‘Secret Invasion’ Star Cobie Smulders Is Shocked That the Series Premiere’s Ending Didn’t Leak
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[This story contains spoilers for Secret Invasion’s series premiere, “Resurrection.”]
When Marvel Studios ventured into television by way of Disney+, the expectation was that the brand would be able to dive deeper into its many characters, something it can only do so much of in a two-hour movie. Unfortunately for Secret Invasion star Cobie Smulders, her fan-favorite character Maria Hill will not be the recipient of such treatment, as the former SHIELD agent met her end in the Ali Selim-directed series premiere, “Resurrection.”
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Considering her 2011 casting in The Avengers (2012) led to another five movies and three series, Smulders is taking her MCU exit in stride. (Her seventh movie appearance is reportedly coming in November’s The Marvels.)
“This has been an amazing run. What a dream job,” Smulders tells The Hollywood Reporter. “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.”
Smulders is quite surprised that her character’s death didn’t leak, considering it was filmed at The Piece Hall in Halifax, West Yorkshire, with a great deal of background artists and onlookers in the mix.
“There were a lot of people around, so I’m surprised that there wasn’t an image that got leaked. 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 says.
What made Hill’s sendoff all the more bizarre is that Samuel L. Jackson was the one who pulled the trigger as faux Fury. Kingsley Ben-Adir’s baddie, Gravik, shapeshifted into Fury’s form, creating a disturbing dynamic that was the polar opposite of the one Fury has had with Hill throughout the MCU. Luckily, the real Nick Fury arrived just in time for Smulders and Jackson to have an emotional final moment.
“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,” Smulders recalls. “So I focused more on that last moment than the darkness of him actually doing that [as Skrull imposter Fury].”
Below, during a recent spoiler conversation with THR, Smulders also addresses whether the door is still open for a multiverse-type return someday.
Well, normally I’d say congratulations, but today is a very somber affair.
(Laughs.) We can still say congratulations. This has been an amazing run. What a dream job. I’m proud and excited that I got the opportunity to play Maria Hill over the last 10 years in films and television and in animated form.
I spoke to you for Spider-Man: Far From Home, and not long before the premiere, they blindsided you with the revelation that you were unknowingly playing a Skrull [Talos’ wife Soren]. And now this happens. So you do have reasons to be frustrated, but like you said, it’s hard to complain when a 2011 casting led to six more movies and three series.
Yes, on paper, the credits are great, but on every project, I’ve also gotten to meet and work with the most talented creative people. And I’m not just talking about the stars. I’m talking about our crews, our writers, our directors and all of the people who’ve been working on all these Marvel films for years and years and years. Every production I’ve done has been an absolute blast with amazing people. So I really don’t have anything to complain about.
In that same conversation, I asked you an awful question about whether you’ve prepared yourself for the possibility that you could be playing Maria Hill for the rest of your life. So I’m really sorry for jinxing all this.
(Laughs.) That’s OK! It’s been a really long run, and I’m only grateful for the time that I’ve had.
So how was the news of this gut punch first delivered to you?
You mean gut shot!? (Laughs.)
Touché.
I was told right away. I was told right off the bat when [Marvel Studios co-president] Lou D’Esposito gave me a call to chat about just joining up [on Secret Invasion], and so I’ve known about it for years, which is really funny. It’s nice to finally have it out there. I’m surprised I didn’t let her slip, so I’ve known for a while.
The villain of the show, Gravik (Kingsley Ben-Adir), shapeshifted into Nick Fury, which meant that Sam was the one who had to perform the act of assassinating Maria. Was that dynamic pretty bizarre on the day given the onscreen relationship you’re used to having together?
Yes! I haven’t thought about that since I saw it, but you’re reminding me that it was a little weird. Maybe it was more weird for Sam; you’d have to ask him. But, yeah, 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. So I focused more on that last moment than the darkness of him actually doing that [as Skrull imposter Fury].
Were they able to schedule the death scene last? Or did you go on to shoot some scenes before her death?
It was toward the end. I can’t remember if it was the actual end, but we worked on that whole sequence in that one location. It was shot at this town square just north of London [The Piece Hall in Halifax, West Yorkshire, England]. So we went through the sequence of events as they played out with explosions and running and chasing, and then we ended with that. There were a lot of people around, so, again, I’m surprised that there wasn’t an image that got leaked. 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.
Was there any pomp and circumstance once you finally wrapped? Was there a Skrull cake perhaps?
(Laughs.) Yes, there were gifts given and some notes and cards. There was a bottle of champagne, which was drunk immediately. So there were — and have been since — many nice words and moments.
Fortunately, no one’s ever really gone in the multiverse, so have they given you some indication that Maria could pop up again down the road, somehow, some way? Did they leave the door open?
That’s sort of for them to decide. I will always answer the call, but I have no idea what they have planned for future productions. But I guess anything’s possible in the multiverse.
Earlier in the episode, I loved the way you accepted Fury’s snack offering. You said, “Yeah, OK” in such a resigned, exhausted manner.
(Laughs.) Yeah, I feel like that sums up the whole episode. Maria has been alone in this battle for so long, and Fury, especially when it comes to Skrulls, is going to take the lead. So she just has to go along a lot of the time, especially now that he’s back. In that moment, she’s like, “OK, fine. Let’s just do this.” (Laughs.)
Decades from now, when your loved ones ask you about your time as Maria Hill, what day on a Marvel project will you likely tell them about first?
There were these big scenes that we shot in the first and second Avengers, and we would all just chat while sitting around tables or standing around on a ship. On the first one, it was really intimidating for me to come into these big scenes, but it was truly magical that I got to be there over many days and shoot these scenes and watch these performances. I also got to watch the production and see how it translated onto the screen with CGI added in and whatever else. I hadn’t been a part of something like that before, where a film blended the art with the actual production and the performances as much as the first ones did. So it was really cool to get to witness the blending of what these artists made.
I remember going onto the first one and being given artist renderings of my character and her costume, and it was so thought out and beautifully done. So that will always be a big takeaway. It will also be the fan support. It has been an amazing 10 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.
***
Secret Invasion is now airing every Wednesday on Disney+. This interview was edited for length and clarity.
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