Kingsman, Eggsy. The series has brutally dispatched the protagonists of multiple prior Millar series, in addition to the fan-favorite spy – but it has also methodically laid the groundwork for Eggsy and the others to return.

Big Game #3 – written by Mark Millar, with art by Pepe Larraz – continues to up the series' death toll, killing off the main characters of Millar titles such as Night Club, Huck, and most shockingly of all, Kingsman's Eggsy.

Yet at the same time, the issue continued to lay groundwork for what appears to be a well-telegraphed reset of the timeline.

Mark Millar Will Reverse Big Game's Major Character Deaths

Throughout three issues so far, Mark Millar's Big Game has tied together many of the prolific writer's previous titles, while also swiftly, and ruthlessly, killing off the heroes of his various books. Their deaths have come at the hands of the Fraternity of Super Criminals, Eggsy met his own violent end. As bleak the series may sound, it has also set up a number of possible ways that Eggsy, and the other characters who have met their end, could be brought back before Big Game concludes, making it likely his death is not permanent.

Time Travel, Aliens, And Magic Could All Save Eggsy

Big Game #2 featured the death of the characters from Chrononauts, Mark Millar's time-travel adventure series from 2015, and its 2020 sequel. At the end of Big Game #3, Hit-Girl used their technology to travel millions of years into the past. The most likely scenario is that Hit-Girl will use time travel to either collect versions of death characters – presumably starting with Eggsy – from earlier in the timeline, or to prevent their deaths altogether. This is theory, or some similar way of restoring characters to life, is ed by the cover for the final issue of the series, Big Game #5, which features several characters killed in earlier issues.

The villainous Fraternity, have systematically wiped out the majority of Earth's heroes for the second time – but there are forces within the Millarverse that are outside of even the global scope of their control. Big Game #3 featured a brief appearance by characters from Millar's The Magic Order, about a magical secret society tasked with defending humanity from supernatural threats. Ostensibly supposed to refrain from interfering in mortal affairs, but it is possible they could use magical means to resurrect the series' fatalities, Eggsy included. There is also the matter of Duke McQueen, main character of Millar's Starlight. McQueen appeared early in Big Game #1, but has not featured since.

Discussing the alien civilization he saved, McQueen explained: "They did give me this little button in my belt buckle and said I could call if I ever needed their help." Not only could advanced alien technology help to defeat the Fraternity, it could result in a cloned Eggsy, or some other sci-fi means of returning the character to his pre-Big Game status quo. With time travel, magic, and aliens on the table, there are a number of ways heroes like Hit-Girl, and her old ally kickass, Kick-Ass could restore her new ally, Kingsman's Eggsy, to life by the end of Mark Millar's Big Game limited series.

Big Game #3 is available now from Image Comics.