WARNING: This article contains SPOILERS for Secret Invasion episode 6.

Secret Invasion’s disappointing finale has been immediately followed by Loki season 2’s marketing campaign kicking off. Secret Invasion episode 6 concluded the MCU’s adaptation of Marvel Comics’ Secret Invasion, which had been significantly different from the source material since the start. Even though the MCU’s Secret Invasion show was never expected to be a direct adaptation of the comics, the series was flawed even as a standalone project centered on Nick Fury.

Secret Invasion failed to deliver the spy thriller that it promised across all six episodes, although it started off with a strong episode. The MCU’s next Disney+ show is now Loki season 2, which premiers on October 6, 2023. On July 28, 2023, Marvel released the first Loki season 2 poster.

Marvel Started Loki Season 2 Hype Just 3 Days After Secret Invasion's Finale

It took three days after Secret Invasion’s finale for Marvel to kick off Loki season 2’s marketing campaign with a brand new poster. While it is not uncommon for Marvel to tie one TV show’s ending with the next production’s marketing campaign, this three-day window is particularly short. For example, She-Hulk: Attorney at Law’s main trailer was released on July 23, 2022, ten days after Ms. Marvel’s finale was released on Disney+. Another example that puts things in perspective is how the first batch of Secret Invasion posters dropped on May 21, 2023, a month before the show premiered. Loki season 2’s poster has been revealed two months before it premiers.

Loki's marketing campaign starting right after Secret Invasion’s ending, as seen in the above tweet, is even more curious considering that the returning series is still two months away. Disney+ tends to focus the marketing for a show in the month leading up to its release, yet Loki season 2 already has a poster. It will be interesting to see whether a Loki season 2 trailer releases anytime soon. Regardless, Marvel started Loki season 2’s hype just three days after Secret Invasion’s finale became the worst-reviewed MCU finale on Rotten Tomatoes with a 13% score. Secret Invasion is also the MCU’s lowest-rated show on Rotten Tomatoes with a 57% score.

Can Loki Season 2 Redeem MCU Phase 5 After Secret Invasion's Disappointing Finale?

Secret Invasion’s disappointing finale only made the show’s problems, such as the lack of Avengers and the predictable twists, more noticeable. Secret Invasion also highlighted some problems with Marvel’s Disney+ series in general, especially the “six-hour movie” format that sometimes leads to shows with flawed pacing. In addition, Secret Invasion’s finale had barely any impact on the larger MCU, with Nick Fury returning to where he was at the beginning of the show ahead of The Marvels. That said, Loki season 2 has the potential to redeem the MCU’s Phase 5 after Secret Invasion.

Loki, the first and so far only live-action Disney+ MCU show to return for a second season, is among the most well-received Phase 4 projects. Not only that, but Loki season 1 directly informed what is now known as the MCU’s Multiverse Saga by introducing the rules of the multiverse, the concept of variants, and Kang the Conqueror. It will surely be no different for Loki season 2, especially considering that Loki and Mobius appeared in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania’s post-credits scene. If Loki season 2 is as well received as the first season, it will be an important addition to the MCU’s Phase 5 following Secret Invasion.