In HBO's The Nevers, Mary Brighton was always meant to die. With the twist of Mary's death at the end of episode 3, "Ignition," St. Ramaulda’s Orphanage is left devastated. The sci-fi drama focuses primarily on the young women affected by the scorn and shame of being Touched with fantastical powers. Introduced in the season premiere, Mary represented hope with her "turn" of emitting haunting, angelic songs only heard by the Touched themselves. Though no one could understand their meaning, her songs created comfort in a time of uncertainty and persecution. So why was her death necessary?

When Mary is first brought to the orphanage, she has a hard time finding her divine voice and expresses uncertainty to Amalia True regarding the safety of the orphanage. However, she later has a change of heart when a mother working for Dr. Hague, who operates on the Touched, confesses to killing her child due to their supernatural abilities. Therefore, when the gang gathers in the park for a test run of Penance's amplifier, Mary is a shepherd ready to bring her flock to safety. In that moment of peace, none of them expected her slaughter.

Related: The Nevers: Amalia’s Identity Twist Explained (And What It Means)

When she is shot repeatedly in public, Mary instantly becomes a martyr. Her death has to happen because it is the catalyst of war. At that moment, the Touched, witnessing her violent end, know that they exist in a world that doesn't want them there. The scene of Mary's death before the Touched is brutal because it signifies the loss of hope. The person behind the attack strikes the crowd in their most vulnerable states, when everyone, including the stoic Amalia True, finally feels as though they have a reason for hope and that things will be alright. The group left that day with empty hearts until a sliver of hope sparked again with the appearance of the flock that Mary's song summoned—an army ready to fight under the banner of their martyr with Amalia as their general.

The Nevers Mary Featured

The murder of angelic Mary Brighton, who brought a moment of peace to London's outcast class, unites the Touched and moves the plot along in the direction of war. To paraphrase Lord Massen in the episode following her death, when a figure as innocent and "blameless" as Mary Brighton dies, it is meant to send a message. Mary is a casualty of war and a saint to the Touched. Her death is proof that the most harmless members of the Touched are not safe in a city with men like Massen and mothers capable of filicide.

So, of course, the Touched, being led by the ferociously determined Amalia True, will not forgive and forget that easily. And even the most pacifistic of the group, like Penance Adair, will remember the day that Mary died brutally in broad daylight while they all watched and hoped for a better tomorrow. In The Nevers, Mary died a martyr, and martyrs always have to die to cause a spark and to spark a cause. This is just the beginning of a bigger war and Mary was the inciting event.

Next: The Nevers Powers Explained: Every Touched Person’s Turn