Building up since Phase 1, Secret Invasion will finally address a decade-old SHIELD mistake. In the early stages of the MCU, SHIELD was the central government agency that most of the heroes relied on. Many figures came and went, but Nick Fury is a long-standing SHIELD leader even after the agency’s dissolution. However, he wouldn’t have been able to do it without the support of his right-hand Maria Hill, and Secret Invasion looks to finally expand on her story.

Maria Hill was first introduced in The Avengers as SHIELD’s Deputy Director, helping Fury oversee the Avengers Initiative. Although she’s made appearances in several MCU projects since Phase 1, Maria has never truly had a chance to shine on her own. With actress Cobie Smulders confirming that Secret Invasion will give her character some much-needed depth, the MCU will finally get to pay homage to a SHIELD icon.

Maria Hill Is Great - But The MCU Hasn’t Done Enough With Her

Maria Hill and Nick Fury in The Avengers

Maria Hill has made consistent appearances throughout the MCU alongside Nick Fury. From Captain America: The Winter Soldier to Spider-Man: Far From Home, the MCU has proved time and time again that she is a skilled agent and a reliable point of contact. However, she has always played a supporting character to Nick and despite her capabilities being clear, the MCU has yet to give her character the emotional depth she deserves.

Not much is known about Maria’s MCU backstory besides what’s known of her history with SHIELD. Out of The Avengers’ original SHIELD trio, both Nick Fury and Phil Coulson have already had their characters expanded on emotionally in the MCU. The MCU Disney+ shows have allowed Marvel to expand on characters that the films didn’t have time to. Seeing as how much of Maria’s story from the comics has yet to be explored on screen, Secret Invasion looks to be a good starting point in building up her story.

Related: MCU Phase 4 Needs To Finally Do Maria Hill Justice

Secret Invasion Will Give Maria Hill Her Biggest & Best MCU Story Yet

Maria Hill in Secret Invasion

Secret Wars is a long overdue Fury solo project, but it also looks to be Hill’s biggest MCU story yet. With how expansive Earth’s Skrull invasion looks to be in Secret Invasion, Nick will naturally want to split up his personnel to cover more ground. In a Secret Invasion set video, Smulders’ Maria and Ben Mendelsohn's Talos can be seen on a mission. Maria spending some time apart from Nick will not only reinforce her individual capabilities, but also means that Secret Invasion will definitely give some solo screen time to the SHIELD agent. Especially with the untrusting nature of the Skrull invasion, having Maria doubt the people around her will force her to dig deep and think on her feet.

Maria Hill is a prominent MCU character with much Marvel Comics history, but her full potential has yet to be seen on screen. Mostly there as a reliable support figure for Nick Fury, her MCU appearances have proven her skills but haven’t shown off much of her as a person. With actress Cobie Smulders’ confirmation that the series will be Maria’s most in-depth story yet, Secret Invasion looks to finally honor a prominent SHIELD figure.

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