Secret Invasion sets an unwanted MCU record for Disney
What to say about Marvel's Secret Invasion? Well, that certainly...happened, didn't it. Kyle Bradstreet's Nick Fury standalone series has just rolled its final episode, and while it's always great to see Samuel L. Jackson as the eyepatched overseer of the Avengers, most are struggling to find the point of Secret Invasion.
With the writers reportedly being told not to read the 2008 comic arc of the same name, you can understand why Secret Invasion might've been doomed from the start. Still, there was plenty of ambition in the miniseries - which we'd hope, given its eye-watering $212 million budget.
Secret Invasion's finale has an awful Rotten Tomatoes score
While Secret Invasion had already debuted to middling scores, it seems things only got worse as the series went on. It led to a lacklustre finale that ran at just 38 minutes (including credits) and left us with questions about whether whole story arcs were simply dropped or things were simply rushed.
The CGI-heavy finale saw Emilia Clarke's G'iah become the most OP character in the Marvel Cinematic Universe - absorbing the powers of everyone from Thor to Hulk, Ghost to Captain Marvel. Viewers clearly weren't a fan, and with a long slog to the end of the oddly short series, the review scores speak for themselves.
Over on Rotten Tomatoes, Secret Invasion's "Home" has a paltry 13% audience score. As well as showing how the score tumbled as Secret Invasion went on, it also sets a record as the lowest-rated MCU episode ever. Considering the divisive She-Hulk finale still earned 73%, Secret Invasion has been obliterated.
Out of the top five lowest-rated MCU series episodes, four belong to Secret Invasion. She-Hulk Episode 6 came in fifth place with 70%, then there's a big jump to the Secret Invasion premiere taking fourth with 52%. It's a far cry from highs like the Loki finale scoring 90%
Marvel fatigue is out in force
Click to enlargeConsidering Christopher Nolan's Oppenheimer cost half of what Secret Invasion did (and will undoubtedly sweep the Academy Awards), it's baffling to think how much the MCU has dropped the ball on this one. It further hammers home how Marvel fatigue and general superhero fatigue are affecting us all.
As soon as Secret Invasion underwhelmingly killed off Cobie Smulders' Maria Hill in the first episode, it was clear this wasn't the spy thriller we were promised. Even before this, Samba TV confirmed Secret Invasion debuted to the second-lowest viewership of any Marvel series - being beaten by Ms. Marvel.
It's bad enough to think Thor: Love and Thunder was a critical disaster at $250 million, but at least it made over $760 million at the box office. Secret Invasion is undoubtedly a commercial and critical failure that could seriously dent the MCU and its future slate.
The roster is already packed to bursting, but somehow, we feel that Secret Invasion's bombing will shake things up. Let's be honest, how many of you are excited about the Armor Wars movie and Echo series? Then again, we'd love a Secret Invasion spin-off just focussing on Olivia Colman's Sonya Falsworth. Make it happen!