[UPDATE: Vulture has come out and updated their interview with Smulders - apparently she was misquoted in the article, and DIDN'T say anything that would suggest Maria Hill has a superpower in The Avengers. Chalk this one up to miscommunication. We've posted the corrected quote below.]
Even though The Avengers is bringing together a group of characters who Marvel Studios has spent years introducing and developing, the epic team-up flick is also taking the time to introduce a few new characters from the books. One of those characters is S.H.I.E.L.D. Agent Maria Hill, a character who’ll be played by Canadian actress Cobie Smulders as she makes her big screen debut.
In February when Smulders was cast as Hill in The Avengers, the news was met with mixed reaction. While she looks the part, her career-defining gig as part of How I Met Your Mother’s ensemble cast has in a role that doesn’t fit the strict and stern Agent from Marvel Comics. Her S.H.I.E.L.D. outfit aside, it is her appearance and role in the organization as Nick Fury’s (Samuel L. Jackson) sidekick that may be the only character traits keep faithful to the source material.
Vulture interviewed Smulders about some of her character’s important moments in this season of How I Met Your Mother but they did manage to squeeze in a few questions about the Marvel movie we all want to hear about. Her answers discuss what may be an important character/plot spoiler so read ahead at your own risk and avoid if you want to enjoy the surprises the film has to offer.
*
**
***
*SPOILER WARNING*
***
**
*
While Smulders kept rather secretive about revealing details for her TV show, she may have slipped and revealed a major character detail about the film studio’s version of Agent Hill, one that differs significantly from the books. The following is Smulders’ response to a question about her sporting some cool costumes in the movie:
“I do. They’re very sleek, and very leather. And she has superpowers and is hyperintelligent; a very nice, fine woman who has all the answers.”
UPDATE: Here is the actual quote that Smulders supposedly gave to Vulture:
I do. They’re very sleek, and very leather. And if she had a superpower it would be that she is hyperintelligent; a very nice, fine woman who has all the answers.
Small change of words that makes a very big difference…
SHIELD Agent Hill has superpowers? Wow. In the books, Hill is a “regular” human whose only abilities come from her special training as part of the secret organization. Smulders may have slipped or meant it figuratively as a bad-ass, well-trained character… or she may have just revealed that Hill actually is some sort of superhuman. Perhaps she’s even a Skrull, the highly rumored shapeshifting villains expected to appear in the movie…
If anything, the one still we nabbed of Hill in costume on set (above – click to enlarge) depicts her wielding a standard SHIELD sidearm so if she has powers, they evidently aren’t offensive.
Is this just a misunderstanding or do you think Joss Whedon’s take on the character may upgrade Hill with powers? If this does prove true, it could be Whedon’s attempt at introducing a female superhero since they weren’t able to fit Wasp into the movie, a character who we are told was initially planned to star in the film with a design shockingly similar to Angel Salvadore from X-Men: First Class.
It’s more likely that Smulders simply means that her character is more super than Robin Sparkles, but that’s debatable.
The Avengers stars Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, Chris Hemsworth, Mark Ruffalo, Scarlett Johansson, Jeremy Renner, Samuel L. Jackson, Cobie Smulders, Clark Gregg, Tom Hiddleston and Stellan Skarsgard. It is of course written and directed by Joss Whedon, opening in theaters on May 4, 2012.
-
Follow me on Twitter @rob_keyes.
Source: Vulture
‘Anchorman 2′ Trailers Tease the Return of Ron Burgundy’s News Team [Updated] 
Hugh Jackman Reveals Summer Start Date for ‘Wolverine 2′ 
Weekend Box Office Wrap Up: May 20th 2012 
‘Breaking Bad’ Season 5 Premieres July 15; Concludes Summer 2013 
Loading ...
I think it’s just a misunderstanding. That being said, if she did have powers then maybe Whedon merged two characters (like SHIELD Agent Daisy Johnson) for the film.
I second that. I think they took Daisy Johnson (From Marvel’s “Secret War”) and merged her with Hill, as Fury’s secret ‘ace up the sleeve.’
So if Manhattan starts a rockin…
side note
Secret war is one of THE best modern day graphic novel’s that I’ve read in a good while, you get a bijillion cool points for the reference.
