Secret Invasion wrapped its season showcasing what a Samuel L. Jackson series could be like in the franchise. Now that the finale has ended, many MCU fans are asking themselves whether or not Season 2 will happen. What they should be asking is: Should Secret Invasion Season 2 happen?
The series was a follow-up to the 2019 film Captain Marvel, which made the shape-shifting Skrulls sympathetic.
Secret Invasion had the potential of making a series in the vein of a paranoia spy thriller, where the characters and viewers are constantly questioning their reality.
Imagine a series that combines Tom Clancy with The Thing.
The trailer had the flavor and teased the possibility of an MCU story that offered twists and superhero espionage.
Did the show deliver on its potential? Will there be a Secret Invasion Season 2? And more importantly, should there be?
Will there be a Secret Invasion Season 2?
Has Secret Invasion been renewed for Season 2? Currently, there are no plans for a Secret Invasion Season 2 renewal. However, the Season 1 finale just aired today, so expecting an announcement this soon might be premature.
However, it’s worth noting that a week or so ago, returning CEO Bob Iger commented on the oversaturation of Disney Plus television, creating a “taxing” feeling for audiences’ “time and focus.”
Iger adds, “Marvel’s a great example of that. They had not been in the TV business at any significant level… That is, I think, more of the cause than anything.”
This is an indicator that suggests Marvel might be done making television series. At the very least, they are decreasing their TV market output.
Does this mean Secret Invasion Season 2 is a lost cause? Probably not. But should the series be renewed?
Should Marvel make Secret Invasion Season 2?
To put it candidly, absolutely not. The series starred Ben Mendelsohn and Olivia Colman — arguably two of the best actors of our time — and not even they could make the series feel exciting. And they tried their best.
The entire mishandling of the show can be summed up in one single plot thread.
At the mid-season check-in, we discover Nick Fury had a wife the entire time. When we first meet Priscilla (Charlayne Woodard), she is in Skrull form as her true self, Varra. Moments later, Nick Fury walks in the door, implying he has been gone for years as she kisses him in human form.
Varra’s switch back to human form accomplishes two things: 1) establishes confusion about whether Fury knows if she is a Skrull; 2) it gives away the fact she is a Skrull.
Later, Fury discovers that Priscilla (or Varra) is a Skrull alien, and Gravik (Kingsley Ben-Adir) has commanded Varra to kill Fury. Moments after, he confronts Varra about it in the kitchen.
Here is an example of Marvel introducing an exciting idea and flushing it down the drain. The stakes within the show should focus on the paranoia of shapeshifters. We should also be in the dark on whether Prescilla is alien. The result would make us understand Fury’s pain once he discovers she is a Skrull. Instead, knowing makes the moment emotionally bankrupt.
This is also true of Don Cheadle as James Rhodes. In one episode, there is nothing subtle about Cheadle’s dialogue as he rips into Fury. He seems to be out of character, which again ruins the intrigue of whether Rhodes is a Skrull.
And lastly, the finale is nonsensical. G’iah (Emilia Clarke) and Gravik take an Avengers DNA serum and get blasted with radiation, giving them the ability to invoke every power from our Marvel heroes.
This moment might be one of the worst decisions in Marvel’s history. It makes no sense and has no business being in this story. The depiction of Emilia walking around with a Hulk arm is the most Batman & Robin thing Marvel has ever done.
As quoted in the movie Billy Madison, “I award you no points.”
Even so, this writer is excited for The Marvels and Loki Season 2, and hopes for another inspired series like WandaVision. Here is hoping the properties can bring redemption to the MCU.
Secret Invasion can now be streamed in its entirety on Disney Plus.