AI technology has seemingly taken the world by storm in the last several months. Although it’s been on the rise for years, it’s been catapulted into the every day and has become a serious talking point for those in the creative industry.

Part of the negotiations for the ongoing WGA writers’ strike is the use of AI for script writing and development as the studios fight back against pay increases and streaming residuals. One major studio seems to have ignored the backlash surrounding AI-created art and instead has leaned into it for their latest project, prompting outrage from fans.

Marvel’s latest series, Secret Invasion, just premiered on Disney+, taking place post-She-Hulk as Nick Fury fights against an invasion of the Skrulls, a shape-shifting alien race previously introduced in Captain Marvel (2019). Although the series has been highly anticipated, opinions have shifted following the release of the first episode.

The intro for Secret Invasion has been confirmed by director Ali Selim to have been created using AI art, with the argument that it fits the theme of the show. “It just came right out of the shape-shifting, Skrull world identity, you know? Who did this? Who is this?” he explained. He described the process of feeding an AI words, ideas, and themes, then changing it by using other words to finally get the result they wanted, although he “doesn’t really understand” how it works.

Fans took to Twitter to express their outrage as many rightfully claim that an actual artist could have done the same. One major argument is that Disney and Marvel have the money to pay actual artists and that it takes away from the enjoyment knowing that they turned to AI. I really loved the first episode of secret invasion but them using AI “art” for their intro is just wack. Do better Marvel,” said one user. “You can hire a graphic artist to do the same thing, but make it look better. I just don’t think with the money Disney has they needed to saddle such a great show with such a stupid thing.”

Another user states that “the argument that it matched the theme of the show is a lame excuse to sell the idea that using AI to replace a real artist is cool, and to declare that ‘It felt explorative and inevitable, and exciting, and different.’ it’s hallucination trying to buy your own stupidity.” It’s an unpopular move by the studio, prompting many viewers to decide to boycott and not continue watching the show.

With the recent releases and successes of Super Mario Bros. Movie (2023) and Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse (2023), many fans are comparing the studios. Sony’s animated project celebrated artists of all styles and backgrounds, taking four years to animate various scenes and transitions, while Marvel, a much bigger studio, turns to AI rather than hiring actual artists.

Marvel and Disney are some of biggest production studios in the industry right now. The decision to use AI comes across as a cost-saving move, especially as Disney recently laid off thousands of employees from across several areas of the company and canceled a major Florida community project. The intro easily could have been created and animated by actual paid artists, especially considering it already feels very reminiscent of pre-existing comic book art. Rather than feeding words over and over into an AI to get the results they wanted, Marvel has the money to pay actual people to get the same results.

Secret Invasion faced several delays during production, as have several other recent and upcoming Marvel projects. As the WGA strike nears its third month, conversations about the use of AI are present everywhere. For a studio as big as Marvel to turn to the controversial technology despite not really understanding how it works is “a slap in the face of artists and the WGA strike.”
What do you think about Marvel turning to AI? A creative choice or the start of something more unethical? Share your thoughts in the comments below.