| Maria Hill | |
|---|---|
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| Publication information | |
| Publisher | Marvel Comics |
| First appearance | New Avengers #4 (March 2005) |
| Created by |
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| In-story information | |
| Alter ego | Maria Christina Hill |
| Species | Human |
| Team affiliations | |
| Partnerships | Nick Fury Iron Man Captain America |
| Notable aliases | Director Hill Commander Hill Deputy Commander Hill |
| Abilities |
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CommanderMaria Christina Hill is a character appearing inAmerican comic books published byMarvel Comics. Created byBrian Michael Bendis andDavid Finch, the character first appeared inNew Avengers #4 (March 2005). As a former director ofS.H.I.E.L.D., she appears in various storylines which often feature theAvengers or members of that group.
Cobie Smulders portrayed Maria Hill in theMarvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), appearing in the filmsThe Avengers (2012),Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014),Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015),Avengers: Infinity War (2018),Avengers: Endgame (2019). Additionally, Smulders appeared as the character in the television seriesAgents of S.H.I.E.L.D. and the miniseriesSecret Invasion (2023), voiced alternate timeline versions of the character in theDisney+ animated seriesWhat If...? (2021–2024) andMoon Girl and Devil Dinosaur (2023–2025), and portrayed aSkrullimpersonator of Hill in the filmSpider-Man: Far From Home (2019).
Maria Hill first appeared inNew Avengers #4 (March 2005), and was created byBrian Michael Bendis andDavid Finch.[1]
Joe Quesada, who was Marvel's editor-in-chief during her first appearance, describes the character thus: "[Hill] is such a strong personality, she's like a force of nature and quite frankly, while perhaps not immediately loved by all involved, she's certainly as strong and imposing a figure as Nick Fury. Right now I feel that people view her as the outsider but [while] I don't think she's any harsher than Fury has ever been, what's different is that we aren't quite clear about her motives."[dead link][2]
She appeared as a supporting character in the 2010–2013Avengers series, from issue #1 (July 2010) through its final issue, #34 (January 2013), but only appeared sporadically after the first half of its run.
In 2014, she was a regular character inBlack Widow andSecret Avengers.
Maria Hill was born inChicago,Illinois.[3] She joins the United States armed forces and later becomes an agent of S.H.I.E.L.D.[4] AfterNick Fury's removal as Director of S.H.I.E.L.D. due to thefallout of unauthorized strike onLatveria, Hill is made director of S.H.I.E.L.D.[5]
TheAvengers suspect Hill of being complicit in various crimes, but lack evidence to prove it. At the same time, Hill suspects the group's latest incarnation are harboring an illicit agenda in connection with the "House of M" affair. She abductsSpider-Man and theVision to question the two about the situation.[6] She earnsIron Man's respect when she ignores thePresident of the United States's orders to nuke an island while the Avengers are on it.[7]
In the 2006–2007 storyline "Civil War",Captain America refuses to assist Commander Hill in preparations to arrest any superheroes who refuse to comply with theSuperhuman Registration Act due to seeing such activity as politically motivated. Hill argued that the will of the American people must be obeyed, attempting to arrest Captain America who fights out of theHelicarrier and escapes.[8] After the Superhuman Registration Act passes into law, Hill is one of the leading enforcers. She blackmailsWonder Man into actively supporting the S.H.I.E.L.D. crusade to hunt down the superheroes opposed to the Superhuman Registration Act. She sendsKree supersoldierNoh-Varr (already brainwashed) to capture theRunaways. She directs theThunderbolts to capture Spider-Man; the Thunderbolts' two members sent out,Jester andJack O'Lantern, are slain by thePunisher.[9][volume & issue needed] After foiling an attack onStark Tower, Hill thinks that she does not want her job as director of S.H.I.E.L.D. and thinks she should not have been offered the position in the first place.[10] At the conclusion, the President appoints Tony Stark as the director of S.H.I.E.L.D., with Hill (displeased) as acting deputy director.[11]
After being made Deputy Director, Hill becomes a core member of the S.H.I.E.L.D. cabinet and assists Stark in dealing with a sudden rise in various terrorist groups who have gained access to hyper-advanced biological weapons. Unlike the rest of the cabinet (including Sal Kennedy whom she loathed personally), Hill remains skeptical of a single conspiracy behind all these attacks.[12] When theMandarin's neoplastic tumor began infecting the Helicarrier, Hill organizes the evacuation; she wrongly believed the infection is the main objective of the attack.[13] Subsequently, however, Hill becomes much more trusting in Stark's leadership, a trusted agent in her role as Deputy Director and far less bound by conventional process, particularly after a confrontation withDum Dum Dugan, in which she's forced to confront the fact that she was apparently willing to take actions that would allow innocent people to die while still sticking to "the book" because the alternative was to disobey orders.[14] She eventually risks her career by locking down theUnited Nations under S.H.I.E.L.D. martial law so Stark can escape a tribunal and track down the Mandarin.[15]
