The MCU's 5 best scene-stealers of 2023

Sonya Falsworth (Secret Invasion)

Even with Ben Mendelsohn playing off Samuel L. Jackson spectacularly as Skrull leader Talos or with Don Cheadle taking a deceptive left turn as an alien copying Rhodey’s likeness, an unexpected sensation of a character sneaks into Secret Invasion – Olivia Colman as Sonya Falsworth. While actors like Emilia Clarke and Kinglsey Ben-Adir continue to prove they are talented performers, Olivia Colman, known for such towering achievements as Tyrannosaur, The Favourite, and The Lost Daughter, is on a mission to be one of the best in the business.

Colman could have floated into a project like Secret Invasion, hit her marks, and walked away; instead, she elevates the material with her direct demeanor and line delivery. She constructs a well-mannered, no-nonsense Nick Fury foil, who reveals herself to be slightly, yet politely, sadistic. The most obvious comparison is that Sonya Falsworth is like a superspy Mary Poppins.

Classified as an ally, you can never be certain of Sonya’s intentions. The most memorable aspect about Sonya is how she puts people in their place with the biggest smile on her face. Even when she is not torturing Skrulls for information, she can be incredibly domineering. In one scene, she enters through a locked door and when she is questioned about it, Sonya cheerily retorts “Yes, and now the door is unlocked… what does that tell you about me and doors?”.