Secret Invasion director responds to negative reviews

Secret Invasion
(Image credit: Marvel Studios)

It's official, Secret Invasion has the most poorly reviewed episode of all the series in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The show's director Ali Selim doesn't seem to mind too much, however. 

In a new interview with Variety, which took place after the finale was released on Wednesday, July 26, the filmmaker argued that it'd be unrealistic for creatives to try and appease every single viewer – and that it might even compromise storytelling if they do.

"I don't feel bad about mixed reviews," Selim admitted to the publication. "If you had unanimously good reviews, every movie would gross $10 billion, trillion dollars, right? [Projects] resonate with different people at different times for different reasons, and Marvel has a very devoted – even rabid – fan base who have expectations and when their expectations aren't fulfilled, they move in the other direction; they give it a thumbs down.

"I don't know — is it our job to fulfill their expectations? Or to tell the story that we're telling? So, it's a tricky thing. I would love it if everybody loved it, but I also don't have that expectation myself, so I feel great about the response to it."

Starring the likes of Olivia Colman, Kingsley Ben-Adir, Emilia Clarke, Ben Mendelsohn, and Samuel L. Jackson, Secret Invasion sees several Marvel characters unsure of who to trust, having discovered that Skrull rebels, a shape-shifters with a desire to take over the planet, have infiltrated all facets of life on Earth. Cobie Smulders and Martin Freeman also reprise their roles as Maria Hill and Everett Ross, respectively.

During the chat, Selim was also asked whether he'd be keen to ever direct another MCU project, to which he candidly replied: "Honestly, I worked on the show for 28 months and right now I'm just thinking about lunch and maybe a bike ride or something like that."

Secret Invasion is streaming on Disney Plus now. For more, check out our check out our guides on Marvel Phase 5Marvel Phase 6, and how to watch the Marvel movies in order.  

Amy West

I am an Entertainment Writer here at GamesRadar+, covering all things TV and film across our Total Film and SFX sections. Elsewhere, my words have been published by the likes of Digital Spy, SciFiNow, PinkNews, FANDOM, Radio Times, and Total Film magazine.

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