Major spoilers for the latest episode of Marvel Studios’ Secret Invasion, “Beloved,” lie ahead, so read at your own risk.
It’s hard to believe that we’re already over halfway through Secret Invasion’s six-episode run. The Marvel Cinematic Universe-set show has hit Disney+ subscription holders with a number of twists and turns over the past few weeks. In the process, viewers have seen Samuel L. Jackson’s Nick Fury experience some major setbacks, and they started early on. In the premiere, he was hit with the death of comrade Maria Hill. The ex-S.H.I.E.L.D. director experienced yet another major loss during Episode 4, and MCU fans are in their feelings.
“Beloved” moves the series along in a number of interesting ways, and it also confirms what many assumed by the end of Episode 3 – Col. James Rhodes has been replaced by a Skrull. As a mole in the U.S. government, he’s revealed to be working with resistance leader Gravik to assassinate President Ritson and pin the death on the Russians. Once Fury and Skrull ally Talos become aware of the plan, they seek to prevent the commander in chief’s death. They ultimately succeed in rescuing Ritson after his convoy is attacked en route to a Russian negotiation session. It comes at a major cost, though, as the resulting shootout ends with Talos – who had already been shot – being fatally stabbed by Gravik.
This is indeed a tragic turn of events, and fans have taken to social media to express sadness while in some cases, simultaneously praising the episode. Based on how things were playing out during the installment’s final moments, some were probably able to predict how things would go down for Talos. At least one fan on Twitter saw it coming, but that didn’t seem to soften the blow:
Saw that coming for Talos, but damn i felt so sad😭#SecretInvasion #Talos pic.twitter.com/dzAVv9NpCoJuly 12, 2023
Marvel fans rarely ever hide their emotions when a character experiences some kind of tragedy, and these tweets lamenting the loss of Ben Mendelsohn’s witty extraterrestrial are visceral. Another person took to the platform to express their feelings, and they didn’t mince words or emojis:
TALOS NOOOOO WTF REALLY?!? Kevin Feige why?!?😭😭 Gravik it’s on sight!😤😤 THE WAY NICK FURY SCREAMED 😩😭
Talos was introduced in 2019’s Captain Marvel, in which he was revealed to be the leader of a friendly sector of Skrulls that were searching for a new planet. Over the course of the movie, which was set in 1995, he became close friends with Nick Fury and Carol Danvers. His relationship with the former has been particularly entertaining for fans, as it’s put them in some interesting situations. Talos even posed as his buddy during the events of Spider-Man: Far From Home. (We even know what happened after Fury found out about what occurred during that film.) So with all of that in mind, it makes sense that some folks aren’t taking the alien’s demise all that well:
TALOS YOU ARE NOT— #SecretInvasion pic.twitter.com/PyldYIUZHaJuly 12, 2023
Following this tragedy, one also has to consider Talos’ daughter, G'iah, who’s played by Game of Thrones icon Emilia Clarke. She and her father had a complicated relationship and, during this episode, they parted on bitter terms. Gi’ah, who was revealed to have survived being shot by Gravik due to turning herself into a Super Skrull, was unimpressed with her dad’s plan to find their people a home. Given that the two didn’t close things out on the best of terms, some people are feeling a way:
They were sick and twisted for this. They really had G’iah leave talos on bad terms only for him to d word the next minute. He better come back pls! UGH I CANT DO THIS TODAY
It’s only natural that some MCU devotees would be in denial about this massive development. You can see an example of that in this next tweet:
#SecretInvasion ----Talos isn’t dead, HES NOT! I REFUSE TO BELIEVE IT!! pic.twitter.com/JvEmQln7xlJuly 12, 2023
I personally wasn’t convinced of Maria Hill’s death, and I’m honestly still somewhat unsure that she’s actually gone. However, Talos’ death feels a lot more definitive, and it’d be very surprising if he’s written back into the show after what’s transpired. If or until that happens, let’s raise a glass to the character and hope that Nick Fury can avenge him.
New episodes of Secret Invasion drop Wednesdays on Disney+ as part of the 2023 TV schedule. And with the show ending in just a couple of weeks, do yourself a favor and read up on upcoming Marvel shows.
