The Marvel Cinematic Universe has built one of the most impressive runs in blockbuster history. Since 2008, Marvel Studios turned characters like Iron Man and even the relatively obscure Guardians of the Galaxy into global icons.
While the franchise has had a few bumps along the way with films like The Incredible Hulk and Iron Man 2, many fans would argue that its biggest misfire arrived much later with 2023’s Secret Invasion.
When Marvel first announced Secret Invasion, it sounded like a perfect fit for the MCU. The comic storyline offered a tense political thriller centered on shape-shifting Skrulls secretly infiltrating positions of power.
It also gave Samuel L. Jackson‘s Nick Fury the spotlight after years of playing a supporting role throughout the franchise. Expectations were high.
The reality was a very different story. The Disney+ series quickly became one of the most heavily criticized projects Marvel Studios has ever released. Now, three years later, one of the show’s stars is looking back on it with a sense of humor.
In a recent interview with Variety, Emilia Clarke, who played the Skrull G’iah, reflected on her experiences joining major franchises after becoming a household name through Game of Thrones. When the conversation turned to Secret Invasion, Clarke jokingly addressed the show’s reception, saying:
“I don’t think no one liked that show, guys. I’m sorry!” Clarke also brought up her time in the Star Wars universe with Solo: A Star Wars Story, admitting: “They didn’t like it.” She was equally blunt about her involvement in Terminator Genisys, saying it “should never have happened.”
Despite those projects receiving mixed or negative reactions, Clarke explained that she doesn’t take those outcomes personally.
“But these were jobs I said yes to, you know what I mean? I entered into already existing franchises, so when they don’t work out, it’s not personal…My connection to a project ends when they say, ‘Picture wrap.’ Because it’s not for me to decide what people will think of it.”
To be fair, most of the criticism directed at Secret Invasion had very little to do with Clarke’s performance. The series stumbled almost immediately when it killed off Cobie Smulders‘ longtime MCU character Maria Hill in the premiere. Many fans felt the death served little purpose beyond shock value.
The controversy didn’t stop there. The show’s opening credits sparked backlash after Marvel confirmed that generative AI had been used in their creation, a decision that rubbed many viewers the wrong way.
As the six-episode series continued, things only became messier. One of the most divisive reveals suggested that Don Cheadle‘s James Rhodes had been replaced by a Skrull at some unknown point in the MCU timeline, raising uncomfortable questions about which past appearances were actually Rhodey and which weren’t.
Then came the finale. The show’s climax introduced a device that essentially transformed G’iah into a walking collection of MCU superpowers. She gained the abilities of Drax, Thanos, Hulk, Cull Obsidian, Korg, Abomination, Thor, Captain America, and Captain Marvel, instantly elevating her into the upper tier of the franchise’s most powerful characters.
The concept might have worked under different circumstances, but fans largely rejected the execution. The visual effects were widely criticized, and the character’s massive power upgrade has gone completely unaddressed ever since.
That’s part of what makes Secret Invasion such an odd chapter in MCU history. It introduced game-changing ideas, altered established characters, and created one of the most powerful heroes in the franchise, only for those developments to seemingly vanish from the larger narrative.
At least Clarke can laugh about it now. While Secret Invasion remains one of Marvel’s most poorly received projects, she has clearly made peace with its legacy. And judging by how little the MCU has referenced G’iah since the finale, fans probably shouldn’t expect those dangling plot threads to resurface anytime soon.
