‘It was a sad day’: ‘Secret Invasion’ star opens up on ending their MCU tenure after 9 projects in 11 years

Warning: Major spoilers from Secret Invasion episode one to follow.

There was a lot to talk about after the inaugural chapter of Secret Invasion made its way to Disney Plus earlier this week, but few were able to match the red-hot discourse around the apparent death of Maria Hill, who seemed to get fatally shot by Gravik in the closing minutes of the show’s first episode.

We couldn’t quite believe it ourselves; after being such a prominent yet unsung figure in the world of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, killing her off as uncannily as Secret Invasion‘s script did make for confirmed it earlier today.

Whether she’s pulling a fast one on us or not, the weight of Hill’s death wasn’t lost on the actress, who divulged in an interview with Vanity Fair about the bizarre feeling that came with such a storied character of hers meeting her fate; doing the death scene just on its own was a weighty moment for Smulders, as well.

“It felt and it feels strange. Maria Hill’s ing is very real, and it’s shocking, and it feels very human. It was a sad day. There is no shame in walking away when the steps are uncertain. I don’t think I’ve ever died on camera. I got a real death scene!”

But, I’ve said it once, I’ll say it again, and I’m not even speaking from a place of love for the character; the parameters that continue to surround the in-universe and real-world nuances of the MCU are simply too out-of-place for me to buy the death of Maria Hill at the moment. I’ll happily eat my words if either the end of Secret Invasion or The Marvels prove me wrong, but for now, Hill’s survival is a hill I won’t be budging from.

Secret Invasion is now streaming on Disney Plus. New episodes will release every Wednesday until the series finale on July 26.