Marvel Studios has unleashed a brand-new Disney+ series, and its already being flagged with controversy. But this doesn’t involve a scandal with an actor or a film underperforming with fans, but the use of AI in the opening credits of Secret Invasion.
The opening credits for the series were created by Method Studios using artificial intelligence, offering this ominous sequence where the Skrull green takes over the world and the characters from the series.
Executive producer Ali Selim tells Polygon, “When we reached out to the AI vendors, that was part of it — it just came right out of the shape-shifting, Skrull world identity, you know? Who did this? Who is this?.”
Selim does note that he doesn’t “really understand” how this type of AI tech works but felt it could add something to the theme of Secret Invasion. “We would talk to them about ideas and themes and words, and then the computer would go off and do something. And then we could change it a little bit by using words, and it would change,” says Salim.
Twitter does not agree with the producer’s feelings, and fans took to the social media platform to post scathing remarks.
Some fans described it as “utterly horrifying,” while others asked Marvel Studios to “do better.” One artist even went as far as asking for a boycott of the series.
I will be boycotting Secret Invasion. A slap in the face of artists and the WGA strike. https://t.co/oM2fEw2YUl
— Jon Lam #CreateDontScrape (@JonLamArt) June 21, 2023
During the heated WGA Strike, where AI has been used as a threat of replacement for real writers, many have taken this as a personal attack. Some have embraced the strange stylings, appreciating what was created, especially after many online rejoiced over AI art as an internet trend.
There’s value to both sides of this discussion, and the fear that artificial intelligence will take over actual art is a problem. Nonetheless, the opening credits are just a tiny part of Secret Invasion, something Marvel Studios will undoubtedly hope doesn’t overshadow what they need to be a hit.
Ali Selim remains optimistic and describes the AI work Method Studios did for the show as “felt explorative and inevitable, and exciting, and different.”
Secret Invasion sees the return of MCU veterans Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury, Don Cheadle as James Rhodes, Cobie Smulders as Maria Hill, Ben Mendelsohn as Talos, Martin Freeman as Everett Ross along with Emilia Clarke as G’iah, Kingsley Ben-Adir as Gravik, Olivia Colman as Sonya, and Killian Scott and Christopher McDonald in as yet-unrevealed roles.
Marvel’s Secret Invasion stream on Disney+ with new episodes every Wednesday.
