That “Secret Invasion” Twist Might Link the Show to “Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.”

Marvel’s newest Disney+ series, “Secret Invasion,” follows Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) and his allies as they try to stop a group of renegade Skrulls (shape-shifting aliens) from taking over the planet and making it their new home. He’s joined by his Skrull ally Talos (Ben Mendelsohn), MI6 agent Sonya Falsworth (Olivia Colman), and former S.H.I.E.L.D. agent Maria Hill (Cobie Smulders). But at the end of the first episode, as they try to stop a group of Skrulls from carrying out a bombing in Moscow on Unity Day, Maria is shot by the Skrull Gravik (Kingsley Ben-Adir) disguised as Fury. Fury and Talos leave while Maria seemingly bleeds out.

Since this show is all about secret identities and plot twists, some fans think her death is just another ruse. Ahead, find out what we know about it.

Is Maria Hill Really Dead in “Secret Invasion”?

Based on what the first episode of “Secret Invasion” shows us, it seems Maria really is dead. She bleeds out on the ground, completely alone. Plus, in the episode’s credits, she’s listed as a “special guest star,” which implies this one episode is her only appearance in the series.

Theories That Maria Hill Isn’t Dead in “Secret Invasion”

Of course, many fans think Maria’s death is just a trick and she somehow survives. First, there’s the chance that the version of Maria who dies isn’t really her but instead, a Skrull impersonating her. There’s also the chance that the Maria who’s shown is really a Life-Model Decoy, or LMD. LMDs are present throughout Marvel comics. They’re robots made by S.H.I.E.L.D. that are exact duplicates of a person and can replace them in certain parts of their life. In the comics, Maria makes frequent use of LMDs while working with S.H.I.E.L.D.

LMDs haven’t been a part of any Marvel movies but they have been present on screen. In the “Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.” TV series, numerous characters work on creating them and Agent Phil Coulson (Clark Gregg) jokes about them, too.

There’s been buzz that “Secret Invasion” will finally bring “Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.” (which aired on ABC from 2013 to 2020) into the proper Marvel canon and might even feature cameos from some of the show’s characters. Chloe Bennet, who played Daisy Johnson in the series, teased such a crossover last summer when she took a photo with Simu Liu.

So for now, it seems Maria is truly dead, but don’t be totally surprised if it was all just a red herring.

New episodes of “Secret Invasion” premiere on Wednesdays on Disney+.