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Secret Invasion just had its premiere on Disney+, and it dropped a couple of Skrull bombs on the fans. The ending of the episode turned out to be a shocker for many fans as it put one beloved MCU character in a tough spot, and that character is none other than Maria Hill.
Disclaimer: The following article contains spoilers for Secret Invasion episode 1, Resurrection.
Cobie Smulders’ Maria Hill has been a lovable supporting character since The Avengers. Following her debut, she played small roles in Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Avengers: Age of Ultron, Avengers: Infinity War, and Spider-Man: Far From Home. But now, when a series could have given her some more well-deserved spotlight, her fate surprisingly hangs in the balance.
What happened to Maria Hill in Secret Invasion episode 1?
Towards the end of Secret Invasion episode 1, Nick Fury, Talos, and Maria Hill went after three different bomb carriers that turned out to be decoys. The real bombs were planted elsewhere by Skrull Rebellion leader Gravik, who successfully armed all of them while taunting Nick Fury, causing hundreds of people to die.
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Following those explosions, Gravik further proved himself to be a huge threat by taking Fury’s form and luring Maria Hill towards him. Before the real Fury arrived, Gravik shot Hill in the stomach, leaving her to die. By the time Fury got to her, she had already bled a lot and had seemingly taken her last breath in Fury’s arms.
Talos pulled Fury away from the scene in order to prevent him from getting caught. The last shot of the episode was the camera slowly zooming out over her potential corpse. With her showing no signs of movement and Fury leaving her, it was implied that she is gone for good. So yes, Maria Hill is dead.
Could Maria Hill still return after episode 1?
The MCU has resurrected several characters in the past. Even Nick Fury faked his death, while Bucky was brought back from a much worse situation. But the cliffhanger ending of Secret Invasion episode 1 certainly made it seem that she would not be returning in the upcoming episodes.
There are ways in which her death could have been prevented. For instance, Vibranium could have been used on her gunshot wound to stabilize her condition, just like it was used on Everett Ross. But Fury and Talos obviously did not have access to the mineral. They couldn’t do anything in the situation and had to leave their comrade’s failing body lying in the chaos.
The MCU is known for undoing character deaths, but that won’t happen in the case of Maria Hill. She will not be making any miraculous returns in the latter episodes, as her death was a means to set up Gravik as a menacing and dangerous villain. Undoing it would also undo the buildup of Gravik’s character. Even though she was a great supporting character, she was also expendable.
The only way we might see Maria Hill in the upcoming episodes is if Gravik or some other Skrull from his rebellion takes her form to taunt Nick Fury. We shouldn’t expect to see Smulders playing the role again after Secret Invasion episode 1, Resurrection.
Secret Invasion episode 2 will air on Disney+ on June 28.
