Is Emilia Clarke Playing Abigail Brand in Marvel’s Secret Invasion?

Ever since Marvel announced that Emilia Clarke would be joining the upcoming Disney+ series Secret Invasion, we’ve been wondering what role the erstwhile Mother of Dragons would play. And if online speculation is anything to go by, many fans believe that Clarke will be playing S.W.O.R.D. Commander Abigail Brand.

Brand, who born from an alien father and a human mutant mother, has pyrokinetic abilities, and can coat her hands in blue or red flames that can burn through almost anything. The character was created by Joss Whedon and artist John Cassaday, and made her debut appearance in Astonishing X-Men #3 (September 2004). This casting rumor was seemingly born from this tweet from Beyond the Trailer‘s Grace Randolph:

While Clarke’s role remains under wraps, that hasn’t stopped fans from imagining Clarke as the green-haired warrior.

Clarke discussed joining the Marvel series in an interview with comicbook.com, where she discussed her love of the MCU saying, “I just think what they’re doing right now is so exciting and so cool, and so on the cutting edge of it. I feel like they’re like the Apple of this world, … To be part of that family feels like, ‘Oh my god, I’m in the cool kid crowd. That’s so cool.’ Honestly speaking, the people that are making this are what pushed me over the line to really wanting to do it. I just think that everyone’s heart and heads are in the right place with this one.”

Joining Clarke will be Academy Award winner Olivia Coleman (The Crown), Kingsley Ben-Adir (One Night in Miami), Christopher McDonald (Hacks) and Killian Scott (Dublin Murders). Samuel L. Jackson and Ben Mendelsohn will be reprising their roles as Nick Fury and Talos. Thomas Bezucha (The Family Stone) and Ali Selim (The Looming Tower) will direct the six episode series. Kyle Bradstreet (Mr. Robot) is writing and executive producing the series.

Emilia Clarke continues to rack up credits in iconic sci-fi and fantasy franchises. Since starring as Daenerys Targaryen in Game of Thrones, Clarke has also played Sarah Connor in Terminator Genisys and Qi’ra in Solo: a Star Wars Story. And while Qi’ra was underserved in Solo, Clarke was delighted to see her return in comics in War of the Bounty Hunters #1.

“It means so much,” Clarke said in an interview with comicbook.com. “It means the absolute world. I know her backstory. I know her history. Maybe the movie didn’t get to go there, but that was such an honor and a privilege to be part of that universe as an actor. So then, to see the character actually be taken on to the origin of all of it — bringing it on home to the family in that way — cemented it in a way. I was not expecting to feel as moved as I was by that.”

What do you think of Emilia Clarke playing Abigail Brand? Who else would you like to see her play in the MCU?

(via comicbook.com, image: HBO/Marvel)

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Chelsea Steiner

Chelsea was born and raised in New Orleans, which explains her affinity for cheesy grits and Britney Spears. An pop culture journalist since 2012, her work has appeared on Autostraddle, AfterEllen, and more. Her beats include queer popular culture, film, television, republican clownery, and the unwavering belief that 'The Long Kiss Goodnight' is the greatest movie ever made. She currently resides in sunny Los Angeles, with her husband, 2 sons, and one poorly behaved rescue dog. She is a former roller derby girl and a black belt in Judo, so she is not to be trifled with. She loves the word “Jewess” and wishes more people used it to describe her.

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