Cobie Smulders breaks down the shocking ending of Secret Invasion

Marvel has a new TV series running on Disney+: Secret Invasion, about Nick Fury’s attempt to stop a rebel band of shape-shifting Skrull aliens from taking over the planet. We’ve only seen one episode, but several minor Marvel mainstays have already made appearances, including Martin Freeman as Everett Ross, Don Cheadle as James Rhodes, and Cobie Smulders as Maria Hill, Nick Fury’s right-hand woman.

Maria Hill first appeared way back in The Avengers in 2012, and has gone on to appear in another five movies and three TV series. She may also appear in The Marvels, which comes out this November. She’s not the most important character in Marvel’s roster, but she’s been a very consistent presence.

That’s why the first episode of Secret Invasion was so surprising…beware SPOILERS below!

Cobie Smulders can’t believe the ending of the Secret Invasion premiere didn’t leak

Let’s get to it: in the series premiere of Secret Invasion, “Resurrection,” Maria Hill is killed after getting shot by a Skrull alien in disguise as Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson). Smulders has known this was coming for a while, and is just happy the episode made it air without anything leaking. Given that Hill dies as part of a big crowd scene, I’m inclined to agree. “I guess that’s the respect that Marvel has earned over the last decade, which is like, ‘Don’t spoil it for people.’ And nobody did, thankfully,” Smulders told The Hollywood Reporter.

"It was strange and kind of dark, wasn’t it? It was kind of weird on the day, because that very violent moment was followed by a very emotional moment that Sam and I got to share. It was the regret and the worry and the pain of the loss that was happening, and coupled with the violence, it ended in a more emotional way."

The scene was grimmer and darker than you’d expect to see on your average Marvel show. So if Smulders is going to go out, at least she went out on a memorable note.

How does Cobie Smulders feel about the death of Maria Hill?

If you expected Smulders to be upset over losing a dependable gig, she’s nothing of the sort. “This has been an amazing run. What a dream job,” she said. “On paper, the credits are great, but … every production I’ve done has been an absolute blast with amazing people. So I really don’t have anything to complain about.”

"It has been an amazing ten years of being a part of something that is so beloved and makes people so excited. They are so emotionally attached to these characters and this world, and so it’s just been really cool to be a small part of that."

And of course, there’s always the possibility that Marvel could bring Maria back. Death is no obstacle when you’re talking about superheroes. “I will always answer the call, but I have no idea what they have planned for future productions,” Smulders said. “But I guess anything’s possible in the multiverse.”

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