The Biggest MCU Disney+ Bomb Still Isn't As Bad As Marvel's Worst Flop

Summary

Secret Invasion received mixed reviews but still fared better than Inhumans, which is considered the worst-received MCU series.
Secret Invasion holds a 54% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, while Inhumans only has an 11% rating, indicating a significantly more negative response to the latter.
Many criticisms of Secret Invasion centered around the convoluted plot and portrayal of Nick Fury, while Inhumans faced harsh criticism in various aspects including storytelling, spectacle, and visual style.

Marvel's Inhumans. Based upon the eponymous Marvel Comics story of the shape-sifting Skrulls covertly infiltrating Earth, Secret Invasion arrived on Disney+ in the summer of 2023, only to see a very mixed reception. The response to the show was also an even bigger bruise for Marvel when factoring in tthe story being such a pivotal and iconic Marvel Comics story.

Still, even with Secret Invasion's rougher reception on Rotten Tomatoes and among general audiences ,Marvel's ABC series Inhumans was received far, far more poorly. The 2017 series was the first Marvel show to release its first two episodes in a two-week theatrical run (in IMAX, no less), before debuting on ABC, but Inhumans was and is still the worst-received MCU movie or TV series by far, with plans for a season two being canceled. Comparing the reception of Secret Invasion and Inhumans also reveals a few factors that help explain why Secret Invasion dodged the negative reception that Inhumans was subject to.

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Secret Invasion Has Higher Rotten Tomatoes Scores Than Inhumans

While Secret Invasion was not received with the warmth of a Phase Two or Three movie or show, the MCU series did not dip into truly terrible territory on review aggregate Rotten Tomatoes. Secret Invasion holds a 54% rating on Rotten Tomatoes from 195 reviews, with the critical consensus stating "A well-deserved showcase for Samuel L. Jackson, Secret Invasion steadies itself after a somewhat slow start by taking the MCU in a darker, more mature direction." All told, that paints a picture of Secret Invasion seeing a mixed response with a slight lean into positivity.

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That is most certainly better than the reception to Inhumans, which holds an 11% rating on Rotten Tomatoes from 47 reviews, with its critical consensus on the aggregate stating "Marvel's Inhumans sets a new low standard for the MCU with an unimaginative narrative, dull design work, weak characters, and disengaging soapy melodrama." While Inhumans's Rotten Tomatoes score is ittedly drawn from a much smaller collection of reviews than that of Secret Invasion, the overall tone of the response to the former still came out palpably more negative. That also helps contextualize why Secret Invasion and Inhumans each saw the reception that they did.

What Went Wrong With Secret Invasion And Inhumans

Much of the criticisms leveled at Secret Invasion seem to be rooted in the perceived convoluted plot of the miniseries not properly capturing the scope of the famed Marvel Comics story. Other issues taken with Secret Invasion include the show's portrayal of Samuel L. Jackson's Nick Fury seeming like a step-down from his roles in the MCU movies, along with the show's twist ending. Indeed, Emilia Clarke's Gi'ah absorbing a wide collection of powers from different MCU characters drew some noticeable backlash for both its lackluster visual effects and seemingly rendering other Marvel heroes useless in future stories.

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Meanwhile, virtually every aspect of Inhumans was harshly criticized as a poor reflection of the MCU's storytelling, spectacle, and visual style. While Secret Invasion saw more specific areas of the show being criticized, Inhumans was seemingly a perfect storm of everything going wrong all at once and showing on screen. In the end, that is reflected in the final products of both Secret Invasion and Inhumans.

Why Inhumans Is Worse Than Secret Invasion

One key factor in why Secret Invasion turned out so much better than Inhumans is the fact that the Disney+ show got off to the much better start of the two. While Secret Invasion faced its share of criticism even before reaching its ill-received finale, the show at least did a good job of fully bringing the Skrulls into play as MCU antagonists after Captain Marvel. Secret Invasion also had more of a hook with Jackson's well-established Nick Fury in essentially his first lead role in an MCU property, even if it was somewhat of a departure from his previous appearances. Additionally, Secret Invasion's ending also did the usual MCU teasing that at least set up future possibilities for what could come next.

By contrast, Inhumans looked and felt cheap with lackluster effects and action scenes at every turn. Inhumans also gave viewers shockingly little to latch onto in a tonally inconsistent story that also failed to properly establish the Inhumans themselves with the same endearing charm as the Avengers or the Guardians of the Galaxy. Ultimately, Secret Invasion might have been subject to Marvel's somewhat rockier post-Avengers: Endgame reception, but it didn't even come close to overtaking Inhumans as the nadir of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.