In early June, there were optimistic rumors that Secret Invasion was Marvel’s answer to Andor. Tony Gilroy’s Star Wars Disney Plus series delved into the complex backstory of Diego Luna’s titular character, delivering a thoughtful, politically relevant, and existing slice of Rebel life.
But we’re now five episodes into Secret Invasion with just one to go and, while it’s far from a disaster, it definitely isn’t an Andor. The knives are currently out on r/MarvelStudios, criticizing the show for “scenes that go nowhere”, a failure to explore the Skrulls’ motivations and poor character development:
It’s hard to disagree with this, and replies say there’s a disconnect between the tense and complex spy thriller Secret Invasion seems to want to be and keeping it simple enough for casual viewers to enjoy.
All that said, we don’t think Secret Invasion has been a terrible show and we’ve looked forward to it each week, though it’s safe to say that there’s unexplored potential here. Many fans note Olivia Colman’s Sonya as a highlight, though five episodes in we barely know anything about her.
Maybe it’s too optimistic to expect next week’s finale to turn things around, though we’re hoping we’ll see the Rhodes Skrull take control of the War Machine suit, get the full suite of Super-Skrull powers from Gravik, and finally see Fury get his groove back (just in time for The Marvels). Here’s hoping they don’t fumble the ball.
Secret Invasion concludes on July 26.