I’m Still Furious The MCU Butchered One of Marvel’s Best Events (& Made it a Joke)

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Many fans believe the Marvel Cinematic Universe was at its best in 2019. While recent films like Spider-Man: No Way Home and Deadpool & Wolverine have been successful, the overall quality of Marvel projects has declined since then, based on box office numbers and reviews. The MCU isn’t consistently delivering great content anymore, and some releases have been poorly received. A low point was the 2023 series Secret Invasion, widely considered to be Marvel’s worst series, and surprisingly focused on Nick Fury.

The Secret Invasion series highlights many of the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s weaknesses, and it’s especially disappointing because the original comic book was excellent. Published in 2008 by Marvel, the Secret Invasion comic – created by Brian Michael Bendis and Leinil Yu – featured a fantastic build-up spanning four years. Though not flawless, the comic is a landmark Avengers story from the 2000s. Seeing Marvel Studios mishandle such a promising and important story feels like a real missed opportunity.

Secret Invasion in the Comics Was One of the Most Important Stories of the ’00s

The story started with the ‘Secret War’ in 2005, which caused major problems for SHIELD and led to Nick Fury’s departure. While the Skrulls were already secretly infiltrating SHIELD, Fury leaving allowed them to gain even more control. They then paid Electro to free prisoners from the Raft, which led to the formation of a new Avengers team – a team the Skrulls secretly infiltrated with one of their own. From there, they worked from the shadows, orchestrating events that ultimately led to the fracturing of the superhero community with ‘House of M’ and ‘Civil War’.

Marvel comics in the 2000s were incredibly innovative, and they crafted a compelling story with a fantastic build-up. Before the book’s release, a major twist was revealed – Elektra was secretly a Skrull – and the marketing campaign encouraged fans to ’embrace change.’ This sparked a lot of excitement and debate among readers, who tried to guess which other characters might be Skrulls and how far this storyline would go. At the time, Marvel was full of surprising developments, many of which were linked to the Skrulls. The anticipation was enormous, especially on platforms like MySpace, where I discussed the book on comic forums.

Marvel comics from the 2000s weren’t always flawless, and the Secret Invasion storyline was no exception. The eight-part series felt a bit drawn-out, prioritizing extending the story for sales over delivering consistent action until the climactic finale. That finale united heroes on both sides of the Registration conflict against a massive Skrull invasion, led by someone the heroes thought they could trust—a reveal that’s one of the best parts of the story. While it had both strong and weak points, Secret Invasion ultimately led to significant changes in the Marvel Universe.

Although the Skrull invasion was stopped, the heroes were criticized for letting the aliens infiltrate key national security systems, ultimately allowing a villain to take control. This period, known as “Dark Reign,” marked the end of Marvel’s successful run in the 2000s and ushered in a time of significant changes. Secret Invasion remains a crucial part of Marvel’s story, a well-constructed narrative with some flaws, but one that greatly impacted the development of many characters and teams.

The MCU’s Secret Invasion Was Such a Waste of Potential

The Secret Invasion storyline was a key part of a larger Marvel narrative that unfolded between 2004 and 2009, beginning with Secret War. This event had a significant and lasting impact on the Marvel Universe, building on the decades-old conflict between the Kree and Skrull races. It fundamentally altered the status quo and set the stage for future events, all while delivering memorable moments and stunning artwork by artist Yu. It remains a defining and iconic story for Marvel fans.

Marvel Studios has successfully adapted many famous comic book storylines, including Civil War and Infinity Gauntlet. However, the recent Secret Invasion series fell far short of its potential. The comic book version of Secret Invasion was a significant and influential story, but the show didn’t live up to it, and many fans were disappointed. This adaptation feels like a missed opportunity and suggests Marvel Studios doesn’t always prioritize staying true to the source material from Marvel Comics.

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2026-02-14 00:40