor Wars series is being redeveloped as a movie

Don Cheadle as War Machine in a poster for "Avengers: Endgame."

In 2020, Armor Wars was one of the big announcements during the Disney Investor Day that set the stage for Marvel's continued expansion on Disney+. But plans have changed, and the much-anticipated Armor Wars series is no longer going forward. Via The Hollywood Reporter, Armor Wars is now being redeveloped as a feature film.

Don Cheadle remains attached to headline the movie as James "Rhodey" Rhodes/War Machine, a role he has portrayed since Iron Man 2 in 2010. Additionally, Yassir Lester, the head writer for the Armor Wars series, will adapt the project for the big screen. Armor Wars does not have a director at this time, and the shift in development will push it out of its previously planned 2023 production slot. Beyond Cheadle, no other cast members have been announced.