Secret Invasion: Marvel Keeps Ignoring Its Most Powerful Post-Endgame Story

In "Secret Invasion" Episode 3, Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) and his wife Varra (Charlayne Woodard) attempt to work through the fact that she feels like Fury has left her behind on two occasions, once voluntarily and once during the Blip — when Thanos (Josh Brolin) snaps half of all living things out of existence before the Avengers bring them back. This scene, while effective, is relatively brief, and begs the question of why the Marvel Cinematic Universe has yet to tell a story entirely about the Blip as opposed to the casual references that have been the norm thus far.

Other notable instances of MCU projects incorporating the Blip include "Spider-Man: Far From Home" — in which it impacts the ages of Peter Parker (Tom Holland) and the students at his high school relative to one another — and "The Falcon and the Winter Soldier." The Blip serves an important role in the plot of the latter, but for purely political reasons and on a macro scale. How the Blip might have affected people with close relationships to one another, whether romantic or not, remains largely unexplored outside of the conversation between Fury and Varra in "Secret Invasion" Episode 3.

Given how severely the Blip alters everyday life, there are still near-endless stories about its impact Marvel is leaving on the table, effectively ignoring what could be one of its most powerful stories since "Avengers: Endgame."

A Blip movie or TV show would most likely have to keep superheroes in the background of a story primarily about how the sudden disappearance and eventual return of a loved one — be it a romantic partner or a pet cat — drastically changes everyday life. Of course, the fact that such a project would lack the superhero element that defines virtually every Marvel project seems to be the biggest obstacle to its realization. That said, with the MCU now bigger than ever, it's at least not entirely outside the realm of possibility for Marvel to dedicate a project to an event rather than a hero or group of heroes. Furthermore, given its gravity, the types of stories that might result from this event are countless, and could theoretically drive even a multi-season TV show.

A concept as big, compelling, and unique as the Blip arguably deserves a spotlight as much as any superhero. Whether it's a lack of superpowered storylines or the perhaps more somber tone necessary to bring such a project to life, a Blip-focused entry in the Marvel Cinematic Universe might be a hard sell, but the at this point the fact that Marvel has yet to explore the emotional weight of this flagship moment is starting to seem like a major missed opportunity.