Emilia Clarke's Upcoming Espionage Thriller Can Redeem Her 53% RT MCU Debut

While Marvel’s Secret Invasion wasted Emilia Clarke, her upcoming Peacock series can make up for this unfortunate misstep. A look back on Emilia Clarke’s best TV shows and movies proves that the versatile star is known for much more than her iconic role as Daenerys Targaryen in Game of Thrones.

However, since the divisive ending of Game of Thrones aired back in 2019, Clarke has struggled to find her footing as an A-list star. 2019’s Yuletide rom-com Last Christmas earned mixed reviews, with critics praising Clarke’s chemistry with her co-star Henry Golding but criticizing the movie’s absurd final twist.

Emilia Clarke Has A New Espionage Thriller Coming On Peacock

Meanwhile, 2023’s Disney+ series Secret Invasion was intended to be Clarke’s triumphant introduction to the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Although the show’s reception was nowhere near as disastrous as that of fellow Game of Thrones alumni Iwan Rheon’s MCU debut, Inhumans, frequently listed among the worst TV shows of all time, Secret Invasion was still a flop.

With a rating of only 53% on Rotten Tomatoes, the superhero spy thriller’s muted reception could have been enough to scare Clarke away from the espionage genre for good. However, her upcoming Peacock series Ponies proves this wasn’t the case.

Ponies Can Be A Much Better Spy Thriller Than Secret Invasion

The Super Skrull Giah shapeshifts to clone Drax's arm in Secret Invasion finale — The Super Skrull Giah shapeshifts to clone Drax’s arm in Secret Invasion finale

2026’s upcoming Ponies stars Emilia Clarke as Bea and Haley Lu Richardson as Twila, two secretaries who work at the American Embassy in 1977. When the pair’s husbands are killed, Bea and Twila work as CIA operatives to unearth the real truth behind their deaths, discovering all manner of Cold War conspiracies in the process.

From the creators of Mr. Robot and The Flight Attendant, Ponies looks like a campy period drama/spy thriller mashup that will make the most of Clarke and Richardson’s combined experience blending comedy and genre thrills. Fortunately, the show’s pedigree and stellar cast mean Ponies will hopefully avoid the fate of one of the MCU’s lower-rated shows.

Secret Invasion Wasted Emilia Clarke’s MCU Debut

Kingsley Ben-Adir's Gravik in Super-Skrull form standing in a battle stance in Secret Invasion (2023) — Kingsley Ben-Adir’s Gravik in Super-Skrull form standing in a battle stance in Secret Invasion (2023)

Released in June 2023, Secret Invasion was met with little love from MCU fans and critics alike. The show told the story of Samuel Jackson’s Nick Fury and Ben Mendelsohn’s Tales, a Shield veteran and former Skull leader who teamed up to stop the Skrulls from infiltrating Earth by posing as humans.

From utilizing AI in its production to featuring some of the franchise’s dullest writing so far, Secret Invasion was an unambiguous flop that even the MCU’s most ardent defenders struggled to sit through. While her 2026 project can make up for Secret Invasion’s uninspired Emilia Clarke role, it is tough to see the MCU show itself returning any time soon.