Secret Invasion's Viewership Numbers Signal Marvel Fans' Dwindling Interest
It seems as if Marvel fans are growing weary of the studio's endless slate of material, as the recent installment "Secret Invasion" has failed to capture a large audience. The latest release centers on Avengers founder Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) as he grapples with an increasing threat of undercover Skrull invaders. However, it appears that without any superheroes in the mix, viewers are tuning out as indicated by the new ratings data.
On Twitter, Samba TV revealed that the first episode of "Secret Invasion" accumulated 994,000 viewers, which is only slightly better than "Ms. Marvel's" disappointing premiere — as the source said, "#SecretInvasion is out! 994k US households tuned in to watch the first ep over its first five days, outpacing #MsMarvel's premiere to 775k US households. Black households over-indexed the most on the #Fury-led debut." The newest Disney+ series arrives after the crowd-pleasing space adventure "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3," though these uninspired results could be a symptom of Marvel fatigue.
The series also sets the stage for a sequel to both "Captain Marvel" and "Ms. Marvel," with the aptly titled film "The Marvels" set to debut in November 2023. Although, if the blockbuster studio's plans to reach audiences fall short, they could be looking at another flop soon. As recent trends show, it'll take an enthralling detour to wrangle viewers back into the MCU's sprawling narrative.
Secret Invasion is the second lowest viewed Marvel/Disney+ series
In a helpful table featured on Screen Rant, "Secret Invasion" can be seen joining "Ms. Marvel" in the infamous under-one-million-viewers club. There could be several reasons why the thrilling espionage series is underperforming, from the wave of underwhelming MCU entries like "Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania," to the sheer volume of projects released mere months from each other. It's a lot to keep up with for both loyalists and passionate fans, which could be why they're taking a break with this one.
"Secret Invasion" is also darker and more somber than other projects, as it gives us the vulnerable Nick Fury that "Avengers: Endgame" failed to show. The well-connected leader finds himself alone in the uncompromising mission that stole his dearest friend's life, and it's given him something precious to fight for. It's also a personal consequence of his own actions that the Skrull rebels rise up against the humans while Fury struggles to readjust to life back on Earth.
Even if fans don't find themselves drawn to the harrowing story in "Secret Invasion," the intriguing chart on Screen Rant could signal when the Marvel fatigue might end. When the captivating hit "Loki" premiered in June 2021, it became the most-watched Marvel/Disney+ series yet with 2.5 million viewers. Lucky for us, "Loki" will return for Season 2 on October 6 to possibly snap fans out of this recent funk.