Marvel fans have been eagerly anticipating the latest issue of Secret Invasion, which focuses on Maria Hill’s character development as the new Iron Man. Unfortunately, the issue does not live up to expectations, as Hill is depicted as failing at being a superhero even more than Tony Stark. This comes as a surprise, given Hill’s reputation as a reliable character who often supports other superheroes in their individual adventures.
SPOILER AHEAD FOR SECRET INVASION #4
The plot of Secret Invasion #4 revolves around a Skrull invasion of Earth, which is the perfect opportunity for Hill to finally get her own character-centric narrative. Instead of the Skrulls, however, the main villain of the piece is paranoia, suspicion, a race to accuse others, and an inability to trust. In short, the main villain is fear, and Maria Hill has succumbed to it in the worst possible way.
In the issue, written by Ryan North with art by Francesco Mobili, Maria Hill ruthlessly attacks Skrulls who have sided with humanity. A Skrull group working with Tony Stark professes their innocence, but Hill refuses to believe them. She dons an Iron Man suit to fight Tony Stark one-on-one, but the Armored Avenger has fought in an Iron Man suit for decades now; he easily tears out the Arc Reactor in the chest of the enemy suit, and Hill instantly loses the fight seconds after it began.
Hill’s loss can be attributed to her lack of experience with the Iron Man armor system, but the real reason why she lost is fear. Maria’s race to declare all Skrulls as evil blinds her to Stark’s attack; even a combatant without armor knows to protect their chest in a fight. What’s more, Hill’s insinuations that the government has contingency plans for Stark imply that this armor was built specifically to stop him – and she still loses. Hill is enraged, incensed, and has clearly let paranoia get to her head.
At the end of the issue, Maria is captured by Skrulls and imprisoned – a fate that would not have happened if she had simply listened to Tony Stark. But this Secret Invasion series clearly has a point to make: Hill and others like her cannot possibly win the day if they see enemies on all sides. It is a rare day indeed when Iron Man, of all people, is the most rational person in the room. Maria Hill’s biggest claim to fame in the comics is her infamous action in Civil War, in which she sided against Captain America and his anti-regulation band of superheroes.
While she eventually made peace with Steve Rogers, Hill hasn’t seen a character-centric narrative in a while. This has changed with 2022’s Secret Invasion, but unfortunately, the series does not do justice to her character. The issue serves as a cautionary tale about the dangers of fear and paranoia, and how they can lead even the most experienced superheroes to make poor decisions. The fact that Maria Hill, a trusted character in the Marvel universe, can be so easily swayed by fear is a sobering reminder of the importance of rational thinking and level-headedness, even in the face of great adversity.
Overall, while the latest issue of Secret Invasion does not meet fans’ expectations for Hill’s character development, it does offer an important lesson about the dangers of fear and paranoia. It remains to be seen whether Hill will be able to overcome these weaknesses and emerge as a true hero in future issues, but for now, fans can only hope that she learns from her mistakes and rises to the challenge.
What do you think of Maria Hill as the new Iron Man? Let us know in the comments.
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