Major spoilers for the series premiere of Marvel’s Secret Invasion lie ahead, so read at your own risk.
After much anticipation, Marvel Studios’ Secret Invasion has finally arrived. The miniseries, which is available to stream with a Disney+ subscription, sees Samuel L. Jackson’s now-eyepatch-less Nick Fury seeking to stop a sector of Skrulls from taking over Earth. The first episode laid out that premise quite clearly while also making it extremely evident that Fury is not the person he once was. Now, chances are he’ll have an extra chip on his shoulder throughout the remainder of the show’s run. The man who brought the Avengers together was dealt a devastating loss at the end of the premiere though, at this point, I’m not completely convinced that it’s going to stick.
One Of Nick Fury’s Closest Allies Seemingly Met The Ultimate Fate
Over the past few years, Marvel Cinematic Universe fans have had to say goodbye to a number of fan-favorite characters, and it would appear that yet another one has bitten the dust. Former S.H.I.E.L.D. agent Maria Hill, who’s played by the wonderful Cobie Smulders, was killed at the very end of Secret Invasion’s opening episode, “Ressurection.” And if that weren’t enough, there was a tragic twist to the development.
The tragedy happens within the final few moments of the installment, during which Hill, Fury and Skrull ally Talos attempt to thwart a bomb-related attack in Russia. Said terrorist act was orchestrated by Skrull resistance leader Gravik, and the heroes received intel about it from Talos’ daughter, G’iah. Things go awry, however, as they learn that the bombs they were tracking, which were said to be carried by Gravik’s operatives were fak. And the real explosives go off as they realize that. Amid the chaos, Fury is distracted by a shapeshifting Skrull who turns out to be Gravik, who later – while taking on the form of Nick – shoots Hill in cold blood. All the real Fury can subsequently do is hold his comrade as she apparently succumbs to her wounds.
It goes without saying that a number of hardcore MCU devotees are probably saddened to see the franchise vet go. After all, she’s been around for some of the biggest moments across the history of extensive franchise. From the Battle of New York to Thanos’ decimation of half the world’s population, Maria saw quite a bit in her time. However, at this point in time, I honestly don’t completely buy that she’s truly dead.
Why I’m Still Hesitant To Buy Into Maria Hill’s Death
So I’ll admit that I could just simply be in denial about all of this, but something just doesn’t sit right with me. One of the biggest reasons for that is the somewhat rushed nature of the death scene. Yes, it’s dramatically ironic, considering Maria is killed by someone posing as her boss, yet it just doesn’t feel all that definitive. It’d definitely be unfair to expect a moment that rivals Tony Stark or Natasha Romanoff’s deaths, mind you. But you’d still think that it would be orchestrated in a more impactful way if it were indeed the end of Hill. (Of course, I could also just be giving Marvel Studios too much credit, and this is just how Hill passes on.)
The staging of the scene aside though, there’s still a narrative reason to believe that Colbie Smulders’ heroine might still be kicking. We’ve seen MCU characters “die” in the past only for them to return, including Nick Fury himself. He famously used a heart-rate depressant to help fake his own shooting death in 2014’s Captain America: The Winter Soldier. Like that movie, Secret Invasion is a gritty thriller with plenty of twists and turns. So it wouldn’t be out of the realm of possibility for a similar fake-out to occur. It would admittedly be repetitive if the storytelling device were to be reused, but still.
Again, I could very well just be overthinking this, but I don’t think I’ll truly be convinced of Maria Hill’s death until the series closes and she doesn’t return alive in the present. Regardless of whether that happens though, this plot point is a clear indicator that the six-episode show is going to dish out some shocking developments. It’s sure to be an incredibly dark and twist-filled conspiracy ride that hopefully proves to be the intense and action-packed drama that the trailers teased. Only time will tell if that – as well as a potential return for Maria –comes to pass.
Secret Invasion drops new episodes on Tuesdays as part of the 2023 TV schedule. Be sure that you also check out CinemaBlend’s listing of upcoming Marvel TV shows, in case you’re already wondering what’s going to follow this latest offering.
