In a turn of events nobody could have seen coming given the franchise’s overwhelming critical and commercial success since its very inception, the Marvel Cinematic Universe is currently fighting a battle to get the doubters back onside, with Secret Invasion having been pinpointed as the potential turning point.
While the Disney Plus series releases after James Gunn’s Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 hits theaters, the fact the cosmic threequel is the endpoint for both its writer and director and the titular team means that it’s not going to factor into the overall tapestry of the Multiverse Saga in quite the same way as Samuel L. Jackson’s first-ever headline turn as Nick Fury.
With that in mind, there’s cautious optimism that the slow-burning psychological thriller that doubles as a blockbuster episodic comic book adaptation can finally put the flailing MCU back on the right track after so many polarizing projects in quick succession.
The MCU isn’t in danger of dying out, but the fact the Multiverse Saga has delivered the majority of the long-running saga’s worst-reviewed film and television titles ever hasn’t been lost on the critics, never mind that Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania is on course to end up as the biggest money-loser Kevin Feige has ever produced.
Secret Invasion has all the potential in the world, but it’s sad to say that if it ends up misfiring, then the doomsayers will have even more ammunition to continue touting that the end is nigh.