Invasion Season 1 cast and character guide: Who plays whom in the Apple TV+ sci-fi drama

Invasion Season 1 ( Image via YouTube / Apple TV )
Invasion Season 1 ( Image via YouTube / Apple TV )

Invasion on Apple TV+ features an international ensemble cast portraying ordinary people whose lives are disrupted by a mysterious alien presence. The show is narrated from multiple perspectives, following different characters in different parts of the world. From Golshifteh Farahani’s Aneesha Malik to Shamier Anderson’s Trevante Cole, each storyline brings a grounded human side to the chaos of an extraterrestrial crisis.

Invasion Season 1 premiered on October 22, 2021, and consisted of 10 episodes, which combine science fiction with personal drama. The show is the brainchild of Simon Kinberg and David Weil and is based on human response to the unforeseen, both emotionally and practically.

Rather than centering on large-scale destruction, Invasion explores survival, grief, and resilience through its complex characters!


Invasion Season 1 cast and character guide

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Golshifteh Farahani plays Aneesha Malik

Aneesha Malik, played by Golshifteh Farahani, is the main character in Invasion. She portrays an Indian-American mother and a former doctor in Long Island, New York, whose family starts to fall apart exactly when the aliens start invading. Her character is aimed at securing her children and confronting personal betrayal and destruction of order in the surrounding world.

Farahani's role gives the story a sense of reality, demonstrating the power of a common man in the face of incredible transformation.


Firas Nassar as Ahmed “Manny” Malik

Firas Nassar is the husband of Aneesha, who portrays the character of Ahmed Malik. The bad relationship that his character has with Aneesha turns out to be one of the emotional centers of the season. The infidelity of Ahmed is also unveiled at an early stage, which also makes the crisis even more difficult to bear for the family.

He has to deal with guilt, survival, and broken trust as the invasion goes on. This description is a way of explaining how disasters challenge not only societies but also relationships. The way Ahmed looks at things in Invasion reminds the audience that being able to survive is not only a matter of escaping the danger, but it is also a matter of facing human imperfections.


Azhy Robertson as Luke Malik and Tara Moayedi as Sarah Malik

Luke and Sarah Malik, the children of Aneesha and Ahmed, are portrayed by Azhy Robertson and Tara Moayedi, respectively. The unexplained association of Luke with a weird device turns out to be one of the interesting subplots of Season 1. Sarah, in her turn, is a person of innocence in a world of chaos. Their experiences bring a kid's perspective to Invasion, and the topics of adults are counterbalanced with a feeling of vulnerability and wonder.

The arc of the Malik family is the focus of the emotional plot; therefore, it is one of the most relatable strings of the whole Season 1.


Trevante Cole, played by Shamier Anderson

In another part of the world, Shamier Anderson plays Trevante Cole, an American Navy SEAL. His plot gives a grip on the here and now, the battlefield of the Invasion. When the alien forces strike, Trevante becomes cut off from his team and faces both external threats and internal isolation. The character’s journey home mirrors his psychological struggle, a soldier who must redefine what “mission” means when the world itself is falling apart.

The character of Trevante, portrayed by Anderson, gives all the intensity and realism, and depicts the vulnerability of the trained professionals to something that is beyond human understanding.


Mitsuki Yamato is played by Shioli Kutsuna

Shioli Kutsuna portrays Mitsuki Yamato, an employee of JASA, a fictional Japanese aerospace agency, who happens to be an engineer. Her story starts when a spacecraft is lost in the invasion, and it takes with it her boyfriend, Hinata Murai (portrayed by Rinko Kikuchi).

The desire by Mitsuki to find out what happened in the mission is one of the driving scientific strands of the show. Her narrative is one of a balance between emotion and intellectualism, and it represents the human quest to find a connection even in the depths of despair.

Invasion explores grief, science, and hope, which is a recurring theme in the global narrative of the show, through Mitsuki.


Hinata Murai is played by Rinko Kikuchi

Rinko Kikuchi plays Hinata Murai, an astronaut in the unfortunate mission that was associated with the alien encounter. She does not have much screen time, but her presence towers high above the plot of Mitsuki. Invasion describes the sense of loss and perseverance, which is enhanced emotionally by the connection between the two ladies.

The destiny of Hinata turns into a mystery that drives a large part of the tension of Season 1.


Daisuke Tsuji as Kaito Kawaguchi

The storyline of Mitsuki is supported by Daisuke Tsuji, who performs Kaito Kawaguchi, a Mitsuki coworker and colleague at JASA. He helps Mitsuki in her effort to decode some mysterious messages after the spacecraft's disappearance. Their cooperation is a symbol of the intellectual and moral strength of scientists who want to understand events that can be explained.

They are one of the most powerful subplots, combining technology, emotion, and suspense.


Billy Barratt plays the role of Caspar Morrow

Across the Atlantic, Invasion trails after Caspar Morrow, a British schoolboy played by Billy Barratt. The plot of the story by Caspar is set in rural England, where he and his fellow students are in a horrible spiral of alien-related incidents. His episodes are about friendship, leadership, and fear, providing a young, unpredictable opinion on the world crisis.

The association of Caspar with the aliens is made to be one of the largest mysteries of Season 1, and connects his visions and seizures with the higher end of the invasion!


India Brown as Jamila Huston and Paddy Holland as Monty Cuttermill

Within Caspar’s group, India Brown plays Jamila Huston, one of his closest friends who shows bravery amid the chaos. Paddy Holland portrays Monty Cuttermill, another student whose skepticism contrasts with Caspar’s intuition.

Their dynamics create tension and contribute to the younger plot, a touch of realism. The scenes in the school underline the difference between the manifestation of fear and courage in children, and the sci-fi premise of the show is based on crude human feelings.


Sam Neill as Sheriff John Bell Tyson

Sam Neill is a legendary actor who plays the role of Sheriff John Bell Tyson, a small-town police officer in Oklahoma. He explores bizarre events that characterize the beginning of the alien invasion. Tyson is shown as being in the first few episodes of the season; his storyline establishes Invasion’s grounded tone, showing how the unknown begins quietly, far from the global spotlight.

The character of Neill represents the theme of denial and discovery, the initial chaotic reaction of mankind to the inexplicable.


Repeating and supporting characters

There are also several recurrent characters, which makes it a multi-layered story. Togo Igawa stars as Ikuro Murai, the father of Hinata, who struggles to accept the loss of his daughter.

Tamara Lawrance portrays Learah, adding depth to Trevante’s journey.

Louis Toghill (Darwin Charles) and Cache Vanderpuye (Alfie Ademura) appear in Caspar’s storyline, contributing to the ensemble’s realism.

Each subplot in Invasion contributes to the larger mosaic, a picture of humanity reacting not as one collective force, but as scattered individuals bound by fear, confusion, and hope.


Season 1 of Invasion deliberately avoids focusing solely on aliens. Instead, it examines people, parents, soldiers, scientists, and children, facing the collapse of everything familiar. The ensemble, represented by various areas and backgrounds, is one of the main reasons why the show remains natural and grounded. The show is realistic, yet suspenseful, featuring Golshifteh Farahani, Shamier Anderson, Shioli Kutsuna, Billy Barratt, and Sam Neill.

Through the ten episodes, Invasion demonstrates that an alien contact story can be very human. Each part, however minor, contributes to the feeling of the world on the edge. It is a slow smolder that does not hurry to a spectacle, and rather concentrates on the endurance of the human spirit.

Also read: Invasion Season 3 Episode 9: Release date news, time, streaming details, cast, and more

Edited by Anjali Singh