“They fridged Maria Hill”: Fans Claim Cobie Smulders’ Secret Invasion Fate Perfectly Fits Sexist ‘Women in Refrigerators’ Trope

!! Spoilers for Secret Invasion !!

In the first episode of Secret Invasion, Maria Hill shockingly passes away, which ups the ante for the Disney+ MCU series and brings back something Marvel has been without since Avengers Endgame. The first episode of Secret Invasion begins with the significant but somewhat foreshadowed twist that Everett Ross was actually a Skrull. The actual twist of the Secret Invasion premiere, however, lacked a major Skrull revelation. Instead, the shocking conclusion of Secret Invasion episode 1 saw Maria Hill killed off after Nick Fury’s crew was unable to stop Gravik’s bombing attack.

The Avengers marked Maria Hill’s big-screen debut and the introduction of Cobie Smulders’s character as Nick Fury’s “left eye.” After The Avengers, Hill continued to play a significant role in the MCU, making appearances in Avengers: Age of Ultron, Avengers: Infinity War, Avengers: Endgame, and Spider-Man: Far From Home. Smulders also portrayed Maria Hill in three Agents of SHIELD episodes, albeit it is still debatable if Agents of SHIELD is canon to the MCU. Given that Hill has been collaborating with Fury ever since making her MCU debut, it made sense that she would play a bigger part in Secret Invasion. This increased the shock of Maria Hill’s passing.

Read more: Despite Starring in $1.5B Avengers Movie, Cobie Smulders Says ‘Secret Invasion’ Portrays Maria Hill Better: “Most depth I’ve been able to show of Maria Hill”

What does Maria Hill’s death signify?

Viewers are divided over whether it was a good idea to kill off a character that has been a part of the MCU since The Avengers so soon into the series. On the one hand, Maria Hill’s passing in the first episode of Secret Invasion is undoubtedly a loss for the character. Hill has been a part of the MCU since Phase 1, yet she has never received excessive attention. The series had the opportunity to offer Hill the character’s untold story arc, just as Secret Invasion is exploring Nick Fury in a way that has never been done in the MCU.

However, Hill’s death is beneficial for Secret Invasion as a television show. It was a brave creative choice to kill off a Phase 1 MCU character at the start of the series after they had seen the Battle of New York, the fall of SHIELD, the Battle of Sokovia, and many other events. Everything is possible in Secret Invasion, and the danger to the audience’s favorite characters is rapidly established. Hill’s demise also serves as evidence that Gravik’s Skrull insurrection poses a real danger and will do whatever it takes to succeed.

Read More: Cobie Smulders Was Not the Original Robin Scherbatsky in ‘How I Met Your Mother’: The Avengers Star Almost Lost the Biggest Role of Her Career

Fans believe killing off Maria Hill seems sexist

Many times, shows and movies have killed off a significant female character to give the male lead in the movie a major turning point. Audiences have now started recognizing these sexist patterns where female characters are not given opportunities for major character development. Rather, they are seldom used as mere tools for the male characters’ development. Secret Invasion fans have a similar opinion regarding Cobie Smulder’s Maria Hill’s shocking death. Check out some fan reactions below:

Secret Invasion episode 1 is now streaming on Disney+.

Read more: Secret Invasion Star Cobie Smulders Reveals Nick Fury Has Been Refusing to Come to Earth: “The Skrulls…it finally gets his attentions”

Source: Twitter