Secret Invasion has already had its fair share of issues and detractors, and while there’s certainly a good show in there (especially given the talent that Disney managed to bring to the table, with multiple Oscar and Emmy nominations and wins between the cast), it seems reasonable to say that many are finding the series underwhelming. The noir mystery is trying to do something different, taking the MCU in a darker, grittier, direction, and that certainly deserves praise, but as we’re all finding out, intention isn’t enough — even if you do have a budget the size of Skrullos.
A lot of people will make the argument that it’s this very flood of money into a franchise that leads to a lower quality of product, as making sure the profits keep rolling in becomes more important than making something with artistic and creative merit. However, another Disney product has shown us that a big-budget franchise with an established universe can still do something new while making a great show that both existing and newer fans will enjoy: Andor.
It’s natural that fans of both Marvel products and the Star Wars universe would compare these two shows. Andor is a darker version of what we’ve become used to seeing from the Star Wars team, blending politics and action in a more adult way than previous films and shows have. Secret Invasion was also supposed to have this complexity, yet, the show about Skrulls trying to covertly take over Earth has, at many points in the episodes we’ve seen so far, hit a middle ground that won’t please fans of CGI-laden action sequences.
However, perhaps Marvel fans who were looking for that didn’t need to wait for Secret Invasion anyway, as one commenter on the Marvel Studios subreddit has argued.
With that all said, plenty of other commenters were quick to point out that both shows being well-written and not relying too much on big-budget action sequences didn’t make them that similar. For one, Andor has a darkness to it that S.H.I.E.L.D. simply doesn’t, and tonally is completely different from the MCU show. Others have also pointed out that the ABC series is often viewed with rose-tinted glasses, and upon rewatching it doesn’t quite hit the high notes many give it credit for.
Additionally, Andor is, at its heart, a political thriller that delves into much of what we know about the Star Wars universe but doesn’t particularly think too hard about, like the logistical elements of battle and rebellions, as well as how a dark, dangerous, and hateful ideology is built from roots to the very top.
So, perhaps MCU fans desperate for their own Andor didn’t have an answer to their problem staring them in the face all along. Because, despite S.H.I.E.L.D. having a lot to love about it, and the way the ABC show does try to be more than just another bit of superhero content, it certainly didn’t go as deep as the Star Wars series managed, or Secret Invasion is attempting.