Maria Hill

"You put those people together, you can't expect what's going to happen."

―Maria Hill ^[src]

Maria Hill was an espionage agent formerly working for S.H.I.E.L.D., where she was Nick Fury's second in command. She was born on April 4, 1982. Following the destruction of S.H.I.E.L.D., Hill was employed by Stark Industries as part of Tony Stark's campaign to privatize global security.

Biography

The Avengers

The high-ranking S.H.I.E.L.D. Agent Maria Hill was present at S.H.I.E.L.D.'s Project: P.E.G.A.S.U.S. research facility when power spikes from the Tesseract, deep within the facility, prompted an evacuation, but became puzzled by Clint Barton emerging from the site with a stranger she didn't know. Radioed warnings to stop Barton had her diving for cover when he overheard and opened fire. This prompted a gun fight and a chase, but she proved unable to stop Barton from making his escape.

Following the Project Pegasus incident, Hill took up her post on the S.H.I.E.L.D. Helicarrier, carrying out executive officer duties on the bridge. It was here that she was thrown into combat once again when Barton, under hypnotic control, lead a daring commando assault on the carrier. She narrowly escaped serious injury when a live grenade detonating near her heralded the attackers reaching the bridge, and opened fire on the attackers in reply. After surviving the bridge attack, Hill proceeded to help coordinate further operations on the carrier, but there was little more that she could do with a crippled ship. She informed Nick Fury that a pilot went rogue and was going to bomb New York City. She last appeared on the Helicarrier with Nick Fury, agreeing that the Avengers would come back when they need to.

Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.

"Pilot"

"The battle of New York was the end of the world, this is the new world"

―Maria Hill^[src]

Sometime after the Battle of New York, Maria Hill brought Agent Grant Ward to one of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s secret bases. She talked with Ward about the presence of beings with supernatural powers, including the Hulk, Captain America, and Thor before Agent Coulson walked in. During a conversation with a one of S.H.I.E.L.D. doctors, she told him that Coulson must never know the truth about his survival.

Captain America: The Winter Soldier

"Any attempt on the director's life had to look successful."

―Maria Hill^[src]

After Nick Fury was attacked by the Winter Soldier, Hill encountered agents Steve Rogers and Natasha Romanoff at the hospital where the medics failed to revive Fury. After Natasha mourned Fury's death, Maria carried away the body. When Steve, Natasha and their ally Sam Wilson were captured by Strike agents who were working for HYDRA, Hill disguised herself as one of the guards of the van which transported them, and rescued the three heroes.

Maria then took Rogers, Romanoff and Wilson to a secret location where the survival of Nick Fury was revealed to them. After being critically injured by the Winter Soldier following the discovery that S.H.I.E.L.D. had been infiltrated by HYDRA, Fury had successfully faked his death by using a drug which greatly reduced his pulse, as it was easier for him to operate under the radar, as he could no longer be targeted if he was allegedly dead. Fury and Maria revealed Steve a way to thwart HYDRA's plan to use S.H.I.E.L.D.'s three new heavily-armored Insight helicarriers to impose their new world order, which involved replacing one chip in each one of the helicarriers to allow their systems to be overridden.

Rogers and Wilson then infiltrated the Triskelion in order to access the Insight helicarriers. Following the replacement of the chips, Hill was allowed to override the helicarriers' systems and reprogram them to destroy each other. With S.H.I.E.L.D. in ruins and the secrets of both HYDRA and S.H.I.E.L.D. were unleashed to the world by Romanoff, Hill applied for a job at Stark Industries.

Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.

"Nothing Personal"

"SHIELD implodes, and everyone wants answers. The CIA, NSA, NRO them I can handle. But Congress? Congress is like kindergarten. "Where is this Fridge?" "What was in there?" "Who or what is a man-thing?" I swear I need a cocktail and a lobotomy."

―Maria Hill to Pepper Potts ^[src]

One night in Washington, D.C., while complaining to Pepper Potts about the senate hearings. Maria was approached by Agent Melinda May, who informed her that Coulson and his team had taken refuge at Providence base before asking about the truth behind Project T.A.H.I.T.I., the program that revived Coulson from the dead, and who was behind it, suspecting it to be Alexander Pierce. Maria explained to her that Nick Fury covered up the identity of the project director when he decided not to bury Coulson. May then fled as Maria was apprehended by the FBI.

Maria later led Colonel Glenn Talbot to Providence, where she attempted to convince Coulson to try to make a deal with the government. But upon being informed that his team member Grant Ward was a HYDRA double agent and was holding Skye captive, she helped Coulson and his team escape Talbot. They tracked down Ward on the stolen Bus, keeping Ward distracted while Coulson infiltrated the plane to rescue Skye. After safely hiding at a motel, Maria reminded Coulson that once he was done with Garrett, was done being an agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. and his team must go their separate ways. However, Coulson didn't believe it to be fair for his team to either cut a deal with the government or work in the corporate sector. Before leaving, she reminded Coulson that he could always get a job at Stark Industries. Coulson was about to ask that she pass along his regards to Stark, but a glance from Hill reminded him that Stark still thought he was dead.

Avengers: Age of Ultron

To be added

Character Traits

Maria Hill operates by an almost by-the-book mentality, which results in her at times question some of the choices Fury makes, particularly around the Avengers. However, she does respect and trust most of the decisions he makes such as when the Council thinks that it was best to destroy New York with a tactical nuclear missile, even she showed concern about it and didn't approve of it.

As with all S.H.I.E.L.D. operatives, she is a talented commander, an expert marksman and capable hand-to-hand combatant. However, she was the second most powerful figure of S.H.I.E.L.D. behind Fury.

Relationships

Friends and Allies

Enemies

Appearances/Actresses

Marvel Cinematic Universe (3 films)
- The Avengers (First appearance) - Cobie Smulders
- Captain America: The Winter Soldier - Cobie Smulders
- Avengers: Age of Ultron - Cobie Smulders
Marvel Cinematic Universe (1 TV Series)
- Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. - Cobie Smulders
  - "Pilot"
  - "Providence" (Mentioned only)
  - "The Only Light in the Darkness" (Mentioned only)
  - "Nothing Personal"

Behind the scenes

Before Cobie Smulders was cast as Agent Hill, Morena Baccarin, Jessica Lucas and Mary Elizabeth Winstead screen tested for the part.
Smulders cut her hair Bob Short for The Avengers.
Smulders was going to work with Joss Whedon in Wonder Woman as the title character.

Trivia

Prior to SHIELD being disbanded in the comics, Maria Hill served as the head of SHIELD before Tony Stark took over due to Nick Fury having to go into hiding regarding his illegal operation of sending in a team of superheroes (consisting of: Spider-Man, Daredevil, Wolverine, Captain America, Luke Cage, and Black Widow) on an unapproved mission in Latveria during Marvel's Secret War Storyline (unrelated to the similarly named Secret Wars that was released several decades earlier).
Maria Hill was also notably the head of the main Avengers team in the comics until Steve Rogers took command following his return to the role of Captain America.