Warning: This article contains spoilers for Secret Invasion.
With the premiere of MCU’s Secret Invasion, episode one gives several reasons for the show’s low Rotten Tomatoes score. First announced as a Nick Fury solo project in 2020, Secret Invasion follows the iconic MCU character’s return to Earth following the Blip. Reuniting with his allies, they must stop a group of renegade Skrulls who plan to take over Earth. These Skrulls have already infiltrated governments across the globe, posing the question of who can be trusted.
Secret Invasion premiered to mixed reviews from critics who could view the series’ first two episodes. With a current Rotten Tomatoes score of 66 percent, the show is barely holding onto its Fresh status. The show was anticipated in the MCU for its different tone, and with only one episode released to the public so far, there is plenty of time for the series to develop its plot. The big controversy surrounding the show’s AI opening credits has been the center of its criticism; however, a variety of other issues have also contributed to Secret Invasion’s low ratings.
1 Secret Invasion’s Pace Is Very Slow For The MCU
The MCU is known for its big superheroes, and the nature of that means fast-paced action and drama. Secret Invasion promised to be a more grounded look at the universe focusing on humans and political conflict. There’s no problem with omitting the flashy hero aspect from an MCU story. In fact, it is a welcome change. However, the story still needs to maintain a good balance of quiet moments and anxious tension. Secret Invasion’s opening episode is mostly filled with exposition, and the slow pace doesn’t garner enough excitement for its premise.
The first few episodes of a series need to be able to capture the audience’s attention. Although MCU fans will already be seated for Secret Invasion, its slow pacing may turn them off from continuing. Reviewers’ complaints may only be based on the first two episodes, but with the current pace, it’s hard to see how Marvel will be able to fit Secret Invasion’s whole story into just six episodes.
2 Secret Invasion’s Action Is Lackluster
Just because there are no superpowered humans involved with Secret Invasion doesn’t mean that there doesn’t have to be action. The MCU has proven before that they can choreograph exciting action sequences between just humans, such as with the Dora Milaje or residents of Ta Lo. Even Fury and Maria Hill themselves have showcased their fighting capabilities in the past, but Secret Invasion doesn’t capitalize on their abilities, with the two getting little to no action sequences in the first episode.
Secret Invasion opens with a chase between a Skrull disguised as Everett Ross and Talos. Though there is an interesting shot of the two going up an apartment stairwell, the fact that the chase is entirely on foot makes it lackluster. The episode’s closing action sequence of the Unity Day festival is also underwhelming, with the team simply making their way through a crowd. Though at one point there is a fight between Talos and another Skrull, neither gets to showcase their true Skrull capabilities. The fight takes place with both in their human forms, and the action sequence just comes off as two normal men having a fistfight.
3 The Bombing Is Anticlimactic
The main conflict of episode one of Secret Invasion is that the renegade Skrulls are planning to pose as Americans and bomb Vossoyedineniye Square in hopes of starting a war between the U.S. and Russia. As soon as Fury returns to Earth, the goal of the episode is clearly to stop the bombing. However, the build-up to the episode’s climax feels empty and low-stakes.
It can be assumed that the consequences of the bombing would be dire for Fury, Hill, and their team, but it is never truly conveyed, nor does it feel like the characters move with such urgency. There is little suspense leading up to the day of the Unity Day festival, and little suspense even in the chase right before the bomb detonates. Even if the bombing was just used as a catalyst for future episodes, episode one could’ve done a better job of setting up the impending doom of the event to set up the appropriate tone for a political thriller.
4 Hill’s Death Is Undeserved
Episode one of Secret Invasion ended with a huge death. Hill is shot by Gravik disguised as Fury in the chaotic aftermath of the bombing, with the real Fury and Talos having to flee the scene without her. Though she’s often a side character, Hill has been a consistent presence in the MCU since the original founding of the Avengers. Killing her off this way feels like more of a shock factor, and for a character with such an important legacy, the treatment feels undeserved.
Secret Invasion looked to deep-dive into Hill’s character like never before, with actress Cobie Smulders being heavily featured in the show’s promotional material. Episode one even built up the character to get major growth as the series continues. There is a big possibility that she isn’t actually dead and that Hill’s death was some sort of scheme involving Skrulls. However, if she is truly dead, it’ll be wasted potential of an MCU icon and a tragic exit for the character.
5 New Characters Aren’t Properly Introduced
Episode one of Secret Invasion introduced many new characters, from the MI6 agent Sonya Falsworth to Talos’ estranged daughter G’iah. With only two well-known MCU characters anchoring the show, the number of new characters episode one threw into the story feels overwhelming. The lack of proper introductions also contributes to reviewers’ critique of the show’s slow pace, as it’s hard to feel any investment towards the characters on screen.
