Secret Invasion finale gets hammered by fans and critics

Only 13% of critics gave the show a positive review on Rotten Tomatoes

Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury in Marvel Studios' SECRET INVASION, exclusively on Disney+. Photo by Gareth Gatrell. © 2023 MARVEL.
Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury in Secret Invasion. (Marvel)

Secret Invasion's final episode has become the worst reviewed episode in the history of Marvel.

The sixth episode of the limited MCU series premiered on Disney+ on Wednesday, 26 July and received almost unanimously negative reviews from critics.

While the series as a whole has received mixed reviews, the series finale received an approval score of just 13% on aggregation service Rotten Tomatoes.

The AV Club called the series a "waste" with criticism focused on the plotlines and wasted potential of actors such as Samuel L Jackson and Emilia Clarke.

Total Film's Secret Invasion review: One of Marvel’s biggest fumbled bags in recent memory (4 min read)

The Daily Beast was also critical of the finale, commenting: "Although the Nick Fury-focused drama seems to think it went out with a bang, the series finale opts for a whimpering, wheezing final fight and boring repetition."

Olivia Colman as Special Agent Sonya Falsworth in Marvel Studios' SECRET INVASION, exclusively on Disney+. Photo by Gareth Gatrell. © 2023 MARVEL.
Olivia Colman in Secret Invasion. (Marvel)

Total Film also posted a negative review of the finale: "Secret Invasion signs off in disappointing style. A seed of a compelling story has been sown, but it can’t mask what has been, by and large, one of the weakest MCU series in quite some time."

SlashFilm was even more withering calling it "Marvel's most underwhelming series". The critic said "the forgettable series we received instead only served as a reminder that, much like Nick Fury himself, the Marvel Cinematic Universe has clearly lost a step since blasting right past its most logical stopping point, Avengers: Endgame, and forging ahead in perpetuity with nary a break."

Fans have also been critical of the finale, with one writing on Twitter: "The writing hurt this series for me. Between the weak Skrull reveals, poor pacing, & Gi'ah's Superman problem, this was a letdown."

Emilia Clarke as G'iah in Marvel Studios' SECRET INVASION, exclusively on Disney+. Photo by Des Willie. © 2023 MARVEL.
Emilia Clarke in Secret Invasion. (Marvel)

Another said: "Rushed CGI, boring fakeouts and only 30 minutes long. Why was it so short? The Fury storyline ends well but everything else is done so poorly. Like Moon Knight, #SecretInvasion is a good show with good characters that suffers from a weak finale and the six episode length. Yawn."

One fan echoed the criticisms of the writing: "The #SecretInvasion finale is exactly as expected. Incredibly rushed, baffling decisions left and right, and a show that lost more and more identity as it went along. Such a disappointing waste of potential from where it started the first two episodes."

Following the popular Secret Invasion comic storyline which features a race of shape-shifting aliens planning to conquer Earth by taking on the identities of various humans around the world, the show was highly-anticipated and featured a large ensemble cast.

Jackson returned to play Nick Fury for the thirteenth time but Secret Invasion marked the first occasion where he was the lead actor. As well as Clarke, the show also featured Ben Mendelsohn as Talos, Olivia Colman as the head of MI6 and Don Cheadle reprising his role as James Rhodes.

Martin Freeman and Cobie Smulders also returned to the MCU to play Everett Ross and Maria Hill respectively.

Secret Invasion is streaming on Disney+ now.

Watch below: Secret Invasion trailer