Who is Olivia Colman’s character in Secret Invasion?
The MI6 agent makes a bold first impression.
The debate among famous directors and fans about whether Marvel films are true cinema may have turned some Oscar winners away from the franchise – but not Olivia Colman.
The homegrown superstar makes her MCU debut in Disney Plus series Secret Invasion, where she plays an acquaintance of Nick Fury (Samuel L Jackson) in the intelligence community.
Both operatives become aware of a Skrull plot to destabilise and infiltrate human society at the highest levels, but they have different ideas about how exactly to stomp out this threat.
Read on for everything you need to know about a new Marvel power player: Sonya Falsworth.
Secret Invasion: Who is Olivia Colman's character Sonya Falsworth?
Sonya Falsworth is introduced in Secret Invasion episode 1 as a senior figure in British intelligence agency MI6, who is eager to put a decisive end to the dangerous plans of renegade Skrulls led by Gravik (Kingsley Ben-Adir).
She abducts Nick Fury and chastises him for seemingly losing his grip on Earth's security, declining an invitation to investigate the Skrull threat together.
Later, we learn that Sonya is a less tolerant personality than Fury, and would happily wipe out all Skrulls – including those aligned with Talos (Ben Mendelsohn), who has always been a friend to the human race.
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With this in mind, Sonya seems poised to be a secondary villain in Secret Invasion, fighting against main foe Gravik, but utilising more extreme methods than the Marvel heroes could ever condone.
Indeed, in an interview with Sky News, Colman described the character as a "villainous hero", while Jackson added that she is "totally, totally gangster".
Of course, we can't entirely rule out the possibility that Falsworth herself is a Skrull, with her hardline stance against the attempted invasion perhaps being deep cover for a larger plan.
As an original creation for the show (i.e. not featured in the Marvel comics), the character could conceivably go in any direction. Keep an eye out for clues as Secret Invasion continues.
Secret Invasion is available to stream on Disney Plus. New episodes weekly. Sign up to Disney Plus for £7.99 per month or £79.90 for a full year’s subscription.
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Authors
David Craig is the Senior Drama Writer for Radio Times, covering the latest and greatest scripted drama and comedy across television and streaming. Previously, he worked at Starburst Magazine, presented The Winter King Podcast for ITVX and studied Journalism at the University of Sheffield.
