Marvel Failed Secret Invasion’s Big Death Character After A Decade Of False Promise
CAUTION: The following content contains SPOILERS for Secret Invasion episode 1.
The demise of Maria Hill in the first episode of Secret Invasion fails to do justice to her character’s promising legacy. As Hill, Nick Fury, and Talos try to intercept the rogue Skrull’s bombing of the Unity Day festival, Hill is shot and apparently killed by Gravik disguised as Fury. Secret Invasion promised to be an unpredictable journey in a show filled with shapeshifting Skrulls. However, few expected the death of this character to be one of the twists, at least not this early in the series.
Maria Hill has been an icon in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) since the early days of the Avengers, even though she had a more supporting role. She has always been by Fury’s side, and Secret Invasion looked to be the same. Actress Cobie Smulders stated that Secret Invasion would give Maria Hill her most in-depth look yet, so expectations were high for the agent to play a significant role. Killing her off so early in the series cuts her story short. Although the MCU often finds a way to bring characters back, if Hill is genuinely dead, Marvel will have failed her character immensely.
After Hill is seemingly shot by Fury, she looks visibly betrayed until Gravik reveals his true identity. The real Fury arrives in an attempt to save her, but he and Talos are forced to flee the scene. The episode ends with a shot of Hill’s body left on the ground, meaning Fury is unlikely to get proper closure for her death. Fury and Hill have spent years working together, and Fury has incredible trust in Hill. At the core of it all, the two are good friends. Having already experienced the death of one trusted partner in Phil Coulson, Hill’s death will undoubtedly light a fire under Fury. The show likely killed off Hill to make Fury realize the consequences of his deserting the Skrulls, and her death had to happen early to be a catalyst for the rest of the series. It puts the stakes on clear display for both Fury and the audience.
Although making Maria Hill’s death the catalyst for Fury’s actions seems like a noble sacrifice, it repeats an awful superhero movie trope that could have been avoided. Female characters in superhero movies are often killed off as a plot point for the sake of another, often male, character’s growth. Even if their death is played off as a world-saving necessity, it still disrespects their individual arc by implying that their existence is expendable for the larger story’s sake.
The MCU is no stranger to killing off its female characters for a plot point. Black Widow’s death was seemingly necessary to obtain the Soul Stone, but Marvel could have easily chosen to kill Hawkeye in Endgame instead. In fact, it might have even made more sense to kill a guilt-ridden Clint Barton, who wanted to repent for his actions. Gamora was similarly sacrificed by Thanos for the Soul Stone, and although she returned, the version of her with immense growth is gone from the MCU forever. Even the DCEU has done this recently, having Barry Allen’s mom’s murder be a huge catalyst for his story.
Maria Hill made her MCU debut in The Avengers in 2012. She is one of the core pillars of the universe with Fury, but all her dedicated years have never earned her a solo MCU story. Secret Invasion looked to be the chance to explore her character more, especially with Smulders’ previous comments. However, after episode one, it seems like Hill will die without ever getting her own real story. Unless Secret Invasion reveals her death to be fake somehow, Hill will exit the MCU without proper closure to her legacy.
With episode one of Secret Invasion being surrounded by various criticisms, the treatment of MCU icon Maria Hill has been one of the most significant. The show promised to be an espionage political thriller, and it would have been the perfect premise for Hill’s true capabilities to shine. However, her death seems to be a necessary catalyst for Fury’s growth in the series. Even if Secret Invasion brings Hill back somehow, the MCU has already failed her by making her nothing more than a damaging trope.
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WARNING: This article contains SPOILERS for Secret Invasion episode 1.The death of Maria Hill at the end of episode one of Secret Invasion fails to pay off the character’s promising legacy. As Hill, Nick Fury, and Talos attempt to intercept the renegade Skrull’s bombing of the Unity Day festival, Hill is shot and seemingly killed by Gravik disguised as Fury. In a show filled with shapeshifting Skrulls, Secret Invasion promised to be an unpredictable journey. However, few expected this character’s death to be one of the twists -at least not this early.
Though often having a more supporting role, Maria Hill has been an icon in the MCU since the early days of the Avengers. She has always been by Fury’s side, and Secret Invasion looked to be no different. Actress Cobie Smulders even said that Secret Invasion would give Maria Hill her most in-depth look yet, so expectations were high for the agent to play a major role. Killing her off so early in the series cuts her story short. The MCU often finds a way to bring characters back, but if Hill truly is dead, Marvel will have hugely failed her character.
Why Secret Invasion Killed Maria Hill
After Hill is seemingly shot by Fury, she looks visibly betrayed until Gravik reveals his true identity. The real, distraught Fury then arrives in an attempt to save her, but he and Talos are forced to flee the scene. The episode ends with a shot of Hill’s body left on the ground, meaning Fury likely won’t get proper closure for her death.
Fury and Hill have spent years working together. Fury has incredible trust in Hill and at the core of it all, the two are good friends. Already having experienced the death of one trusted partner in Phil Coulson, Hill’s death will definitely light a fire under Fury. The show likely killed off Hill to make Fury realize the consequences of him deserting the Skrulls, and her death had to happen so early to be a catalyst for the rest of the series. It puts the stakes on clear display for both Fury and the audience.
Secret Invasion Killing Maria Hill Repeated An Awful Superhero Movie Trope
Though making Maria Hill’s death the catalyst for Fury’s actions seems like a noble sacrifice, it repeats an awful superhero movie trope that could’ve been avoided. Female characters in superhero movies are often killed off as a plot point for the sake of another, often male, character’s growth. Even if their death is played off as a world-saving necessity, it still disrespects their individual arc by implying that their existence is expendable for the larger story’s sake.
The MCU is no stranger to killing off its female characters for a plot point. Black Widow’s death was seemingly necessary to obtain the Soul Stone, but Marvel could’ve easily chosen to kill Hawkeye in Endgame instead. In fact, it might’ve even made more sense to kill a guilt-ridden Clint Barton, who wanted to repent for his actions. Gamora was similarly sacrificed by Thanos for the Soul Stone, and although she returned, the version of her with immense growth is gone from the MCU forever. Even the DCEU has done this recently, having Barry Allen’s mom’s murder be a huge catalyst for his story.
Maria Hill Never Got Her Own Real MCU Story
Maria Hill made her MCU debut in The Avengers all the way back in 2012. She is one of the core pillars of the universe with Fury, but all her dedicated years have never earned her a solo MCU story. Secret Invasion looked to be the chance to explore her character more, especially with Smulders’ previous comments. After episode one, however, it seems like Hill will die without ever getting her own real story. Unless Secret Invasion reveals her death to be fake somehow, Hill will exit the MCU without proper closure to her legacy.
With episode one of Secret Invasion being surrounded by various criticisms, the treatment of MCU icon Maria Hill has been one of the biggest. The show promised to be an espionage political thriller, and it would’ve been the perfect premise for Hill’s true capabilities to shine. However, her death seems to be a necessary catalyst for Fury’s growth in the series. Even if Secret Invasion brings Hill back somehow, the MCU has already failed her by making her nothing more than a damaging trope.