The sudden appearance of so many new characters is jarring, especially on the side of the Skrulls. The context of G’iah’s identity isn’t given right away, making some audiences wonder why they should care about the rebel Skrull on their screen. The show’s main antagonist Gravik is also mostly mentioned in passing with only one real scene, yet his power is supposed to be felt. Though the introduction of completely new characters is always tough, Secret Invasion needed to do a better job of building them up for there to be any emotional investment going forward.
6 Fury Changed After The Blip – But Why?
Amongst the chaos of the Skrulls trying to take over Earth, Secret Invasion is a study of Fury at its core. His big return to Earth comes after years at the S.A.B.E.R. headquarters in space, which is where he escaped to after the Blip. He originally left Earth because of how the world crumbled despite his best efforts, which in turn made Fury directly responsible for the current Skrull conflict.
Secret Invasion establishes that Fury hasn’t been the same since the Blip happened, and the show does not want you to forget it. Multiple characters reiterate this point to Fury, with even a random Russian bar patron telling him that he will never be the same. For the number of times that this point is driven home, episode one doesn’t do enough to actually showcase Fury’s change in personality.
7 The Show Wastes Its A-List Talent
When Secret Invasion’s cast was announced, there were plenty of big names making their MCU debut which garnered excitement for fans. The casting of Emmy-nominated Game of Thrones actress Emilia Clarke and Academy Award winner Olivia Coleman was highly anticipated, along with rising Peaky Blinders star Kingsley Ben-Adir. The show even saw the return of MCU veterans like Samuel L. Jackson, Ben Mendelsohn, and Cobie Smulders. Despite Secret Invasion’s roster of stars, episode one wastes its A-List talent.
While Coleman’s rapport with Jackson as Sonya and Fury is one of the highlights of the episode, she only has one appearance in episode one. Meanwhile, Clarke’s G’iah is given the predictable trope of an estranged daughter fighting for a cause she believes in. While Clarke gives a fine performance, the role hasn’t shown her true acting potential just yet. There is obviously still time for these characters to shine as the series goes on, but based on episode one, the problem is less with the actors and more with the material they’re given.
8 The Comic’s Main Message Should’ve Been Explored
The Secret Invasion Marvel comic was first released in 2008 as a crossover event and is what the Disney+ show is based on. In the storyline, the Illuminati, including Iron Man, Doctor Strange, and Namor, teamed up to confront the Skrulls and warn them about invading Earth. However, the group is captured and released after they are thoroughly studied. Years later, the Skrulls invade Earth and infiltrate Earth’s defenses by shapeshifting into various superheroes. The main point of the Secret Invasion comic is that even huge heroes like Captain America and Iron Man could just be Skrulls among us.
With the tagline for the comic event being “Who do you trust?,” it showed that the world couldn’t even trust the figures meant to protect them. Episode one’s reveal that Agent Ross has been a Skrull for some undisclosed time was a surprise, but he is ultimately not a big enough character for the reveal to feel like a breach of trust. Even if Marvel couldn’t get some of their biggest stars to reprise their roles in Secret Invasion, it could’ve been implied with some bigger supporting characters instead or even the appearance of heroes like Spider-Man or Black Panther in their full suits.
9 The Setting Is Visually Bland
The grounded nature of Secret Invasion means that the whole show takes place on Earth. Though the series might be missing out on elaborate, colorful galactic planets, it doesn’t mean that it can’t be visually interesting. The majority of episode one of Secret Invasion takes place in Russia. From having conversations in a dingy bar to a barren safehouse, few of the locations have been visually interesting thus far.
A dark tone may be what the show is going for with a political spy thriller, but that doesn’t mean that the characters’ locations need to be bland. There are glimpses of potential for exciting, lively sets, such as the hustle and bustle shown of downtown Moscow to the joy of the Unity Day festival. If Secret Invasion wants to keep audiences’ attention, future episodes will hopefully feature locations that feel more alive and lived-in.
10 The Plot Feels Like The Falcon and The Winter Soldier 2.0
The premise of Secret Invasion strikes some major similarities to the Disney+ show The Falcon and The Winter Soldier. Both are political thrillers that follow Earth’s good heroes in a fight against a rebel group. Between the Flag Smashers in The Falcon and The Winter Soldier and the renegade Skrulls in Secret Invasion, both groups are portrayed as enemies to the public who are actually just doing what they think is right to regain land to call their home.
If Secret Invasion doesn’t pick up the pace in its following episodes, it risks being a rinse and repeat of The Falcon and The Winter Soldier’s story. Both offer a political commentary on immigration and belonging, so Secret Invasion needs to capitalize on its access to Skrulls to set it apart and drive its main point home. The premise of a Skrull infiltration on Earth has so much potential, so future Secret Invasion episodes need to live up to it and prove its low critic scores wrong.
Key Release Dates
This story originally appeared on Screenrant
