Secret Invasion star Ben Mendelsohn reflects on his time as Talos in the Marvel Cinematic Universe after his character was killed off in the Disney+ miniseries, insisting he will "miss" his long-time role.
While featuring on Marvel Assembled: The Making of Secret Invasion, Mendelsohn opened up about his MCU experience, admitting he will miss it and the audiences who've tuned in while also revealing his enjoyment of working with Samuel L. Jackson. "I'm going to miss this one; I'm going to miss it a lot," Mendelsohn said. "I'm going to miss the degree to which this is in people's hearts. I'm going to miss the people that a lot of the audience doesn't see, who make up the real experience and what it is to do these things -- people I work with daily. And I'm going to miss being on set with Sam."
Talos was a long-time ally of Jackson's Nick Fury and former leader of the Skrulls, first featuring in 2019's Captain Marvel. Mendelsohn reprised his role in Spider-Man: No Way Home before starring in Secret Invasion, the MCU's first Phase Five series chronicling the titular comic crossover event centered around the invasion of Earth by a radicalized Skrull group. During Secret Invasion, Talos was killed by Gravik (Kingsley Ben-Adir), with his daughter G'iah (Emilia Clarke) eventually getting her revenge on the ruthless Skrull sect leader during their fight in the finale, "Home."
As a result of Talos' murder, the character will not feature in the Captain Marvel sequel, The Marvels, which the events of Secret Invasion helped to set up. Secret Invasion helmer Ali Selim said he was unsure whether Talos would come back in some capacity within the MCU or if Mendelson would return, but teased the potential of revisiting the character's past. Talos was one of multiple Fury allies killed during Secret Invasion as Maria Hill (Cobie Smulders) was also gruesomely slain by Gravik during the premiere episode.
Secret Invasion Was Met With Mixed Reviews
Secret Invasion didn't win the masses over during its six-episode run, with the show becoming the lowest-rated Disney+ MCU series ever by critics, boasting a 58% Rotten Tomatoes score. The series received criticism for killing off Talos and Maria, as well as for the surprising reveal of James "Rhodey" Rhodes as a Skrull and its use of artificial intelligence during the opening credits, among other issues.
It's unknown whether Secret Invasion, which is executive produced by Jackson, will receive a Season 2, with Selim expressing uncertainty about it. Season 1 was an expensive one to make, with the show carrying a budget of $212 million.
All episodes of Secret Invasion are available for streaming via Disney+.
Source: Marvel Assembled: The Making of Secret Invasion via Comicbook.com