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Credit: Marvel StudiosThe latest Disney+ Marvel show has officially commenced, and the streamer isn’t taking risks when it comes to its audience.
The last Disney+ Marvel show that hit the streaming service was the divisive She-Hulk: Attorney at Law. With Emmy-winner Tatiana Maslany in the title role of Jennifer Walters/She-Hulk, the nine-episode superhero dramedy caused waves for its visual effects and tonal difference.
That said, many applauded Kevin Feige’s Marvel Studios for offering audiences something not yet seen in the Marvel Cinematic Universe — it even had a solid appearance from Charlie Cox as Daredevil Matt Murdock. But, neither She-Hulk nor the MCU’s first Phase Five movie offering, Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania (2023), failed to reignite a passion for the flailing comic book movie genre.
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The MCU took a turning point over two years ago when WandaVision debuted as not only the beginning of Phase Four but as the first canon television show. Many more followed with things like Tom Hiddleston’s Loki, Moon Knight, and Ms. Marvel. But, as a result of all this content, many fans and critics believe the MCU is becoming oversaturated and watered down, especially with the blockbuster franchise currently in its Multiversal era with the Multiverse Saga.
As Bob Iger returned to The Walt Disney Company, course correction is in progress across the board. For the live-action Marvel universe, this means that many projects in the TV and movie world have been delayed or even scrapped altogether, leaving audiences wondering just how Marvel Studios intends to navigate superhero fatigue as well as the arrest and trial of their Phase Five and Six Big Bad actor, Jonathan Majors (Kang the Conqueror).
The near-constant CGI murk of the Multiverse is seemingly taking a rest at present as Marvel directs focus back to Earth and the Skrull threat against humanity.
Secret Invasion finally debuted on June 21, 2023, and brought everyone’s favorite former S.H.I.E.L.D. director and Avengers orchestrator, Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson), back into the fight. Jackson is joined by Ben Mendelsohn as Talos, Emilia Clarke as G’iah, Cobie Smulders as Maria Hill, Kingsley Ben-Adir as Gravik, Olivia Coleman as Sonya Falsworth, Martin Freeman as Everett K. Ross, and Don Cheadle as James Rhodes, AKA Rhodey/War Machine.
“In Marvel Studios’ new series Secret Invasion, set in the present day MCU, Nick Fury learns of a clandestine invasion of Earth by a faction of shapeshifting Skrulls,” the official synopsis reads. “Fury joins his allies, including Everett Ross, Maria Hill, and the Skrull Talos, who has made a life for himself on Earth. Together they race against time to thwart an imminent Skrull invasion and save humanity.”
And unlike any other Disney+ Marvel show, the streamer has issued a warning for audiences who intend on watching the series.
In their marketing for Secret Invasion, as seen in places like the official Marvel UK Instagram account, Disney+ is warning viewers of mature content. The tag, which can be seen in images like this, states that “Parental Control Advised.” The warning is likely due to Secret Invasion having a 16+ rating, whereas other shows like The Falcon and the Winter Soldier and She-Hulk: Attorney at Law are rated 12+ on Disney+ UK. In the US, all, including Secret Invasion, are rated TV-14.
The issued warnings come as Secret Invasion largely failed to impress upon its premiere. At present, the latest Disney+ Marvel show holds a 65% critic score with a 75% audience score, and just a week before its official debut, the series was heavily review bombed, giving it the worst score in MCU TV show history at 69%. In fact, even with a 65% critic score, the top critic score is as low as 52%, proving the ratings are plummeting. It could be said that Marvel hoped to simmer tension by making Secret Invasion more mature, but that seemingly hasn’t worked.
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The less-than-stellar reviews are just another blow for the MCU, where the deterioration of storytelling quality is clearly ongoing.
Have you tuned into Secret Invasion yet? Let Inside the Magic know in the comments down below!