Looking back now, I still can’t believe theMCUappears to have permanently killed off a character that the franchise had already been given a perfect excuse to bring back from their demise.The MCU timelineis no stranger to killing off major characters, and this has become significantly more true in recent years, with the likes ofAvengers: Infinity War’s ending temporarily ending half of all known life, andAvengers: Endgameseeing the death of original Avengers Iron Man and Black Widow. However, the franchise has also been no stranger to fakeout deaths and revivals over the course of its run either.
Loki is perhaps the most obvious figure that comes to mind here, given his fakeout death inThor: The Dark World, his actual death inAvengers: Infinity War, his revival inLoki, and his subsequent huge number of deaths and revivals in the time loop that defines the last chapter ofLokiseason 2. With that said, while Loki is the perfect example when it comes to showing what the MCU’s death mechanics can look like, the franchise has given at least one faked death to a wide range of heroes and villains. As such, the notable decision to end the life of one MCU character for good is all the more jarringly striking.
Maria Hill’s Death Was One Of The Most Controversial Parts Of Secret Invasion
Maria Hill’s MCU story hadn’t brought her to the forefront of the on-screen world’s stories in quite the way the comics have at points by 2023, but this seemed a fair move given that Marvel’s comic world had far more time and releases in which to explore all of its characters. That said, Hill’s story prior toSecret Invasionwasn’t inconsiderable, with the character appearing in every Avengers movie in some capacity as well asCaptain America: Civil War, and being established as a key player in the franchise via her involvement in things like the Avengers' formation and operation and helping take down HYDRA.
All of this served to set up a bedrock for Maria Hill’s story that suggested she could follow in her comic iteration’s footsteps and be a notable figure in the MCU’s stories for years to come. However, the first episode ofSecret Invasionmade these hopes seem effectively impossible, since the show kicks off its story withMaria Hill’s death, asthe character is killed by Gravik disguised as Nick Fury.
While it initially seemed there could be more to this given the twisty story of the Secret Invasion comic, the show continued and ended with no sign of Hill’s death being anything but a permanent one. This served as something of a major disappointment for many viewers, and set the stage forSecret Invasion’s lackluster critical reception, since Hill’s death didn’t seem to have any real narrative purpose, resulting in complaints that her murder was simply because she was expendable to the franchise at this point in time versus any more significant reasoning.
Marvel Comics Make Maria Hill’s MCU Death Look Even Worse
Maria Hill seemingly being permanently killed off inSecret Invasion’s first episode is especially wild feeling when compared to the comics, as a notable element of Hill’s story is her use of Life-Model Decoys. Life-Model Decoys - or LMDs - are perfect recreations of the person in question who are able to act essentially as clones, and who Hill has historically used and sacrificed in her stead to prevent her own death.
In fact, this happens in the original 2008 Secret Invasion storyline, where the character reveals to a group of Skrull who are preparing to kill her that she took Nick Fury Sr’s advice and had a Life Model Decoy made of herself to protect her during scenarios like this. When the Skrulls shoot her, this is confirmed to be the case, as it’s Maria’s android replica that gets damaged, allowing the real version of Hill to get the upper hand over her attackers.
GivenSecret Invasionappeared to be adapting exactly this comic run, it added extra insult to injury about Maria instead dying for good in the MCU iteration of the storyline, since the franchise had the perfect excuse to flip it around. Maria’s use of LMDs has cropped up in enough stories to be a notable part of her overarching comic arc, and while there are examples that likely wouldn’t translate so easily to the MCU - like more than one decoy dying in close succession in the 2017 Jessica Jones comic run, to Jones’s own exasperation - Secret Invasion’s example seems a pretty solid template for things.
Even if there were concerns about whether the Life-Model Decoys would cheapen death in the franchise, the dissolution of SHIELD could easily have been used to justify only having a single LMD remaining in the franchise, meaning they could justify a lone death fakeout while also explaining it would never happen again - which would have also explained why Tony Stark referenced Life-Model Decoys inThe Avengersall those years ago. Instead,the MCU adapted a story that actively shows how to avoid killing Maria Hill off, and intentionally chose to include her death regardless.
The MCU’s Maria Hill Death Story May Be Tied To Another Marvel Show
While there are several explanations that may factor into why the MCU’s rendition ofSecret Invasiondecided to kill off Maria Hill and forgo using Life-Model Decoys, it’s worth noting that one thing that could play a role in this is that the wider franchise had already made them a part of its story. As previously mentioned, Tony Stark jokes that Phil Coulson is speaking to a Life-Model Decoy of Iron Man when on the phone with him inThe Avengers, setting the stage for the concept early on, as it seemed he may have been aware of SHIELD producing the androids.
Perhaps more importantly, though,Agents Of SHIELDused the concept of Live-Model Decoys considerably throughout its run- which makes sense, given the SHIELD-focused installment would naturally explore a concept that is tied closely to SHIELD in the comics. Given this idea is explored inAgents of SHIELD, it’s possible that it was avoided inSecret Invasiondespite the source material using them to avoid any potential story repetition. Similarly, avoiding this story avenue ensured the Disney+ show didn’t risk unintentionally suggesting anything aboutAgents of SHIELD’s MCU canon status.
Agents of SHIELD’s run ended significantly beforeSecret Invasion, with the Marvel show releasing between 2013-2020.
TheMCUcould revive Maria Hill going forward, but now it’s been 2 years since her death, this could seem more like a retroactive retcon that risks reigniting frustrations about how her story has been handled. Indeed, the only smooth way it seems Hill could return isifAvengers: Secret Warsdoes actually end with a soft rebootfor the franchise, as has been theorized for some time. Whatever the case, the comparison between theSecret Invasionshow and comics will likely remain a less-admired point of the MCU’s history as it continues onward.
Marvel Cinematic Universe
The Marvel Cinematic Universe is a multimedia superhero franchise that began in 2008 with Paramount’s Iron Man starring Robert Downey Jr. The franchise quickly grew in popularity, with Disney eventually buying out Marvel Entertainment in 2009. The MCU consists of dozens of movies and TV shows, most notably Avengers: Endgame, WandaVision, and Loki.
