Secret Invasion's Historically Bad Rotten Tomatoes Score Breaks an MCU Streak

By Sam Hargrave Posted:
Secret Invasion, Nick Fury, Rotten Tomatoes symbols, Marvel Studios logo

Disney+'s Secret Invasion received one of the MCU's worst Rotten Tomatoes scores - one that just broke a 15-year Marvel Studios streak.

Secret Invasion faced plenty of criticism, as reflected by its historically bad Rotten Tomatoes score that made it the MCU's third-ever "Rotten" project and the fourth TV show labeled as such in Marvel history.

The finale was regarded as an especially poor ending, with the climactic chapter becoming the lowest-rated Marvel Studios episode ever on Rotten Tomatoes.

Secret Invasion Sets New MCU Low on Rotten Tomatoes

Nick Fury in Secret Invasion
Marvel

Secret Invasion has broken its fair share of Marvel records on Rotten Tomatoes with its historically bad score of 54% from audiences and 50% from critics, defining it as “Rotten” among both sects of the viewer base.

The review aggregate site defines a movie or series as “Rotten” when less than 60% of critics or audiences rate it positively, with projects over 60% marked as “Fresh.”

Marvel Studios' latest Disney+ series broke the studio’s streak of having every movie and show in its 15-year history be marked “Fresh” by critics, audiences, or both.

Only five Marvel Studios projects have gone down as “Rotten” with either critics or audiences, while Secret Invasion marks the first yet to do both:

  • Captain Marvel: 79% (critics), 45% (audiences)
  • Eternals: 47% (critics), 77% (audiences)
  • She-Hulk: Attorney at Law: 77% (critics), 32% (audiences)
  • Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania: 45% (critics), 82% (audiences)
  • Secret Invasion: 54% (critics), 50% (audiences)

The only other MCU project marked as “Rotten” among both groups - although its canon status is often disputed - is Marvel Television’s Inhumans, which accrued a measly 11% from critics and a poor 43% from viewers.

Does Secret Invasion Spell Trouble for Marvel Studios?

Secret Invasion's Rotten Tomatoes score arguably represents the worst case in the MCU's long history of over 40 projects. Even though neither the critic nor audience rating was the lowest in the franchise, both being marked as "Rotten" certainly proves the show didn't land with either sect.

Whether that makes Secret Invasion the worst project in the MCU is certainly up for debate, although many fans have expressed that opinion since the finale.

The quality of the MCU's post-Endgame projects has generally been regarded as quite uneven, just recently going from the high of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 to the low of Secret Invasion in the span of just a few weeks.

Marvel Studios will certainly be hoping it can bounce back with its next project which will be this October's Loki Season 2. Fortunately, there's plenty of reason to be optimistic about that one, even though some fans are fearing disappointment. 

After that, the studio will be hoping to round out the year strong with The Marvels followed by Echo, despite the latter having received some concerning news.

Secret Invasion is streaming now on Disney+

- In This Article: Secret Invasion
Release Date
June 21, 2023
Platform
- About The Author: Sam Hargrave
Sam Hargrave is the Associate Editor at The Direct. He joined the team as a gaming writer in 2020 before later expanding into writing for all areas of The Direct and taking on further responsibilities such as editorial tasks and image creation.