Unleashing Marvel's Unprecedented Bloodshed: Death Becomes Inconsequential

Warning! This article contains SPOILERS for Marvel's Secret Invasion episode 4. In episode 4 of Secret Invasion, the Marvel Cinematic Universe TV show undermines the gravity of previous and future deaths. It's widely known in superhero and comic book adaptations that death does not always mark the end for a character. The MCU has shown this through examples like Phil Coulson's resurrection in Agents of SHIELD. Therefore, death has been proven reversible in various ways. However, Secret Invasion initially appeared to deviate from this pattern.

At the end of episode 1, Maria Hill is shot and killed by Gravik, who is posing as Nick Fury. While viewers may have expected the show to reverse this and reveal Hill to be a Skrull, episode 2 seemingly confirms her death when Fury returns her body to her mother. This established the notion that deaths in Secret Invasion were genuine and permanent - until they were not.

Secret Invasion Episode 4's Return Makes ALL Of Its Deaths Meaningless

In Secret Invasion episode 3, Gravik discovers that G'iah, who was part of his camp, is the mole. He shoots her in the woods near New Skrullos. However, in episode 4, it is revealed that before leaving New Skrullos, G'iah gave herself the healing powers of Extremis. This allows her to heal from the gunshot wound to her heart, escape, and reunite with her father, Talos. This flashback sequence undermines the significance of the deaths in Secret Invasion. It opens the possibility for the show to continuously use flashbacks to revive dead characters and potentially undermine other deaths in the series. For instance, the show could reveal that Maria Hill was actually a Skrull and the body delivered to her mother by Fury was fake. Secret Invasion could also portray G'iah giving Talos the same Extremis powers that saved her. The writers have the ability to undo deaths and, in doing so, diminish the impact of past and future deaths on the show.

How Secret Invasion Can Fix Its Death Problem

Re-establishing the impact of deaths in Secret Invasion seems almost impossible. The sheer number of deaths in the show has already diminished their shock value, especially with three occurring in the first four episodes (although technically reduced to two now). The recent death of Talos in episode 4 further diminishes the impact, as starting an episode by undoing a previous death makes it difficult for another character's demise to have the same emotionally wrenching effect, regardless of Samuel L. Jackson's compelling performance.

To truly raise the stakes and restore the gravity of character deaths, Secret Invasion must make both Hill and Talos's endings permanent, as well as any future deaths. However, the fact that G'iah was resurrected through a flashback scene lingers in viewers' minds, serving as evidence that any death can be reversed. Even if the show manages to make Hill and Talos's deaths permanent, time is running out with only two episodes left and more unexpected twists on the horizon. Therefore, it remains uncertain whether Secret Invasion can truly address the problem it has created.

Secret Invasion episode 5 releases Wednesday, July 19 on Disney+.