The much recent Marvel’s Secret Invasion tried very hard to be different in every possible way after the studio suffered a series of disappointing projects. One of its very first features that the MCU series flaunted was its boldness and more fearless attitude than any other Marvel project. This led the fans to witness one of the most surprising on-screen death of Cobie Smulders’ Maria Hill in the very first episode.
Cobie Smulders’ Maria Hill has been in Marvel since its earliest days till the character’s unfortunate demise at the hands of Gravik in Secret Invasion. The fans were shocked to see the character losing her life in the first episode and there were many speculations regarding her MCU return. Finally, when the same topic was being discussed with director Ali Selim, his answer seemed quite cryptic to some fans.
What did Ali Selim say about Cobie Smulders’ Marvel return?
During an interview with Entertainment Weekly, when the director of the series Ali Selim was asked about the connection of this series with the upcoming The Marvels, he shed light on this matter once again. According to him, his task was just to fit this story within the six episodes and Selim didn’t want to confuse the audience with too much. But he did the needful to set up Nick Fury’s upcoming tale in the Marvel Cinematic Universe- “But there are also moments where Nick Fury needs to end up here, so the next film he is in works.”
But the interview reached an interesting juncture when Ali Selim raised the names of Maria Hill and Talos. Both Hill and Ben Mendelsohn’s characters met with their death in the series. Selim admitted to not knowing anything about the future of these characters but didn’t trash the possibility of their return as “anything can happen” in MCU.
“I don’t know what’s going to happen to Maria Hill or Talos. They’re dead. One is burned, and the other is buried. But in the MCU, anything can happen. So, where are they going to end up? I don’t know.”
While it has to be noted that the director has given a similar reply to most interviews asking him about Maria Hill, Cobie Smulders had a different take as she stated- “I’m pretty sure this is it.” Even though she also voiced a similar opinion to Ali Selim when she stated that anything is possible with the multiverse, the chances are quite slim for Maria Hill to return to the main Marvel timeline.
Can Cobie Smulders return in The Marvels?
Although Cobie Smulders’ death has raised much internet debate, it’s evident that the fans are divided on it. Many ardent Marvel enthusiasts believe that the character was wasted in the series and that killing her, in the beginning, wasn’t the right thing indeed. But the beloved Robin Scherbatsky actress didn’t seem quite disappointed and expressed her death as very “real”.
There were some rumors recently that the character might return in the upcoming Marvel feature The Marvels starring Brie Larson, Teyonah Parris, and Iman Vellani. But sadly, with the story of the flick sharing almost no connection with Secret Invasion, it’s highly likely to be nothing more than a flashback sequence.
But after Secret Invasion ended, it can be stated that killing off The Avengers actress so early wasn’t a very good decision either. She could have been developed more, given some fans were heartily looking forward to Maria Hill’s return. It might have also paved the road to the series’ conclusion in a better way that faced intense criticism from the entire Marvel fandom.
Secret Invasion can be streamed on Disney+ while The Marvels is slated to release on November 10, 2023.
Source: Entertainment Weekly
