3 Years Ago, A Major MCU Hero Was Quietly Killed Off For Good

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Over the years, the Marvel Cinematic Universe has had its share of character deaths, but significant characters haven’t often died in lesser-known projects. That recently happened to a character who’d been around for a long time. Expect more deaths in Marvel movies and shows starting in 2026, especially with the arrival of The Punisher and the new Spider-Man storyline, ‘Brand New Day,’ which is likely to feature plenty of action and loss.

Okay, so from what I’m hearing, things are about to get really intense in the MCU. The next Avengers movie, reportedly called Doomsday, is going to tackle a full-on multiversal crisis and finally introduce Doctor Doom – and apparently, not everyone’s making it out alive. Plus, the Disney+ shows aren’t holding back either; word is season two of Daredevil: Born Again and a special presentation for The Punisher are going to be pretty brutal. Basically, Marvel’s planning to kill off some big names in their upcoming stuff, but hopefully, these deaths will have more impact than some of the smaller character losses we saw back in Phase 1.

Marvel Killed A Major Character In A Controversial MCU Release

The Multiverse Saga has included some MCU projects that audiences haven’t loved, like The Marvels, which is the lowest-performing Marvel movie so far. A previous TV show laid the groundwork for The Marvels, but it didn’t generate much buzz. Then, on June 21, 2023, Secret Invasion premiered on Disney+, focusing on a Skrull invasion of Earth.

As a big Marvel fan, I was really excited to finally see Samuel L. Jackson’s Nick Fury get his own series with Secret Invasion. Sadly, it just didn’t quite live up to the hype. It seems a lot of other people felt the same way, because the numbers weren’t great. According to Samba TV, Secret Invasion only pulled in around 994,000 views in its first five days on Disney+. That was the second lowest debut for a Marvel show, with Ms. Marvel being the only one that performed worse at 775,000 views.

In a surprising move that caught many Marvel fans off guard, a long-standing character was killed off. At the end of the first episode of Secret Invasion, Maria Hill, played by Cobie Smulders, is fatally shot by Gravik, a Skrull who had disguised himself as Nick Fury.

Why Maria Hill’s Secret Invasion Death Was A Bad MCU Move

Maria Hill’s death in the MCU was really disappointing, especially considering her potential. After being a supporting character for so long, she was finally poised to take a central role in Secret Invasion. The show even hinted at a compelling dynamic and conflict with Nick Fury, making her sudden death feel particularly unfair.

Initially devoted to Fury, Hill became increasingly annoyed by his extended time in space. Rather than exploring the resulting strain on their relationship, the story relied on a tired Hollywood cliché: killing off a female character to drive the plot forward for a male character – a trope that’s faced criticism repeatedly. Ultimately, the death felt like it was meant to be shocking rather than meaningful.

The death of Maria Hill, orchestrated by Gravik while disguised as Nick Fury, was a particularly shocking moment. While the multiverse offers a way to potentially bring Cobie Smulders back as Hill in the next two Avengers films, Marvel might choose to leave her death permanent, hoping fans will eventually overlook the mixed reception of the show where it occurred.

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2026-01-18 18:58