Marvel Studios’ ‘Secret Invasion’ AI intro controversy, explained

Secret Invasion is Marvel Studios’ latest political thriller that has finally premiered on Disney Plus. The series stars Samuel L. Jackson and Ben Mendelsohn reprising their roles as Nick Fury and the Skrull, Talos. Also joining the ensemble are Emilia Clarke as G’iah and Kingsley Ben-Adir as the Rebel Skrull leader, Gravik.

The project was first announced in December 2020 by Kevin Feige, and it is based on the comic book run of the same name. The show consists of six episodes with a much darker and suspenseful storyline, and filming wrapped up around April 2022. The first episode dropped on Disney Plus on June 21, 2023, and it received an 82 percent audience score on Rotten Tomatoes. While fans praised the show for its story, there was one aspect that left an unsavory feeling in people’s mouths.

Marvel Studios’ Secret Invasion AI intro controversy, explained

While the series received praise during its premiere, with some claiming that it’s the “MCU’s answer to Andor‘s success,” it has recently faced backlash after it was revealed that the intro was AI-generated. This has caused outrage among artists and Marvel fans, who claim that jobs were lost due to the use of this technology. At first glance at the opening sequence, it is easy to tell that it was made by a machine. People had the right to be upset since Marvel Studios has the budget to hire human workers, and didn’t expect this superhero media conglomerate to resort to using AI.

Due to the backlash, Method Studios, the company that made Secret Invasion‘s opening sequence, released a statement and clarified that AI was only used to produce the movements in the intro, while every illustration was developed by a human team of artists, compositors, animators, etc., and also claimed that no jobs were lost as a result.

Marvel Studios is one of the few studios that has dabbled in AI when it comes to its animation production. The last notable outfit to do this was Netflix, when it collaborated with WIT Studios and an AI company to release a short anime film, and used AI for background art. Studios like to claim that AI is just a tool that helps make work efficient for animators. However, there is also an argument about copyright, authenticity, and its effect on the workforce.

While there is a slight chance that AI could be beneficial, especially if no human jobs are affected, the idea of using AI for a high-budget production like Secret Invasion doesn’t seem to sit well with fans. For now, at least, the technology has only been used in the intro. But who knows when this technology will be used next?