Or maybe Ms. Marvel? It maybe possible, maybe at the end of the movie, she becomes Ms. Marvel. Of course, that character may be owned by Fox, so maybe not.
Wow! I used a lot of “maybe”s in that post. Maybe I need coffee.
No wrong hill is not ms marvel. trust me buddy not hill. Ms marvel real name is Carol Susan. Watch the avengers.
If Maria Hill has Super Powers then I am WALKING OUT of the movie.
I’m sure you will.
please god no
I don´t think she has “superpowers” in the movie. IMO Ms. Smulders is just too dumb to explain what Maria Hill does.
Lol
I really wish they would have left Shield out of it
Agreed. Making Avengers a SHIELD operation is taking the responsibility away from the superheroes. Now they are goverment. Me no like.
I couldn’t DISAGREE more.
Dude…
SHIELD is the entire reason for the Avengers coming together! (Not in the Marvel U of course). In the Ultimate U (which the movies are MAINLY based off of), the Avengers Initiative was created by Fury to help protect the earth.
-It looks like you’re DISAPPOINTED that Marvel is following the source material and sticking to the comics…
If they didn’t have SHIELD responsible for the assembly of the Avengers, how do you suggest the team would have been formed?
Iron Man, Cap, Thor, Hulk, Hawkeye, Black Widow… how do you think all those guys would have been able to learn of each other’s existence and form a team without some form of a recruitment entity (i.e. SHIELD)?
I’m hoping that after Avengers 1, the team will break away from SHIELD (and become privately funded by Stark), but for the first movie (the origin story of the Avengers), it’s ESSENTIAL (IMHO), for SHIELD to be included.
I like turtles
Super powers huh? Not sure about that. I’m gonna say she was being figurative in a confusing way.
From that picture, she doesn’t look antagonistic enough. Maybe it’s just the expression on her face, but it’s a vulnerable expression. I picture Hill as nigh completely emotionless.
Maybe she’ll turn into the female Captain Marvel or Ms. Marvel or something?
Anyways, hope the 2nd. Avengers movie has Wasp & Goliath (Hank Pym, blue/yellow costume), Quicksilver, & Scarlet Witch in it. And I hope to see Kang, Ultron, Mandarin (at least against iron man or else the Avengers), 7 Whirlwind in there fighting as villains, also.
I just posted the same thing about Ms. Marvel before seeing your post. Stop controlling my thoughts!
I could see Joss throwing a superpowered female into the mix, given his history. And it could lay the ground for future films. If Smulders really is a superhero, and not a “mere” S.H.I.E.L.D. agent, I don’t see why that’s anything to get upset about – we’re talking about JOSS WHEDON here people!
Smulders seemed like a more intelligent actress in How I Met Your Mother (in my opinion, its hard to be a really dumb and still be able to pull off comedic acting)
but i too am hoping that she misunderstood or misinterpreting the role in saying she had super powers…
wouldn’t that be funny if everyone on set just lead her to believe her character has super powers?
the good ol trick the canadien into thinking she has super powers routine, classic. haha
The guy playing Hawkeye also said he was “super-human” but you (screenrant) said (basiclly) the same things (that he meant that he was bad ass) in his case, there was no question if he could fly or whatever you knew what he meant, this is not news to me, just someone who wants their character to be better then how the character is in the comics.
If hawkeye meant it non-litterly, then so did she.
Now, can we PLEEEEEEASE see the hulk, Marvel? PRETTY PLEASE WITH SUGAR ON TOP?
Well Hawkeye is a superhero.
BOOM. second that…..who the hell care if she is a superhero, black widow is a superhero as well…..seriously…maybe her super power is hyper intelligent…i am a huge MCU and Comic book movie fan, so the mere fact that the AVENGERS is coming out in five months is astounding to me and i am definelty looking forward to it and one change to one character (like they havent done that before)i really dont care. im just excited.
na dip a former sheld agent to and a avenger himself my 2 favriote superhero
Honestly all I care about is how her hair looks like.
If some characters turn out to be skrulls(if they are the alien force) I wonder if they’ll act like cylons, like they won’t know until they have a “switch” flipped.
Well..its just a interview…
The reason why “True Belivers love MARVEL STUDIOS..is because the studio is MCU 616. I can totally appreciate that Fox and the like, will make films based on the characters but are not going to make films based on the books and the history of the characters.
