Did ‘Secret Invasion’ Really Kill [SPOILER] in Episode 3?

Secret Invasion reached the halfway point this week with Episode 3, “Betrayed” — and that title just may describe how viewers feel after one moment in particular. SPOILERS ahead, because there’s no point in delaying the discussion. Consider yourself warned.

After a shocking death in the first episode of the series, one that robbed the MCU of another foundational female hero, Secret Invasion has now added another name to its hit list: G’iah, the Skrull freedom fighter played by Emilia Clarke. This plot point comes as a shock on a number of levels. First, is Secret Invasion really killing off one of the actors with the most name recognition in the entire cast after just three episodes? And second: can Secret Invasion just please stop killing women?

On the other hand, Secret Invasion is a spy thriller about a race of shapeshifting aliens, so nothing could be as it seems and anything could be possible. It sure looked like G’iah’s dead, but is she? Let’s take a closer look…

Is G’iah really dead on Secret Invasion?

For context, we’ve watched G’iah feed information to her dad Talos (Ben Mendelsohn) for a few episodes now. This week, though, she takes it a step further when she helps her dad avert a catastrophic attack on a United Nations jet, an attack that would have definitely started a world war. Talos knew he was asking his daughter to really stick her neck out this time, and he told her to get out of the Skrull compound ASAP. But on her way out, G’iah’s motorcycle was cut off by Gravik’s car. The Skrull insurrectionist didn’t mind that his terrorist plot was thwarted because something even more valuable happened: he uncovered the traitor. That’s when Gravik shot G’iah dead, leaving her reverted back to her Skrull form.

And if there’s any doubt about this being G’iah or another Skrull posing as G’iah posing as whatever human form she’s assumed, a side-by-side of her last and first appearances show that she still has the head markings she had as a kid in Captain Marvel.

I think it’s safe to say that G’iah’s time in the MCU is over, and Talos is not going to be happy about that.

Is Emilia Clarke done with Secret Invasion?

Just because G’iah’s done doesn’t mean Emilia Clarke is done. Remember: there’s still an Emilia-Clarke-shaped human in a pod somewhere in that nuclear power plant! Eagle-eyed viewers have pointed out that there’s a lot of footage that we have not seen yet featuring Clarke in the various Secret Invasion trailers. So it really seems like Clarke’s still on the call sheet, presumably through the rest of the season, except she’ll be playing another character.

That means it is time to play another round of —

Who is Emilia Clarke playing on Secret Invasion?!

Call me a dreamer but I always thought it was odd that Marvel Studios would take a fan-favorite actor like Clarke and cast her as a random Skrull with no notable comic book counterpart. This twist, however, rekindles my hope that she’s playing someone from Marvel Comics’ A-list — or at least a character who could ascend to the MCU’s A-List.

If you scroll through Wikipedia’s list of Avengers members, which sorta doubles as a list of notable Marvel heroes since there have been hundreds of members, there really aren’t that many characters left for Clarke to play. I personally think there are two likely candidates, one boring and one exciting.

The boring one: Kelsey Leigh, a.k.a. Lionheart, a.k.a. Captain Britain

No shade to any fans of this very short-lived Avenger and captain of all things Britain, but this is the choice that Marvel Studios would make if they were just looking for a random-ass name with a tiny bit of comics cache to assign to Clarke’s character. That’s what the show has done so far; a reminder that in the comics, G’iah was a Skrull posing as a mother in a family of sleeper agents. She had nothing in common with the character on TV. So, Lionheart is a British Avenger and not too many comic fans would be mad about being drastically changed for the show.

The exciting one: Jessica Drew, a.k.a. Spider-Woman

I mean, honestly, I’d be fine with Issa Rae playing this character IRL after hearing her voice a version of her in Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse. But when it comes to unclaimed, A-list Avengers, Spider-Woman is literally the only one left — and she played an integral part in the Secret Invasion comics that should make her an essential part of this series (not that the show is really pulling much from the comics).

In the comics, Jessica Drew is a quasi-spider-powered superhero (she doesn’t have webs but she does have “venom blasts”) who, after flying solo for nearly 30 years, finally joined the Avengers in 2004’s New Avengers #1. In a shocking twist, though, that Spider-Woman was revealed to be a Skrull in New Avengers #40. Not just a Skrull either, but the queen herself. This was maybe the most memorable moment in the entire event.

And for any fellow comic nitpickers out there saying, “Uh, the same could be said of Mockingbird’s return,” reminder that Mockingbird is both Linda Cardellini and/or maybe also Adrianne Palicki in the MCU.

By making G’iah’s human counterpart Jessica Drew, the series would pay homage to that plot point. Plus if they make MCU Drew some sort of secret agent, not a far cry from her comics origin, that would explain why she was targeted for doubling and also why it looks like Clarke’s mystery character is going to kick some ass in those stills from the trailer. I’ll also point out that in recent years, Jessica Drew has become quite a fan of motorcycle jackets in the comics, kinda like whoever Clarke is playing. Just an observation!

But hey, it’s equally likely that Secret Invasion is going to Secret Invasion and just assign a random name to a human character and let Clarke run with it. But fingers crossed for Jessica Drew!