Secret Invasion Star Addresses Marvel Fan Backlash to Their Character’s Death

The first episode of Secret Invasion was released on Disney+ this week, and it featured an unexpected death. Warning: Spoilers Ahead! In the premiere episode, “Ressurection,” Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) attempts to stop a bombing planned by the Skrulls with the help of his allies, Talos (Ben Mendelsohn) and Maria Hill (Cobie Smulders). The team is unable to prevent the attack and Gravik (Kingsley Ben-Adir) morphs into Fury and shoots Hill. The episode ends with her death, and some Marvel fans are not happy that she died just as the show was getting started. During an interview with Vanity Fair, Smulders addressed the fan backlash to her character’s death. 

“I mean, listen, it would’ve been great,” Smulders said about potentially getting more time in the MCU. “Of course I would’ve loved to do more, but I trust that Marvel is doing the storyline that they think is best.” She added, “I feel bad if their reaction is negative and they don’t like it, but I think that there is also something positive to take away from that … They were so connected to the story and these characters that they cared. That is beautiful and wonderful.”

Smulders previously talked about her role in Secret Invasion and made it seems as though she is happy with how things played out. 

“I’m really excited about it and it’s a very different tone that I have seen, especially like having Sam in anything is just a thrill to watch but I think it really like just sets his character up in a really interesting way that I’ve always wanted to see, so I was really excited about that,” Smulders told TV Line. “I would like to say it’s the most depth I’ve been able to show off Maria Hill. I think that’s the beauty of the series that Marvel is doing, is you’re able to really like get the backstory of these characters like what is, what are the conversations that happen when they’re just sitting around drinking coffee. You know, it’s not like we gotta get the guy to go do the thing like we gotta save the world, again, you know it’s like, well, let’s just have a chat. Let’s go for a walk, you know, so we get to have those kinds of moments and be a little bit more intimate with the characters, so it’s really exciting.”

What Is Secret Invasion About?

The MCU’s top superspy Nick Fury is back in Secret Invasion, the limited series premiering June 21st on Disney+. Samuel L. Jackson returns in the new Marvel Studios series, showcasing Fury’s attempt to get to the bottom of a Skrull invasion that goes all the way to the most powerful positions in various governments and organizations on the planet. In Secret Invasion, Fury teams with allies Maria Hill (Cobie Smulders), Everett Ross (Martin Freeman), and Talos (Ben Mendelsohn), while James Rhodes AKA War Machine will appear in a mysterious capacity. Other newcomers to the Marvel Cinematic Universe include Emilia Clarke, Olivia Colman, and Kingsley Ben-Adir.