Marvel Admits Sudden Exit Ruined 'Secret Invasion'

After earning the unfortunate title of worst-rated Marvel Disney+ project of all time, director Ali Selim recently broke his silence on why his original Secret Invasion co-director departed the project, admitting that his last-minute exit was “maybe a little ill-timed” and had some major consequences on the story.

Related: ‘Secret Invasion’ Director Defends Ending After Fan Backlash

Marvel’s Secret Invasion recently wrapped up its six-episode run on Disney+, where it was almost immediately criticized for being a generally unremarkable addition to the MCU following its finale. Starring Samuel L. Jackson as fan-favorite ex-S.H.I.E.L.D. Director Nick Fury, the series follows him and his allies as they attempt to stomp out a dangerous new threat: a group of radicalized Skrull refugees intent on taking Earth for their own.

Its all-star cast includes the likes of Olivia Colman, Emilia Clarke, Ben Mendelsohn, Kingsley Ben-Adir, Martin Freeman, and Don Cheadle, among others. But even its stacked cast wasn’t enough to salvage what many thought to be the show’s otherwise messy story structure, uninteresting villain setup, and sluggish pacing. Secret Invasion currently sits at a measly 51% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes, placing it well below other Disney+ MCU entries like Ms. Marvel, WandaVision, and Hawkeye.

Related: After Retconning ‘Avengers: Endgame,’ MCU Director Worried He’ll Receive “Death Threats”

The show was created by Kyle Bradstreet and was intended to be co-helmed by Ali Selim and Tom Bezucha. However, the latter withdrew from the project while the series was still early in production, leaving Selim to direct all six episodes on his own.

There’s always been a bit of confusion regarding Bezucha’s surprising last-minute exit from Secret Invasion, but we might’ve just gotten some clarity thanks to Selim, who chalked up his former co-director’s departure from the show to scheduling conflicts.

Speaking on the latest episode of The Playlist podcast, Selim provided more of a detailed explanation as to why Bezucha left Secret Invasion before filming could begin, putting it down to poor scheduling rather than creative differences. Selim revealed that “[his] friend,” Bezucha, was supposed to direct the first three episodes and that he would take on the remaining ones, episodes four through six. But due to Bezucha’s obligations to FX’s Fargo, on top of several delays, he was forced to exit:

Well, when I came on, there were two of us. I was gonna do [Episodes] 4, 5, 6, and my friend, Tom Bezucha, was gonna do 1, 2, 3. He and I prepped for a while, but then we got into probably scheduling constraints for him or something, because I think the show got delayed a couple of times. And he had to depart for [Fargo].

Interestingly enough, Selim went on to claim that even though he was up for the challenge of helming the entirety of Secret Invasion, Bezucha’s sudden departure did cause some unexpected issues behind the scenes, forcing him to “scramble to fill those episodes:”

 It was great for me. I think maybe a little ill-timed. His departure was a little ill-timed for Marvel and so, I was part of the scramble to fill those episodes.

Still, even if there were some issues behind the scenes, Selim doubled down on his assertion that Marvel had “no complaints” with the final product, and that the superhero studio was “happy” to have a singular director’s vision guiding the story:

[There were] no complaints from Marvel, so I think they’re happy having one director tell that whole story.

Selim’s latest remarks align with his ongoing defense of the series, in which he told Variety last month that he “doesn’t feel bad about mixed reviews.” He added that Marvel’s “devoted” and occasionally “rabid” fanbase have lofty expectations for new projects, and when their expectations aren’t fulfilled, “they move in the other direction; they give it a thumbs down.”

Blaming fans for Secret Invasion‘s poor reviews might not’ve been the best move on Selim’s part and has only earned the director more backlash, as audiences’ criticisms aren’t so black and white. Even though people took aim at virtually everything regarding Secret Invasion, its AI-generated opening titles, in particular, left fans up in arms, as the controversial use of such technology in media is one of the key arguments of striking WGA and SAG-AFTRA members.

There’s also its all-too-familiar story of a washed-up hero making a comeback, which MCU fans have seen repeated time and time again. This exhausted trope being used again in Secret Invasion undoubtedly inspired many eye-rolls and did little to help eliminate the negative buzz surrounding the latest Marvel Studios TV series. 

Whether or not Ali Selim meant to sound like he was pinning Secret Invasion‘s downfall on Tom Bezucha’s departure remains uncertain, but it sure does imply that he thinks his former co-director left him scrambling to pick up the pieces. There are many reasons why the latest MCU series failed to strike a chord with audiences, and even though it’s unsatisfying to hear, we might just never get one concrete answer.

Do you think Tom Bezucha staying on Secret Invasion would’ve saved the project? Or was it always doomed to fail? Let us know in the comments below.