Summary
Marvel Studio’s lowest-rated series included two significantMCUdeaths that hurt worse than they did one year ago. It’s been over a year since Marvel’sSecret Invasionappeared on Disney+. While the series started strong, it unraveled quickly and became the lowest-rated Marvel series, especially its finale.Secret Invasionsuffered from low viewership, only reaching 994,000 viewers within its first five days. Despite this, the series was highly anticipated by comic book readers due to its source material, but many found it an underwhelming release that wasted one of Marvel’s most iconic storylines forthe MCU timeline.
While the show was disappointing, it did have some shocking moments. Marvel isn’t known for killing many of its characters, butSecret Invasionincluded the deaths of two major characters; Ben Mendelsohn’s Talos, andCobie Smulders' Maria Hill. Both of these characters appeared in multiple MCU movies, but died in the Disney+ series, leaving plenty unaware they’d even been killed off as a result. These endings didn’t sit right with many viewers, and they still don’t one year later.
1 Year On, I’m Still Not Over How Badly The MCU Messed Up Its Lowest Rated Show
Now that one year has passed since the release of the MCU’s lowest-rated series, I can say that I’m still not over how much it disappointed me.
Maria Hill’s And Talos' deaths in Secret Invasion Were Wasted
Maria Hill first appeared inThe Avengersas the Deputy Director of S.H.I.E.L.D. and Nick Fury’s right hand. Smulders reprised the role several times throughout the MCU, includingAvengers: Age of Ultron,Captain America: The Winter Soldier, andSpider-Man: Far From Home. She was a valuable asset to the Avengers, and to Fury as one of his most loyal agents. Talos debuted inCaptain Marvelas a general of the Skrull Council who showed the truth about the Kree to Carol Danvers. He also appeared in a post-credits scene inFar From Homebefore returning inSecret Invasion.
During the series, both characters are killed byGravik, the villainous Skrulldetermined to turn the Earth into the Skrull’s new home.Neither character received heroic deaths, as both were unceremoniously killed in battle. They were also used as emotional motivation, with Hill’s death occurred early to give Nick Fury more to fight for. Similarly, Talos' death was used as a way to inspire G’iah to fight Gravik in a CGI-filled confrontation. While Hill and Talos weren’t central characters in the MCU, they were still impactful heroes who deserved more attention for their conclusions.
Secret Invasion’s Events Don’t Seem Important To The MCU
Another unfortunate aspect of Hill’s and Talos' deaths is that the events ofSecret Invasionmay not be important to the MCU.The Marvels, which included Nick Fury and Skrulls, didn’t mention anything that happened inSecret Invasiononce, and the events seemingly had no impact on Fury- or at least, not one that has been actively explored. InThe Marvels, a group of Skrulls are sent to New Asgard on Earth as a possible new home, with no mention of the president’s declaration of war against their species.
Secret Invasionalso didn’t get high viewership numbers for an MCU series, so many haven’t seen Hill and Talos' deaths, and may not even be aware they’re now dead in the franchise. Given the overarching events ofSecret Invasionhaven’t yet been referenced,there’s a very real chance these deaths will never be addressed again, since they don’t seem to factor into the MCU’s current story. As such, it’s unlikely the issues with these deaths will get a later adjustment or payoff anytime in the near future.
