12. Secret Invasion
Secret Invasion has a lot going for it. For starters, it’s based on one of the most iconic Marvel Comics storylines ever told. It also gives Samuel L. Jackson his long overdue starring role as Nick Fury, and features a star-studded cast, including Captain Marvel‘s Ben Mendelsohn, Olivia Colman, and Emilia Clarke. However, at times, it felt like that was just too much pressure to succeed under.
One of Secret Invasion‘s greatest strengths was that it tried something incredibly different, shifting itself away from the typical Marvel format and bearing more similarities to a British spy thriller. This was a change that made sense given that its premise literally revolved around not being able to trust anyone around you. And Jackson thrived at the center of it, showcasing a Nick Fury ravaged by time, desperate to make one final stand against his worst nightmare.
On the other hand, its slow-moving format didn’t mesh well with the world of the MCU. Not as far as weekly releases go, that’s for sure. Perhaps Secret Invasion would have been a good choice for Disney Plus’ first Marvel binge, because it’s a great and compelling watch at the beginning of its run. The weekly releases put too much pressure on each episode to succeed, and its pacing ultimately worked against it.
The thing that worked against it the most, however, was the season finale. From questionable storytelling to poor CGI, it's widely regarded as the worst hour that the Marvel Cinematic Universe has ever produced. And although its slow-moving format early on was divisive, it would have been worth it if the show committed to it Throwing it all away on a poor CGI battle in the finale (that didn't even involve Fury) was a misfire of epic proportions.
Secret Invasion was full of potential, and it lived up to that on many occasions. Unfortunately, it just missed the mark on more than a few as well.