"When Marvel Calls […] You Go": MCU Maria Hill Actor Addresses Whether She'd Return Despite Her Character's Death

By Nicolas Ayala

Published Sep 6, 2024

Followed

Thread 1

Custom image by Nicolas Ayala

Maria Hill actor Cobie Smulders confirms whether she's willing to return to the Secret Invasion episode 1 killed off Maria Hill almost as soon as she returned.

Screen Rant interviewed Sharp Corner stars Cobie Smulders and Ben Foster at TIFF. During the interview, Screen Rant asked Smulders if she'll ever appear again in the MCU despite Maria Hill's unexpected Secret Invasion death. Smulders didn't hesitate to confirm her eagerness to reprise her MCU role — if Marvel calls her, that is. Read Cobie Smulders' full comments below:

Screen Rant: Despite Maria Hill rudely being killed off in Secret Invasion, would you come back in the flesh if MCU corrects their horrible mistake?

Cobie Smulders: Yeah, sure. Absolutely. When Marvel calls you on the phone, you go. You do the things they ask you to - or at least I do.

How Cobie Smulders Could Return As Maria Hill After Secret Invasion

The MCU Has Already Brought Several Characters Back From The Dead

Maria Hill's death seems definitive, as Nick Fury himself confirmed that she wasn't a Skrull in disguise when Gravik shot her to death in Secret Invasion episode 1's ending. Skrulls return to their original form when they die, meaning that the MCU can't retcon Maria Hill's death as a misdirection. However, if Marvel Studios wished to bring Hill back, there are a couple ways the studio could achieve it. First, Maria Hill could be resurrected with the help of Project TAHITI, which literally brought Agent Phil Coulson back from the dead in Agents of SHIELD.

If Marvel were to bring Cobie Smulders' Maria Hill back, she would likely need to be a variant from an alternate timeline

Although Agents of SHIELD hasn't been confirmed to be part of MCU canon yet, Marvel Studios can still integrate parts of the show into the MCU's main continuity. Whether through the Multiverse or as a soft-rebooted property, Agents of SHIELD can bring with it the concept of science-induced resurrection. Otherwise, Maria Hill could be resurrected through magical means. Nevertheless, there would be a big price to pay for Maria Hill's return, as neither the Darkhold nor the Infinity Stones are powerful enough to resurrect any individual. Although the victims of Thanos' Snap were brought back successfully, their return was only possible because being snapped isn't exactly the same as dying.

Maria Hill's character poster for Secret Invasion and Gravik as a Super Skrull

Marvel's Official Explanation For Maria Hill's Death Makes The MCU Twist Even More Insulting

3 months after the MCU killed Maria Hill in Secret Invasion, the explanation as to why from the studio has made her fate even more insulting.

Posts

The easiest way to bring Maria Hill back in the MCU would be through the multiverse. Characters like Loki, Gamora, and Maria Rambeau have returned after their deaths, but they aren't the original variants. Similarly, Scarlet Witch recreated Vision's consciousness with her magic, and Evan Peters played a different version of Quicksilver in WandaVision. If Marvel were to bring Cobie Smulders' Maria Hill back, she would likely need to be a variant from an alternate timeline, or the MCU would have to get creative explaining where a new version of Hill could come from.