Despite Hill’s shocking demise in the Secret Invasion premiere, actress Cobie Smulders revealed fans likely won’t need to wait long for her character’s return.
It was a gasp-worthy moment: The Skrull Gravik posed as Nick Fury during the closing minutes of Secret Invasion Episode 1, lulled Maria Hill into a false sense of security, and then shot her, killing off one of the original allies of the Avengers.
Hill has had a pretty good run over her last decade-plus in the MCU. Many might argue that killing her off wasn’t the best idea, but regardless, her time in live-action has seemingly come to a close.
Cobie Smulders Sets Animated Maria Hill Return
Cobie Smulders may have portrayed Maria Hill in live-action for the last time, but the SHIELD agent will live on in animated form with further appearances on Disney XD’s Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur.
During an interview with Entertainment Weekly, Smulders revealed that she had just recorded voice work for episodes of the cartoon series.
When asked about Hill’s on-screen future, the actress also remarked that she’s “always welcoming the call:”
“I mean, I do not make those decisions. I’m still working on [Disney Channel’s] 'Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur' animated show — I literally recorded some episodes today. So I have no idea how or when she’s going to come back around to me, but I’m always welcoming the call.”
Entertainment Weekly also posed the question of whether Maria has the potential to show back up in a later episode of Secret Invasion:
“What a great question. I’m not going to answer it. [Laughs] Honestly, I don’t know. I don’t know what they decided to do with the end of it.”
This wouldn’t be Maria’s first appearance on Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur either. Smulders lent her voice to the character for an episode that aired back in April.
Previously, Smulders spoke on her role in the animated program, noting how “exciting” she found it that an impactful character like Lunella Lafayette was leading her own series:
“Maria is coming into this place where she can be a guide. The idea that we get to see another strong, powerful, young woman leading this story is very exciting”
She also shared her hope that Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur would be inspiring to the young children who watch it and go on to “write their own stories:”
“When kids watch animation they’re able to connect with this type of a program because it’s something that they can do to draw, to write their own stories, to write their own songs. Animation had such a huge impact on me in my life. All of the early Disney movies, so my hope is that kids just get inspired by watching the show and I can’t believe that I get to play a small part in it. It’s really exciting and it makes me feel like a really cool mom.”
Hill showing up on Moon Girl isn’t the first time an actor from the MCU cropped up on the Disney XD show. Laurence Fishburne recently made a cameo as Dr. Bill Foster, reprising his Ant-Man and the Wasp role.
Will Maria Hill Come Back to the MCU?
It remains to be seen if Cobie Smulders will actually reprise her role as Hill again. There was recent speculation that she’d show up in The Marvels based on a piece from The Hollywood Reporter claiming that she would. This has yet to be officially confirmed by Marvel Studios though.
Maria Hill has always been a supporting character in the MCU - a status she shares with her comic book counterpart. But Cobie Smulders is a draw, so despite Hill often being relegated to the background, it would be a nice move if she could return for another live-action adventure.
Her death seems pretty definitive though, as indicated recently by Smulders herself. The possibility of her being a Skrull impersonator is likely ruled out since a Skrull would’ve reverted to their true form when they died, which was something Hill was not seen doing.
Whatever the case may be, the MCU continues to roll on with or without her as Marvel Studios’ Secret Invasion releases new episodes every Wednesday on Disney+.
