‘Secret Invasion’ Episode 1: Is Maria Hill Really Dead?

The first episode of ‘Secret Invasion‘ is officially released, and we dove right into the middle of a secret war that the Skrulls are waging against humanity in their attempts to take over the Earth to serve as their new home. We went into the series expecting paranoia, intrigue, and lots of action, but what we didn’t expect is that one of the fan-favorite supporting characters would seemingly die right before our eyes. We’re talking about the shocking last scene in episode 1, during which Nick Fury cradles in his arms, injured Maria Hill. Due to this, we decided to analyze the ending in a bit more detail to bring you the answer whether Maria Hill is truly dead in the MCU? 

Everything points in the direction that Maria Hill is dead. She was shot in her midsection, which raises the chances of bleeding out by quite a lot. Considering the chaos in Vossoyedineniye Square following the bombing, it’s likely that the emergency services won’t be able to help her in time. Maria Hill was shot by Gravik, who posed as Nick Fury. The fact that Cobie Smulders is credited as a special guest in the episodes also leads us to believe that she is, in fact, dead.

Now that we’ve given you a brief summary of what happened, it’s time to explain it in a bit more detail. If you’re interested in more, stay with us and keep reading!

Maria Hill summoned Nick Fury on Talos’ request 

Maria Hill and Nick Fury worked together for a very long time. She served as his right hand in S.H.I.E.L.D., but the two parted ways, with Fury cutting almost all communication when he decided to make S.A.B.E.R. his new home following everything that happened to him during the Snap. 

At the beginning of ‘Secret Invasion,’ we see Nick Fury returning to Earth, but Hill later clarifies that it wasn’t her that called him. Talos insisted that Fury has to return to Earth due to the situation with Skrulls and their attempts to take over the Earth. 

When Fury left, he made a lot of people mad, including Gravik, who took over the Skrull council and gathered around himself Skrull rebels who were willing to join his cause. 

As the story so far goes, Gravik was hurt that Fury left without making good on his promise to provide Skrulls with a new home planet. He started working toward instigating a war between America and Russians by staging terrorist incidents between several groups that will, in truth, be carried out by Skrulls posing as humans.

Skrulls aim to infiltrate higher powers in the society in order to take over Earth, they have a cause, and they are sick of waiting for Captain Marvel and Fury to deliver what was promised to them. 

Fury seems to be the only person that might be able to stop them if only others would share this opinion. 

Maria warned Fury that someone would get killed 

One recurring theme over the course of the first episode is that most people that Fury comes across believe that he is too old and emotionally damaged to be involved in this crisis. He got the same comments from Talos, Sonya, and even from random people. 

Hill was also quite honest and straightforward with Fury, telling him that he used to be three steps ahead of everyone and that he seems lost nowadays, unable to keep up with things rapidly changing around him. And this sort of situation often leads to someone getting seriously or even killed. 

You need to be on top of the game to be able to stop a well-connected cell of radical aliens from taking over Earth, and Fury doesn’t seem like he is on top of his game. He appears old and ragged-looking, with his “other eye barely working.” 

Maria Hill was shot in Vossoyedineniye Square by Gravik, who posed as Nick Fury 

After Hill, Talos, and Fury discovered via Talos’ daughter G’iah that the attack with the dirty bomb would be carried out during the celebration of the Reunion Day on the Vossoyedineniye Square, all three of them aimed to stop the attack from happening by promptly identifying the bags containing the bomb and preventing them from being detonated.

They were, however, duped by Gravik, and the bags that were marked with infrared spray contained nothing. Gravik still managed to detonate the bomb, and chaos ensued. 

As he was searching for the bombs, Fury was often distracted by people, including the girl with the rainbow ball and other passersby. He wasn’t on top of his game at all, as it seemed like this was the first moment that he realized that there were far more Skrulls on Earth working against them than he ever believed. 

Fury relied too much on the intel they got from G’iah, which cost him dearly. The bomb was still detonated, and ultimately, using his own skin, Gravik came close to Hill and shot her in the stomach. She collapsed on the ground, seemingly dying. 

Fury approached Hill, and she told him, “It was you,” with Fury defending himself. One of the last scenes shows Hill seemingly dying in Fury’s arms. Fury’s worst nightmare has come true, the fact that someone important to him got killed because he wasn’t three steps ahead. 

The chances of Maria Hill surviving are slim. She was shot in the vital area, which makes bleeding out likely. She probably won’t be able to get medical attention fast because plenty of injured people need medical attention due to several bombs going off on the square.

It seems like this is Maria’s last appearance in the MCU (not counting possible flashbacks), and she will be dearly missed. 

Hill’s death hasn’t been confirmed just yet, and it wouldn’t be strange that she survives by some unknown but highly improbable means. It wouldn’t be the first time that something like that happened in the MCU. Still, the odds of that happening are slim, and we will probably get a confirmation on what really happened next Wednesday when episode 2 gets released. 

The fact that Cobie Smulders was credited as a special guest likewise doesn’t help her cause. 

What do you think? Is Maria Hill dead and gone from the MCU? Let us know in the comments below!