Secret Invasion just had their season (or series?) finale and the reaction to the latest Marvel television show is certainly not good. In fact, Secret Invasion is the first Marvel series to get a rotten tomatoes score from both fans and critics. It’s such a shame too because people were highly anticipating the Nick Fury saga as the trailer genuinely looked good. At the very least, Loki left the brand on a high note for a year as the second season was genuinely great.
Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quatuamania did a terrible job of convincing audiences that the brand has learned from the mistakes it made in Phase Four. However, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 put the brand right back on track and Secret Invasion had a strong buzz going into its premiere. Sadly, the Marvel show failed to keep the excitement of the brand going. Loki was a brief comeback, but Echo turned out to be a lackluster addition to the MCU canon. Now, the real question should be asked: Should Marvel simply scrap the entire Disney Plus show concept altogether?
Marvel Has Great Content To Adapt
What’s easily the most head-scratching thing about Marvel’s television series is that they have strong source material to guide them. There’s no reason that Secret Invasion should’ve been a bad show. It’s essentially a mix between Invasion of the Body Snatchers and dozens of political thrillers you’ve seen before.
Marvel not adapting the source material word for word is not the issue. Joker is a prime example of proper adaptation without relying on the source material. However, Secret Invasion seems to miss the point of its source material. Most scenes lack any tension because the writers go out of their way to tell the audience who’s a Scroll. This should’ve been a situation where we’re on the edge of our seats trying to figure out who’s a Scroll.
But it isn’t just Secret Invasion. The Marvel canon on the television side has been quite lackluster after WandaVision blew everyone away. Some shows lack a compelling story. Others often feel that the series would’ve been better served as a movie. Echo, She-Hulk, Moon Knight, Hawkeye, The Falcon and The Winter Soldier are examples of shows that started well but fizzled out towards the end.
Marvel has strong content to borrow from, so there’s no excuse for why most of these shows are in the decent to bad range. The very fact that these shows didn’t have the proper structure for television behind the scenes has greatly backfired for Kevin Feige and Marvel. Though they’ve course-corrected and are wisely trying to get their house back in order, is it too late for the once-popular brand?
Too Much Content
Phases one through four felt like an event. Whether the film was good or bad (and they were mostly good), it was exciting when another Marvel chapter was being released in theaters. It helped that the direction was clear for the MCU entirely, and the stories were strong from beginning to end.
Secret Invasion was a sort of sequel to Captain Marvel (minus Captain Marvel) and the key component of The Marvels film. Add in the fact that fans have to watch Ms. Marvel and WandaVision to understand Kamala Khan and Monica Rambeau then this is simply too much.
Marvel has a connected universe, so for the most part, all of their shows will play an integral part in the overall MCU. Even if all of the shows were fantastic, there’s no way that fans are going to keep up with every piece of content available. It’s impossible. Fans were able to keep up with the films because they were generally two-hour spectacles that came out twice a year.
The Disney Plus Shows Overexposed The Brand As A Whole
The formula for these Marvel shows is mostly the same. The comedic and light tone of the MCU has worn out its welcome. It overexposed the writing and the barebones of the story within. The consistent political themes certainly didn’t help either.
At this point, audiences expect the following: A strong premiere, a bland and forgettable middle, and some big CGI fight in the end. The MCU shows have a pattern, and it’s not doing the MCU any favors. Consistently throwing mediocre projects at fans, dilutes the overall brand. These shows have ruined the magic that Phases One through Four masterfully built.
The movies aren’t making a billion dollars because they no longer feel like special events. Marvel has great content to adapt, but they haven’t hit the jackpot much since WandaVision. There are other good shows in the catalog, but as a whole, the era of Disney Plus shows is bringing down the entire brand. It would be best for the entire brand if Marvel simply focused on films, with a miniseries or two taking place now and then.
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