Contains spoilers for Big Game #5!In a tragic twist, Kick-Ass‘ Hit-Girl has just been killed. A deadly assassin trained by her superhero-obsessed father, Mindy McCready was played on-screen by Chloë Grace Moretz in Kick-Ass and Kick-Ass 2. However, she’s been far busier in the comics, debuting in Kick-Ass but going on to her own globe-trotting comic series, and acting as the central protagonist in the recent Big Game crossover.
In Big Game #5 by Mark Millar and Pepe Larraz, Wesley Gibson’s supervillain group the Fraternity finally meet their match. Having stolen time-travel technology, Hit-Girl goes back and prevents the world’s heroes from being assassinated, gathering them together as a single fighting force. Sadly, as the battle reaches its crescendo, Hit-Girl is shot dead by Wanted‘s Gibson, aka the Killer.
Thankfully, in a final twist, it’s pointed out that there are actually two Hit-Girls in Big Game canon – the version who went back in time to save the heroes, and the version who now exists in the altered timeline. This leaves one Hit-Girl still alive in Millarverse’s ongoing shared universe.
Hit-Girl Is Killed by the World’s Ultimate Villain
But Time Travel Shenanigans Mean the Millarverse Still Has a Hit-Girl
Introduced in Mark Millar and John Romita Jr.’s Kick-Ass, Hit-Girl was raised as an expert killer by her father, the vigilante ‘Big Daddy.’ Since then, Mindy has traveled the world killing the planet’s most despicable criminals, and was one of the Fraternity’s main targets when they came after Earth’s heroes. While Kick-Ass gains real superpowers to join in the final battle, Hit-Girl relies on her skills and weapons. Unfortunately, she finally faces a villain with a similar level of skill, as the Killer shoots Mindy through the head and is killed in return by the other Mindy McCready.
Hit-Girl’s Death Is Still a Tragedy
Kick-Ass’ Ultra-Competent Hero Deserved Better
While Hit-Girl’s death/survival is a fun final joke based on the event’s time travel premise, the character deserved a lot better. It’s not yet clear which Hit-Girl died – the time-traveling savior or the new timeline’s Mindy – but either way it’s a true tragedy, and could even be described as the Millarverse breaking its own narrative rules. Hit-Girl is the most competent killer on the heroes’ side, hence why she’s able to escape through time and bring down the Fraternity. However, this also means that having her be the only major fatality in the grand hero vs villain battle is a betrayal of how she’s been portrayed in every other appearance. Taken by itself, it’s a cheap death for an ultra-skilled hero who has spent a lifetime honing her abilities.
Big Game pulled every comic under Millarverse’s umbrella together in a huge confrontation pitting heroes against villains. While the series killed off many heroes over its run, Hit-Girl’s time travel mission means she’s the only victim by the time of its conclusion. For casual fans, very little just changed, and Hit-Girl will likely return in future stories. However, for those who have been following Hit-Girl since 2008’s Kick-Ass #1, it’s a grim way for Mindy to lose her life, especially as she’s immediately replaced with so little fanfare.
Big Game #5 is available now from Millarworld.