Fox and the others, do not publish the books and make no profits in their selling. So there’s the disconnect from the books. Can’t blame them from the business side of that mind set..it only makes sense.
But the Avengers is a Marvel Studios production and allowances have been made turning book to film but the core of the subjects haven’t been tampered with drastically. The crap about Thor/Asgardians not being the mythical characters they are in the books ..based on some “Nolan/Favure real world concept that the General Public won’t accept mythical characters so let’s make them Aliens is garbage. Tell me I won’t belive it cause they are making a 2nd Clash of the Titans and isn’t Immortals out as well…??? So someone should inform both gentleman that “their personal likes/preferences aren’t always in the best interest of the general public. As a True Beliver, I’m just mad Feige went along with that Alien nonesense in the first place. How can Marvel have Hercules and the other Patheons …if they are ‘Aliens?
So…. I will keep the faith and say its a interpretation in the interview with Colbe…Maria Hill dosnt have powers in the book and proberly won’t have powers in the Movie
“The reason why “True Belivers love MARVEL STUDIOS..is because the studio is MCU 616.”
I believe you are incorrect in your assumption there. The movie studio has intelligently mixed a little of 616 and Ultimates.
It is not one or the other.
Come on guys!
When she said “superhero”, she obviously meant Hill is a bad-ass…
This is exactly like when RDJ and Marvel said that Tony Stark is a superhero (his “superpower” being his ingeniousness) and when SarJo said Black Widow is a superhero (her power being her butt- no wait, I mean her heightened athletic abilities).
AND like “Brandon” said, Renner also said Hawkeye is a “superhero” (which he isn’t really, he’s just a remarkable marksmen and close-combat fighter.)
-It’s just a misunderstanding: the term superhero IS SUPPOSED TO MEAN that the hero has to have “superpowers”, yet ALL of these characters have been described as superheroes, yet NONE of them have powers like Thor or Cap.
So in most cases, the term superhero doesn’t really mean that they have to have “powers” anymore (Stark, Widow, Hawkeye: none have “powers”).
Hell, Batman doesn’t have “superpowers”, yet we all call him a superhero (rightfully so).
Also, here’s another idea: who’s to say Smulders wasn’t making a joke?
“I do. They’re very sleek, and very leather. And she has superpowers and is hyperintelligent; a very nice, fine woman who has all the answers.”
–Could very well have been a joke (just like when Clark Gregg made that joke saying he’s a skrull-princess who invades the earth)
I’m 99.9999% certain she won’t have “superpowers” (like the ability to fly or lift a car with her bare arms) — I can believe that Hill will be depicted as a hyperintelligent, ass-kicking chick in tight leather though…
I think she meant in Canada hyper-intelligence is considered a superpower.
BAZINGA!
Warning, Wil Robinson! Southpark fan in the room!
Aknot …I’ve processesed your quick reply and found it compelling. Really..I stand corrected or enlightened its either way..but a little more 616 with *sprinklings of the other. Nick Fury being Black is the “Pepper in the mix….LOL
It’s all good …I can say that…I’m official too…
Hey at lest we get more characters than just Batman and Superman on screen..oh yeah now Green Lantern, which was a complete ##!@$%&&**???
Go MCU!!!!!!
Bully for them!
Gentlemen Let’s go to work!!!!!!!
IMO the MCU’s actually based MORE off the Ultimate-U than Marvel-U/616-U.
Still, the MCU should really be seen as it’s own universe instead of a mix between 2 universes (which is what most fans – myself included – seem to be doing)
I think she was futzing with the rabid fanboys. She’s likely pulling one over, as in punk’d.
Here ya’ll go – she was misquoted
Thx – we saw it too and fixed. Cheers
Smulders was misquoted. We’ve updated the article with her actual words, which do NOT reveal a secret superpower.
Cammander hill is the one who helped cused the civil war incadent. But she is a good asstant. If anyone is a real avengers spoler it is nick fury. Trust me and I dont like hill anywase she is a party pooper.
It should be interesting to see Cobie Smulders playing Agent Hill. Can’t wait for the movie!
i cant wait until she takes over shield and leads the charge against the rebel heroes in civil war