Marvel Studios' most recent Disney+ series, Secret Invasion, wasted no time in establishing some pretty big stakes by killing off a popular supporting character at the end of its season premiere.
Though she only made a few sporadic appearances over the years, Maria Hill (Cobie Smulders) had been an MCU mainstay since the first Avengers movie, and returned to Nick Fury's side once again to help him face the threat of a Skrull invasion.
Unfortunately, Hill was gunned down by the ruthless Gravik after a devastating Skrull bomb attack in Russia, dying in Fury's arms.
On the latest episode of Disney+'s behind-the-scenes show, Marvel Studios Assembled, Secret Invasion executive producer and writer Brian Tucker explains the decision to take Hill off the board so early.
“One of the kind of just most important decisions that we had to make early on was to really illustrate the scale and the reality of the danger that Gravik and his rebels pose to humans. And to do that, we couldn’t allow all of our characters to make it out safely. This is a contest for the planet. It’s being fought on the ground and it’s gonna be bloody. There will be casualties in this conflict, and that means making those tough decisions to say goodbye to beloved characters.”
Marvel Studios projects have often been accused of playing it too safe - especially with the recent advent of the Multiverse - so it's understandable that Secret Invasion would attempt to shake things up a little. However, killing off Ben Mendelsohn's Talos in a later episode was viewed by many fans as unnecessary, since Fury already had plenty of motivation to defeat Gravik after Hill's demise.
Director Ali Selim confirmed that, as far as he's concerned, both characters will remain dead in a recent interview.
"I don't know what's going to happen to Maria Hill or Talos. They're dead. One is burned, and the other is buried. But in the MCU, anything can happen. So, where are they going to end up? I don't know."
How did you feel about the deaths of Maria Hill and Talos in Secret Invasion? Be sure to share your thoughts in the comments section down below.
"In Marvel Studios’ new series Secret Invasion, set in the present day MCU, Nick Fury learns of a clandestine invasion of Earth by a faction of shapeshifting Skrulls. Fury joins his allies, including Everett Ross, Maria Hill and the Skrull Talos, who has made a life for himself on Earth. Together they race against time to thwart an imminent Skrull invasion and save humanity."
The series stars Samuel L. Jackson, Ben Mendelsohn, Cobie Smulders, Martin Freeman, Kingsley Ben-Adir, Charlayne Woodard, Killian Scott, Samuel Adewunmi, Dermot Mulroney, Christopher McDonald, Katie Finneran, with Emilia Clarke, Olivia Colman, and Don Cheadle.
Ali Selim directs and executive-produces, along with fellow executive producers Kevin Feige, Jonathan Schwartz, Louis D’Esposito, Victoria Alonso, Brad Winderbaum, Samuel L. Jackson, Ali Selim, Kyle Bradstreet and Brian Tucker. Kyle Bradstreet is also the head writer, and Jennifer L. Booth, Allana Williams and Brant Englestein serve as co-executive producers.
If you want to know my thoughts on Secret Invasion, and much more besides, you can have a listen to the first episode of the Roll Credits podcast below.