Cobie Smulders breaks down that devastating Secret Invasion premiere ending

Warning: This article contains spoilers for the first episode of Secret Invasion, "Resurrection."

Cobie Smulders knows the drill.

As one of the Marvel Cinematic Universe's few remaining actors who have spent more than a decade playing the same character, she's hesitant to confirm whether Maria Hill actually dies at the end of the Secret Invasion premiere episode — despite all the clear evidence pointing to that sad fact.

"It's happened, but also… did it?" she says to EW as she laughs over Zoom a few days after the show's debut. "It looked real to me!"

The MCU's badass-S.H.I.E.L.D.-agent-turned-rogue-spy spent the entire first episode of the dark new Disney+ series bringing Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) back into the fold after his extended absence on S.A.B.E.R., alerting him to the growing threat of shape-shifting Skrulls infiltrating Earth. But she paid the ultimate price when they were unable to stop a group of Skrull terrorists from bombing a heavily populated square in Moscow, and a Skrull pretending to be Fury shot her. She died in the real Fury's arms in the episode's final moments, but Smulders knows not to make any declarations about the character's fate.

Des Willie/Marvel Studios Cobie Smulders as Maria Hill in 'Secret Invasion'

"It's so hard because there's a multiverse," she says. "I don't know, I don't write these stories. I just show up when they ask me to, and I have been able to be a part of so many amazing productions, films, TV, so I'm only grateful for the time that I have had amongst these beautiful creative people."

Below, Smulders breaks down the Secret Invasion premiere ending, what it was like filming her death scene, what this means for Maria's future in the MCU, and more.

ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: How hard was it for you to keep the secret for so long that Maria Hill dies in the Secret Invasion premiere?

COBIE SMULDERS: Listen, I told my husband. It's funny because I've been doing this for so long so I'm very well trained, but I think that the reason I haven't really thought about it too much is that Maria Hill has been in mortal danger so many times. This is a character who has put her life on the line and exists in that world where she's decided to make that a risk for herself. It's one of the things that I just love about her and other mortal agents that have come along, where it really takes a lot of guts to sign up in this Marvel world to put your life on the line.

How did you find out Maria was going to die?

When I was asked to do the series, they sort of laid it all out and explained that her death would propel the story forward. So I always knew that she was going to, pun intended, take the hit, story-wise.

Marvel Studios Cobie Smulders in 'Secret Invasion'

What was your reaction when you found that out?

I understood the level of tension and emotion that we were going to get to see from Fury, and I think that's what the series is about, getting to know and understand this character that people have been so intrigued by for so long. Maria's passing certainly lends itself to his emotions going forward and, really, the way that he makes his decisions because he is so upset. This is also a man that has suffered loss his entire life — not just Maria, so it has been building. There's a reason he's been off the planet for as long as he has, and the reason why he hasn't really connected with Maria or hasn't been on Earth for as long as he has, so he's dealing with a lot of stuff and this just agitates it further.

What does this mean for your future in the MCU? Is this Maria's final appearance?

I mean, I do not make those decisions. I'm still working on [Disney Channel's] Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur animated show — I literally recorded some episodes today. So I have no idea how or when she's going to come back around to me, but I'm always welcoming the call.

Are we going to see Maria again before the end of the series, either in flashbacks or as a Skrull taking her form?

What a great question. I'm not going to answer it. [Laughs] Honestly, I don't know. I don't know what they decided to do with the end of it.

What was it like filming Maria's death?

It was emotional, it was scary. I was lucky enough that we were in this one location over the course of a couple of days shooting the entire sequence, so we got everything, the explosions, the running, the chasing, the Skrulls morphing, and all of that already. It was one of the last things that I did.

I really loved my time working with Sam, I really enjoyed every moment that I have been able to play Maria, so I was sad, but I'm also just very grateful. When I signed on to do this 10 years ago, I didn't even think I got it after the audition. "Well, that was fun. I didn't embarrass myself, but I definitely didn't get it," I remember saying to my husband. So it's just really been an embarrassment of riches to be able to do all these jobs, and to go from film to TV to animated form. It's really been a magical journey. It was sort of a sad way to go, but I'm grateful for the time that I have had.

Gareth Gatrell/Marvel Studios Samuel L. Jackson and Cobie Smulders in 'Secret Invasion'

Does she die thinking Fury really is the one who killed her, given their history and especially since she knows the Skrulls shape-shift? Has her trust in Fury really been destroyed that much at that moment?

There's a lot to process in that final moment. This is the beginning of the series, the audience doesn't know the level of which the Skrulls have infiltrated our planet, so I think Maria was very surprised at the intensity already from the get-go. I don't think it was on her radar as much as it maybe should have been, but I do like to think, because there were moments shared with Fury before she closed her eyes, that she acknowledged that it wasn't him, but I don't know if she really could put it together that soundly.

I think that she witnessed sadness and regret from him before she passed, so I'd like to think that this is a character who knows a lot. But what makes this show so interesting and different is it's really hard to know who to trust and to know what's real. I think she was able to understand that it wasn't the real Fury. I do like to think that, and I think that's what I was doing in the moment, but it was very confusing. There's a lot going on. That's really the takeaway moment, that Fury is left with this question that we're going back and forth about right now wondering, "Did Maria know that it wasn't me?" And that's a hard thing.

What have you thought about the fan reaction to Maria's death so far?

I honestly haven't been engaging too much, but I have been [online] a little bit, and it's nice that people care that she is dead. It has been one of the greatest gifts of the job, if not the greatest gift, is getting to bear witness to the love that people have for these productions, these characters, and these stories. The biggest takeaway from this whole experience is just being able to meet people who are so excited. My only hope is that they continue to experience it in a way that makes them happy. It has been so wonderful to be privy to that type of energy.

Looking back over your entire history in the MCU, what moment are you most proud of?

Oh God, there's so many. I did enjoy in Captain America: The Winter Soldier how I broke into that armored car and saved a lot of the Avengers. That was pretty cool, because it was a real human moment. That was fun. I appreciate any time that I'm also allowed to be funny, which there are a lot of opportunities to be, but usually my job is to say, "Hey, audience, this is what's happening. This is what we need to get, and these are the people that are going to go try to get it, and I'll see you in 30 minutes." The opportunities that I've had to do my own stunts and be funny have been lovely, but really my favorite moments have just been the people I've been able to meet and befriend over the years.

New episodes of Secret Invasion stream Wednesdays on Disney+.

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