During the 2008 "Secret Invasion" storyline, Hill is left in charge of S.H.I.E.L.D. and confronts a number ofSkrulls.[16] They execute her but she is revealed to be aLife Model Decoy. Hill then activates the Helicarrier's self-destruct system, killing all the Skrull infiltrators on board, escaping via jet pack.[17]
During the "Dark Reign" storyline, S.H.I.E.L.D is disbanded by the President, Hill and Stark lose their jobs, and are replaced byNorman Osborn who then reforms the fallen remains intoH.A.M.M.E.R.[18] In theIron Man monthly series, Hill tries to go about having a normal life but Osborn dispatches H.A.M.M.E.R. to arrest her for theft. She joins her former boss as a fugitive after Iron Man stole the Superhuman Registration Database. The night before Stark leaves, the two have a sexual tryst.[19] Hill is sent on a mission by Stark to retrieve a hard drive. Hill finds theController holed up in the basement of Futurepharm, hooked into a large machine holding many people in containers. She barely manages to escape him, before downloading the data Tony sent her for. The skirmish with the Controller would leave her in a state of paranoia for a while. She then enlists theBlack Widow to deliver the data toCaptain America, all the while evading H.A.M.M.E.R. agents. However, they are captured when H.A.M.M.E.R. intercepts an e-mail from Stark. They are rescued byPepper Potts.[20]
During the 2010 "Siege" storyline, Hill comes to the aid ofThor after Osborn launches an attack onAsgard.[21] Hill becomes a supporting cast member in theIron Man series, protecting her friends from multiple threats.[22] In the 2010 "Heroic Age" storyline, which followed "Siege", Hill is appointed by Captain Steve Rogers to work with a new team of Avengers.[23]
Following the apparent death of Fury, she was appointed commander, then acting director, and finally director of S.H.I.E.L.D. followingDaisy Johnson's actions that involved theSecret Avengers invading A.I.M. Island.[24]
During the "Avengers: Standoff!" storyline, Hill and S.H.I.E.L.D. have established Pleasant Hill, a super villain prison designed to resemble a gated community. While working at Pleasant Hill, Hill operates as the Mayor of Pleasant Hills. A training video for the S.H.I.E.L.D. cadets working there showed that she and the S.H.I.E.L.D. scientists have used reality-warping technology derived from theCosmic Cube called "Kobik" as a demonstration was used, withGraviton being transformed into mild-mannered Pleasant Hill chef Howie Howardson.[25] Rogers is brought before Hill, telling her of the knowledge that the Kobik project was not disposed of. Hill presented the inhabitants of Pleasant Hill to Rogers: she mentions that the citizens are reformed supervillains. When Rogers demanded to know where were the Cosmic Cube fragments used for Kobik, she revealed the eerie little girl who was the fragments of the Cosmic Cube that have taken the form of a near-omnipotent child.[26]
Following the "Civil War II" storyline, Hill was later seen being kidnapped byDiablo who attempted to extract the security code clearances for all the active helicarriers and theTriskelion, when she was rescued byVictor Von Doom.[27]
During the "One World Under Doom" storyline, Maria Hill approaches the heroes on rescue efforts following the fight againstDormammu. She states to everyone that Doctor Doom is hiding something big and it will take everyone they got to get to it.[28]
Maria Hill is an extremely effective commander, leader, tactician, and military strategist. She is a highly skilled martial artist and hand-to-hand fighter, as well as being a proficient marksman and armed combatant.
An alternate universe variant of Maria Hill from Earth-982 appears inMC2. This version is a member of the National Security Force.[35] She later joinsS.H.I.E.L.D., feuding withLa Contessa Valentina Allegra de la Fontaine as the organisation embarks in acivil war, beforeSpider-Girl unwittingly freesCarnage from Maria's custody.[36]
An alternate universe variant of Maria Hill from Earth-18366 appears inOld Woman Laura. This version is a cyborg and head of thejoint Chiefs of Staff under PresidentKamala Khan before being killed by aDoombot.[37]
An alternate universe variant of Maria Hill from Earth-1610 appears in theUltimate Marvel universe. This version is an ex-S.H.I.E.L.D. agent and a homicide detective currently working for theNYPD.[38]
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Maria Hill appears in media set in theMarvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), portrayed byCobie Smulders. This version is a close friend ofNick Fury and ally of theAvengers. Throughout her appearances, she initially serves as deputy director ofS.H.I.E.L.D. before joiningStark Industries following the organization's dissolution, and falls victim tothe Blip before she is killed bySkrull rebelGravik while helping Fury stop him. Hill first appears in the live-action filmsThe Avengers,Captain America: The Winter Soldier,[43]Avengers: Age of Ultron,Avengers: Infinity War,[44] andAvengers: Endgame.[45][46] Additionally, Hill appears in the live-action TV seriesAgents of S.H.I.E.L.D.[47][48][49][50][51][52][53] and the live-action miniseriesSecret Invasion,[54] while the SkrullSoren assumes Hill's likeness in the live-action filmSpider-Man: Far From Home.[55] Furthermore, Smulders voices alternate timeline variants of Hill in the animated seriesWhat If...?.[56]
Cobie finally spills the beans on the next Marvel movie she's in – The Avengers: Infinity War." (from the video's description)Alt URL
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