The negative critical reception to Secret Invasion makes one DC TV show even more impression by comparison. Secret Invasion was arguably one of the MCU's most ambitious shows to date, as it sought to fill in gaps with Nick Fury's backstory, explore what had happened to the Skrull community by audiences had last seen them - especially regarding how their connection to Fury had changed over time - and also provide major franchise-altering reveals all along the way. From a retrospective perspective, the series needing to try to balance all of these goals perhaps made it inevitable that some would flounder, and that this would lead to audience frustration.

These frustrations were made concrete by the time of the Secret Invasion ending, which confirmed that several storylines that audiences had been hoping would be tied up neatly would be left with less cathartic conclusions. This led to a slew of negative reviews, especially because it meant that more than one long-term MCU character was killed off without their death having any real weight for the franchise. However, this poor reception does at least make one DC TV show even more noteworthy as a result.

Peacemaker's Success Is Even More Impressive After Secret Invasion's Failure

Peacemaker and Secret Invasion both involve the same premise, exploring a secret alien organization who have been living on Earth and taking over the identities of others in order to gain positions of power in human society. The plots continue to parallel in having allies from this group who sacrifice themselves, and also in exploring the two main characters' history with their parents, and how this has defined them - though for Nick Fury, his relationship with his now-passed mother is a positive point of inspiration, whereas Peacemaker's turmoil regarding his deeply unpleasant father is instead used to explain many of the anti-hero's flaws.

The main difference between these two series, ultimately, is the way they have been received. The Peacemaker season 1 finale broke HBO viewing records, with viewership increasing as the show went on and more prospective viewers heard promising things about it. Inversely, the Secret Invasion was one of the MCU's least viewed shows, in part due to superhero fatigue, and in part due to the slow pace of the show and relative lack of big reveals within it. This can also be seen reflected in the critical reception for both shows, as Secret Invasion's Rotten Tomatoes score lies at 58% - with an audience score of 56% - whereas Peacemaker has a 94% and 89% score respectively.

Why Peacemaker Did Better Than Secret Invasion

Peacemaker succeeding where Secret Invasion saw criticisms is primarily down to two factors; the larger franchises at hand, and audience hopes for the respective series' plot. Secret Invasion released in a time wherein audiences were already inundated with Disney+ MCU shows, and so naturally had to combat the jaded feeling many viewers were already experiencing about these series. Unfortunately, this didn't work, in part because the show focused around Nick Fury's conflict with Gravik, but then had him not in the final confrontation with the character, which was a commonly cited issue in lower reviews for Secret Invasion.

Inversely, Peacemaker had less ties to the overarching narrative of the DCEU than Secret Invasion did to the MCU, and also was one of few shows in the franchise, which immediately left it in a less precarious position. However, it's unlikely this would have been enough by itself to garner it its strong positive reviews. This can instead be attributed to the keep the plot fast-paced and balanced between drama, action, and comedy. Peacemaker also succeeded in showing the real personal stakes and growth of its main character, especially as Christopher Smith got to personally confront both the alien faction, and a more personal villain in the form of his father, culminating in a more satisfying conclusion for audiences.