Spoiler alert! Do not read unless you’re curious how the filmmakers explain Will Smith‘s absence from “Independence Day: Resurgence.” Fans of “Independence Day” can learn what happened to Will Smith‘s character, Steven Hiller, long before “Independence Day: Resurgence” hits theaters. War of 1996, a new viral marketing site for the upcoming sequel, provides a detailed timeline of what happened on earth after the attempted alien invasion in the first film. In an entry dated April 27, 2007, we learn that Hiller died while testing a new piece of alien technology, which humans have adapted as part of a new global defense network. »