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Warning: This post contains SPOILERS for Secret Invasion episode 4
The action was dialed up in this week’s episode ofMarvel’sSecret Invasion on Disney Plus, as Gravik staged an attack against the President in order to pit the States against the Russians–which resulted in multiple casualties.
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Since the spy thriller had the gall to kill Maria Hill–a long-serving character in the MCU–within the first episode, fans have gone into subsequent entries with caution, and rightly so. We explain if Ben Mendelsohn’s Talos is really dead.
Secret Invasion Episode 4 Recap
Episode 4, titled Beloved, confirmed thatRhodey (Don Cheadle) was indeed a Skrull, and he was pushing Priscilla (Charlayne Woodard) to kill Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson)–a plan that the former S.H.I.E.l.D. head listened in on while the traitors met within the church.
After Priscilla lets Fury live, he is later able to meet with Rhodey and secretly make him ingest a liquid tracker through a convivial drink, which allows him and Talos (Ben Mendelsohn) to track his drive toward President Ritson (Dermot Mulroney) at the airport.
Rhodey welcomed the President to England, and it was now time for Gravik (Kingsley Ben-Adir) and his men to intercept and deploy an attack, posing as Russians to provoke America to retaliate later. Ritson’s car was hit hard by a missile, and the President’s forces were quickly overpowered, which is when Fury and Talos arrived on the scene to lend a hand in the shootout.
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While the American forces focused on bringing down Gravik’s men, Fury and Talos tried to get Ritson out of the car and to safety. This was part ofTalos’ plan to create a bargaining chip with the President, who would hopefully offer the Skrulls a home in exchange for saving his life.
However, while Talos is attempting to break the car window in order to get Ritson out, he is shot by one of Gravik’s men, which causes him to turn back into his true Skrull form. After removing Ritson, Fury comes back to help Talos,but he’s now being held by Gravik, posing as an American soldier, and he stabs him. Fury is then forced to abandon Talos, who lies unconscious and bleeding out on the ground, in order to get Ritson to safety and continue the plan.
Is Talos Really Dead?
Yes,Talos died during Gravik’s attack on the President, and unlike other miraculous recoveries made in the show prior, there are no caveats for Talos to survive this attack.
During the conclusion of episode 3, we saw Gravik shoot G’iah (Emilia Clarke) and leave her for dead on the ground, and viewers were left believing Talos’ daughter had been killed for her betrayal. However, the opening of episode 4 confirmed thatG’iah had previously merged with Extremis’ DNA through Gravik’s secret machinein order to turn her into a Super Skrull, and Extremis' powers allowed her to quickly heal herself from the gunshot wound.
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We’ve also seen Gravik recover from wounds before through this power, but since Talos was not subjected to this, there’s nothing to save him from the knife wound. It’s pretty clear that Talos has died in this series alongside Maria Hill, and we know it’s the real Talos because he shifted back into his normal Skrull skin after being shot because the race cannot sustain their human form if they are injured.
G’iah’s Final Conversation With Talos Will Haunt Her
After G’iah was healed, thanks to her new Extremis powers, she fled Gravik’s power plant and arranged to meet with her father, Talos.As far as Gravik is concerned, G’iah is dead, as he is unaware that she has made herself a Super Skrull like him.
G’iah meets with Talos on a park bench, and the pair discuss their next steps. After switching sides, G’iah wants to hear a concrete plan from Talos on how they’re going to establish a world for their race. G’iah initially followed Gravik because she was also furious that Fury abandoned his end of the bargain to find the Skrulls a home. Confirming that Gravik’s plan to take Earth as the Skrulls' new home will work, G’iah wants to hear her father’s counterplan. Talos reveals his bargaining chip with the President that will come into effect after Gravik’s attack, allowing them to stay living on Earth. However,G’iah rejects this plan and walks away in favor of living in her own skin in a place where they don’t have to hide their true form.
After hearing about her father’s death, likely during episode 5, G’iah’s conversation with her father will come back to haunt her because the last time she spoke with Talos resulted in friction between them. With now her mother and father lost during the Skrulls' immigration, time will tell if G’iah will flee, continue fighting alongside Fury, or return to Gravik.
NEXT:Secret Invasion: S.W.O.R.D., S.H.I.E.L.D., And S.A.B.E.R. Explained
