Summary
Secret Invasionwas highly anticipated, and fans had high expectations for the Marvel Studios series.However, after continuing to disappoint fans and critics alike, the show ended up breaking anMCUrecord that will be hard to beat.
Secret Invasionis loosely based on the comic book event of the same name where Skrulls have infiltrated the highest ranks on Earth, including the Avengers. Fans were excited to watch a show completely different from recentMCUprojects. Some even thought it hadthe potential to be the MCU’s version ofAndor. The series was expected to be a gritty spy thriller with little to no superheroes and grounded in the characters involved. However, the execution fell far below fans' expectations for the series.
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Fans hoped theSecret Invasionfinale could save the seriesafter the first five episodes received poor and mixed reviews. Instead, the final episode ofSecret Invasionwas the worst critically reviewed MCU Disney Plus episode onRotten Tomatoes, which currently has an abysmal 13% with only 8 reviewers. BeforeSecret Invasionairing, that title was held by episode 6 ofShe-Hulk: Attorney at Law, which received a 70% from critics. EverySecret Invasionepisode was lower than any other MCU Disney Plus show’s episode.
Secret Invasionis the lowest-rated MCU Disney Plus series in terms of Rotten Tomatoes critics rating at a lackluster 57% and is the only series that is rotten. Its highest-rated episode was episode 1, “Resurrection,” with 52%. Episodes 2 and 5 were tied with 50%, and episodes 3 and 4 were tied with 38%. In addition to the MCU’s lowest-rated series, 2023 also saw the MCU’s lowest-rated movie, withAnt-man and the Wasp: Quantumaniareceiving a 46% critics score, barely beatingEternals' 47%.
From the beginning, the series received backlash from fans due to controversial decisions, including theSecret Invasionopening sequence being made with AIand killing off a beloved character in its first episode.Secret Invasionhas been received so poorly by critics for a few reasons. First, the series promised a political thriller with high tension that never manifested. The tagline of the show, “Who do you trust?” loses a lot of meaning when there are only a handful of possible people who can be Skrulls, and it becomes clear who is and who isn’t a Skrull early on in the show.
Before its premiere,Game Rant’sSecret Invasionreviewgave the first two episodes two and a half stars out of five. The review stated, “Ostensibly billed as something akin to a spy thriller,Secret Invasionfails to capture the high stakes and palpable tension of the genre.” WithThe Marvelssupposed to be a sequel toSecret Invasion, some fans do not have high hopes.
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