‘Secret Invasion’ roils fans with an AI-generated intro sequence

Marvel’s new television series “Secret Invasion” debuted Wednesday on Disney+ with an opening title sequence apparently conjured by artificial intelligence, stoking fiery reactions across social media and from those within production itself.

The two-minute sequence features imagery of humans, aliens and locations from the show. But in a strange experience, the credits seem to mix and warp everything together, blurring the lines between what’s human and what is alien.

Many commenters and critics decried the choice, using descriptors such as “disgusting” or “utterly horrifying.” And while some suspected the creepy vibe was intentional (perhaps Marvel’s way of warning about the dangers of artificial intelligence), others wondered if it marked the beginning of AI’s invasion into Hollywood – a particular concern of an enormous actors union that is considering whether to strike next month.

“I’m devastated,” tweeted Jeff Simpson, a visual development concept artist who said he worked on the character design and props for “Secret Invasion,” though not the intro sequence. “I believe AI to be unethical, dangerous and designed solely to eliminate artists’ careers.”

The series centers on a villainous alien race – the Skrulls – that secretly invades Earth by shapeshifting to look like humans. Samuel L. Jackson stars as Nick Fury, the hero who tries to stop them.

While Marvel and Disney did not respond to a request for comment on the show’s themes, “Secret Invasion” seems well suited for a year when rapidly advancing artificial intelligence is widely viewed as a threat – to human industry, if not human survival. Text-based tools such as ChatGPT are beginning to invade everyday life, replacing humans in jobs such as copy writing and even therapy. And graphical AI tools that can create photorealistic faces and mimic famous painters have been called a “violation of the soul.”

The credits for “Secret Invasion” name Method Studios – which developed the end credits for Marvel’s 2021 film “Eternals” – for working on the opening sequence, as well as an artificial-intelligence technical director named Carle Sagan, who does not appear to have any major online presence.

Method did not immediately respond to an interview request from the Washington Post, but the director and executive producer of “Secret Invasion,” Ali Selim, told Polygon that AI was used.

“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 said.

Selim told Polygon he doesn’t “really understand” how AI works, but he was interested in how it could be used to convey the show’s themes.

Viewers, on the other hand, have convey mixed reactions.

Cole Okiro, a filmmaker who runs the “First Okiro” YouTube channel, told the Post that he enjoyed the first episode of “Secret Invasion,” but “it frustrates me to no end to see such a well-crafted series saddled with this AI intro.”

“Disney and Marvel have more than enough resources to hire an actual artist,” he said. “And for the life of me, I can only think they made this intro AI for the sake of testing the waters.” It’s unclear how much human involvement went into the sequence.

That has also been a theme in the ongoing labor crisis in Hollywood, as the striking Writers Guild of America and unionized actors demand job protections from AI tech now being explored by studios.

Jon Lam, a storyboard artist, tweeted Wednesday that the title sequence “is salt in the wounds of all Artists and Writers in the WGA strike.”

“There doesn’t seem like there could be a worse time for Marvel to venture into the territory,” Brian Long, an Arizona-based film director, told the Post. “It feels like it was almost calculated to make some sort of statement.”

“Secret Invasion” has been anticipated by some as a course correction for Marvel after a deluge of bad news, including negative film reviews, questions about the studio’s special effects and assault charges against recent franchise star Jonathan Majors.

The show’s instant stumble into the politics of AI might upset those plans. Or maybe that was the plan all along.

John Rocha, host of “The Outlaw Nation” podcast, speculated that Marvel’s intention was to unsettle viewers with a “hyper-stylized,” almost fake-looking title sequence that conveyed the point of the show.

“It elicited the strong reaction that Marvel was looking for,” Rocha told the Post. “I think they wanted to guarantee themselves a strong reaction to the show and took advantage of the AI controversy to do so.”