Invasion: Is Nikhil Dead or Alive?

Apple TV+’s ‘Invasion‘ is a science-fiction drama series that revolves around a group of individuals trying to survive a hostile alien attack. In season 2, humanity faces dire circumstances as the aliens rapidly spread across the globe. Mitsuki Yamato, who was crucial to humanity’s counterattack on the aliens, comes to work for Nikhil Kapur, who possesses all the resources to find a solution to end humanity’s war with the aliens. However, in episode 8, Nikhil’s egoistic actions lead to his downfall after a fateful encounter with the alien entity. If you are wondering whether Nikhil is dead or survives the gruesome interaction, here is everything you need to know! SPOILERS AHEAD!

What Happens to Nikhil?

Nikhil Kapoor is introduced in the second season premiere of ‘Invasion,’ with actor Shane Zaza playing the role. Zaza is best known for playing the role of Shafiq Shah in the Yorkshire-based British crime-drama series ‘Happy Valley.’ In ‘Invasion,’ Zaza’s Nikhil Kapoor is a wealthy billionaire who works alongside the World Defense Coalition in their bid to fight the hostile alien invasion. In season 2, Nikhil recruits Mitsuki Yamato for a research program under his company DharmaX. Nikhil reveals his team has been working on trying to learn more about the aliens by studying the mothership that was knocked out of the sky by humans at the end of season 1.

Nikhil wants to understand how the aliens’ hive mind functions so they can gain a tactical advantage in their fight to save humanity. With Mitsuki’s help, Nikhil deduces the frequency at which the aliens uncloak themselves, resulting in a huge victory for humanity as several alien ships are destroyed with nuclear weapons. However, when the alien entity found in the mothership starts consuming Mitsuki’s thoughts, Maya prevents her from interacting with it. As a result, Maya and Nikhil argue about Mitsuki’s well-being, and Maya resigns. Maya dares Nikhil to risk his own life, resulting in Nikhil entering the alien entity’s pod.

Is Nikhil Dead?

In the eighth episode, titled ‘Cosmic Ocean,’ Nikhil and Maya’s argument forces Nikhil to enter the alien entity’s pod and search for answers about how the hive mind functions. Nikhil’s desperation lands him in trouble as the alien entity quickly overpowers him. The electromagnet signals are jammed, and the entity completely swallows Nikhil before spitting him out. Meanwhile, Mitsuki and Maya cannot break into the pod because of the jammed signals.

Eventually, they manage to rescue Nikhil, but it appears too late as he lies unconscious. Nikhil’s callous attitude and conceited nature lead to his tragic condition. Despite repeated warnings from Maya, Nikhil takes the alien entity lightly. His ego forces him to confront the entity, resulting in a disastrous outcome hinting at Nikhil’s death. However, since it was only Nikhil’s first interaction with the entity, he likely survived.

As we have previously seen with Mitsuki, Nikhil’s experience may have left him unconscious. As a result, it is safe to say that Nikhil is still alive. Nonetheless, his near-death experience with the entity may force Nikhil to reconsider his conceited and self-centered methods. However, it is also worth noting that other scientists were left brain-damaged because of their interaction with the entity. Despite surviving, Nikhil might be the same as before on a mental and physical level. Hence, it will be interesting to see if Nikhil recovers from the damage inflicted upon him.