Summary
- Secret Invasion’s failure led to creative overhaul at Marvel Studios, impacting future movies & TV shows.
- Armor Wars script undergoing massive revisions post-Secret Invasion backlash, changing original pitch.
- Marvel Studios scaling back on projects post-Secret Invasion to focus on quality control and prioritizing essential storylines.
Secret Invasion was truly an MCU project to forget, but it seems to have inadvertently made the franchise better. The Disney+ series’ mixed-to-negative reception possibly led to a creative overhaul within Marvel Studios that arguably changed the future of their movies and TV series.
The six-episode MCU miniseries premiered in June 2023 and revolved around Nick Fury and Talos, a shapeshifting alien Skrull, as they pursue a conspiracy by renegade Skrulls attempting to take control of Earth by impersonating humans. Secret Invasion was plagued by numerous issues in its writing, VFX, and overall poor pacing. But more importantly, some of its plot points created problems for the rest of the MCU – most notably, the infamous Skrull Rhodey twist.
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Secret Invasion Fallout Leads to Big Changes
Armor Wars Script Undergoes Major Revisions
According to a recent report from industry insider DanielRPK, the script for Armor Wars is undergoing massive revisions due to the backlash from Secret Invasion. First announced in September 2022, the Armor Wars film was originally pitched as a story following James Rhodes, aka War Machine, as he safeguarded Stark Industries from rivals trying to exploit Tony Stark’s tech legacy. However, according to the recent rumor, the new story will be entirely different from this original pitch, and the film’s release date is expected to be pushed from this year to sometime after Secret Wars.
This is just the latest in a long line of changes to the Armor Wars project. It was previously switched from a six-episode TV series to a feature-length movie. Speaking to TVLine in October 2024 about this format shift, Don Cheadle shared:
Yeah. I think the word that’s the most salient in that sentence is “switched.” [Laughs] I don’t know, I’m not sure where anything is right now. I think things are going through a lot of changes, and we’ll see what happens, we’ll see what it is.
Perhaps budget constraints – mainly from dealing with Tony Stark’s armors and the overarching story – proved overwhelming for the smaller screen. Moreover, there was also an option to adapt an Armor Wars storyline set during the Secret Wars 2015 comic event.
How Secret Invasion Creates Problems For Armor Wars
Will Marvel Acknowledge The Skrull Rhodey Twist?
Secret Invasion ties into the Armor Wars problem by replacing Rhodey with a Skrull impersonator. While the show itself didn’t live up to its potential or create a significant impact on the MCU, this character change complicates things for the franchise. For example, Rhodey’s post-Endgame appearances will now have to be thoroughly analyzed, and Armor Wars may need to address and explain these inconsistencies.
It will be interesting to see whether Marvel Studios chooses to explore the fallout from the Skrull Rhodey twist or simply ignore much of Secret Invasion‘s events due to its failure. Made on a whopping $212 million budget, the miniseries was both a critical and financial disaster. While it did experience decent viewership numbers, it still wasn’t enough to sustain the project, especially in the long run. Reports suggest that Secret Invasion was plagued by production issues, behind-the-scenes drama, and the aftermath involved firing some key figures.
Marvel Splits Armor Wars Elements Into New Projects
Rhodey’s Story Changed After Skrull Twist
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Had Armor Wars stuck to its original storyline of Rhodey discovering that Stark technology was falling into the wrong hands, it would have connected better to the rest of the MCU and its plans. For example, Riri Williams, aka Ironheart, could have played a major role. There was even potential for the return of Ultron and a storyline involving Damage Control reactivating Stark AI systems. However, with Secret Invasion disrupting this setup by introducing Skrull Rhodey, Marvel had to rethink the entire premise of the film.
The changes are already evident in some recent Marvel projects, such as What If…? Season 3. Episode 5, titled “What If… The Emergence Destroyed the Earth?” repurposed elements of the Armor Wars storyline. It featured a version of Earth where Mysterio takes control of Stark Industries and weaponizes Iron Man tech. Meanwhile, the storyline involving Stark AI systems and the potential return of James Spader as Ultron will likely be explored in the newly announced Vision Quest, expected to release in 2026 or 2027. Considering how these story elements have been split across other existing/announced projects, there’s no reason for Marvel to move forward with the original Armor Wars pitch.
Did Secret Invasion’s Failure Lead to A New Marvel Strategy?
Fewer Projects, More Focus On Quality Control
But how is this a good thing for Marvel Studios? The franchise has been overwhelming audiences with content, especially in its post-Endgame era. Perhaps Secret Invasion‘s failure forced Marvel to rethink and scale back its output. In 2024, Marvel released just one MCU movie, Deadpool & Wolverine, and the strategy clearly paid off, considering the film’s financial and critical success. Moving forward, Marvel is limiting itself to two or three movies per year and fewer Disney+ series to maintain better quality control.
The change in approach also applies to many Marvel projects that were never officially announced but gained traction through unconfirmed leaks and insider reports. For example, rumors suggested that Emilia Clarke’s G’iah from Secret Invasion was originally set to appear in an Excalibur spin-off, a British Avengers-style team that would have included Captain Britain and Kit Harington’s Black Knight. However, given Secret Invasion’s failure, this project was either shelved indefinitely or quietly canceled.
Doomsday & Secret Wars Are MCU Priority #1
Non-Essential Shows Could Be Revived In X-Men Era
This aligns with Marvel’s current pattern of de-prioritizing projects that aren’t essential to the main Avengers: Doomsday and Secret Wars storyline. This is ultimately a good thing for the MCU, as these projects aren’t completely scrapped. They may be revived down the line when Marvel shifts its focus to X-Men stories after Secret Wars. They’re better off waiting alongside other concepts like Midnight Suns, which could provide a new home for characters like Black Knight and Mahershala Ali’s Blade.
The upcoming Daredevil: Born Again appears to be the first major project produced under Marvel’s updated TV strategy. Meanwhile, shows like Ironheart seem to have been developed under the old, rushed system, making it uncertain how they will fare. While it’s disappointing to see projects like Armor Wars being pushed further, Marvel’s restructuring could ultimately lead to better-quality content in the long run.
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Secret Invasion
PG-13
Adventure
Drama
Action
Superhero
Release Date
2023 – 2022
Showrunner
Kyle Bradstreet
Cast
Samuel L. Jackson, Ben Mendelsohn, Emilia Clarke, Cobie Smulders, Olivia Colman, Christopher McDonald, Carmen Ejogo, Kingsley Ben-Adir, Martin Freeman, Don Cheadle
Directors
Ali Selim
Writers
Kyle Bradstreet
Franchise(s)
Marvel Cinematic Universe
Seasons
1
Story By
Kyle Bradstreet
Streaming Service(s)
Dis
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Fuente: successacademy.edu.vn
Categorías: Trend
