Mistakes from Marvel Studios' recent best and worst releases,Deadpool & WolverineandSecret Invasion, respectively, can be solved by making one bold multiversal casting choice in Phase 6 of the MCU. Upon its release in June 2023,Secret Invasionquickly became one of the MCU’s lowest-rated installments, whereas July 2024’sDeadpool & Wolverinemarked a strong debut for its titular mutants in the MCU, becoming the highest-grossing R-rated movie of all time. Despite these projects being viewed very differently, they share one huge MCU mistake in common.
BothDeadpool & WolverineandSecret Invasionwasted characters that had previously been central to their respective franchises, whether that beDeadpoolandDeadpool 2or the MCU as a whole. This was disappointing to see in both instances, but Marvel Studios has a clear way to redeem itself from these wasted character blunders in the Multiverse Saga. This would allowDeadpool & Wolverine’swasted character to get a much bigger role in the MCU, and would reverse one ofSecret Invasion’smost controversial and unnecessary moments.
Morena Baccarin Was Almost Cast As Maria Hill In 2012’s The Avengers
Morena Baccarin Eventually Debuted As Vanessa Carlysle In 2016’s Deadpool
Cobie Smulders first appeared asSHIELD agent Maria Hillin 2012’sThe Avengers, and went on to appear alongside Samuel L. Jackson’s Nick Fury in several subsequent projects. Maria Hill was almost very different, however, as Morena Baccarin also auditioned for the part, though she revealed on theHappy, Sad, Confusedpodcast (viaReddit)that she didn’t quite understand the character. Had this been different,Morena Baccarin could have appeared as Maria Hill a whole four years before she ultimately debuted as Vanessa Carlysle in 2016’sDeadpool.
I didn’t get it at all, I didn’t get it at all. I love that [Joss Whedon] brought me in for it. He kept telling me she was like Sigourney Weaver in Alien, that she had this kind of hard edge to her, and I was like ‘I don’t understand.’ I couldn’t see it on the page, I couldn’t do it. I tested. I was there with Cobie [Smulders], we tested against each other and I was like, ‘She’s going to get this part, I can see it.’ He wanted me to be emotional but hold it all in and be hard, and I was like, ‘I don’t know what you’re asking me to do. I can’t do it.’
Cobie Smulders appeared in seven live-action MCU projects prior toMaria Hill being killed off inSecret Invasion, while Morena Baccarin made her official MCU debut as Vanessa in 2024. It seems thatBaccarin could have had a far more fruitful career as Maria Hill had she been cast in the role inThe Avengers, and this different take on the iconic Marvel character could still be brought to life. Both Vanessa Carlysle and Maria Hill were wasted in the MCU’s Phase 5, but the Multiverse Saga provides opportunities for these mistakes to be fixed.
Morena Baccarin Wants A Bigger Role In The MCU After Deadpool & Wolverine
Vanessa Barely Appeared In 2024’s Deadpool & Wolverine
After she had such a huge role as the motivation behind everything Ryan Reynolds' Wade WIlson did inDeadpoolandDeadpool 2,Morena Baccarin’s Vanessa Carlyslewas completely wasted in Marvel Studios’Deadpool & Wolverine.Wade’s birthday party scene inDeadpool & Wolverineconfirmed that he and Vanessa had separated, which came out of the left field, though their romance was teased to have been rekindled at the end of the movie. Even so, Morena Baccarin revealed toComicbookthat she would love a larger role in the MCU afterDeadpool & Wolverine.
Joking that she’s"only been waiting five years,“Morena Baccarin confirmed that she would love to seeVanessa become Copycat afterDeadpool & Wolverine. Seeing Baccarin as a mutant with the ability to shape-shift into anyone would be brilliant, butit’s also possible that Marvel Studios could revive her 12-year-old MCU dreams by instead recasting Baccarin as a multiversal variant of Maria Hill. This would simultaneously give Baccarin her larger role in the MCU while also helping to gloss over one of the biggest mistakes in the MCU’s history.
Maria Hill’s Return Solves A Huge Secret Invasion Mistake
Gravik Killed Maria Hill In Secret Invasion’s Premiere
It was great to see Cobie Smulders return asMaria Hill in 2023’sSecret Invasionseries, which initially promised to be a grounded and powerful espionage-style narrative, but Marvel Studios fumbled the landing. Perhaps the show’s biggest blunder, however, was delivered inSecret Invasion’spremiere, “Resurrection,” which ended withMaria Hill shockingly being shot and killed by the Skrull rebellion leader, Kingsley Ben-Adir’s Gravik. Many want to see this death reversed, and introducing Morena Baccarin’s multiversal Maria Hill could accomplish this.
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Marvel Studios has already introduced manyvariants in the Multiverse Saga, some of whom have twisted classic MCU casting choices and imagined what new actors would be like in some pivotal roles.This has been the case for Captain Marvel, Mister Fantastic, Spider-Man, Deadpool and Wolverine, so it makes sense that Maria Hill could also get this treatment. This provides an easy way for a variant of Maria Hill to debut in the MCU, with Morena Baccarin perhaps assuming the role inAvengers: Doomsday, Avengers: Secret Warsor another upcoming MCU project.
Morena Baccarin’s Maria Hill Can Be More Comic-Accurate Than Cobie Smulders’ Version
MCU’s Maria Hill Didn’t Get Enough Action
Unlike Cobie Smulders' iteration of the character, Marvel Comics' Maria Hill has a much more substantial role in many superhero adventures. Most notably, Maria Hill succeedsNick Fury as the Director of SHIELDin Marvel Comics, has a huge part to play in theCivil Warstoryline, works closely with Tony Stark when he becomes SHIELD’s Director and is heavily-involved in many stories featuring the Avengers.It’s a shame Cobie Smulders' Maria Hill never saw this progression and evolution in the MCU, but this makes it necessary for a new version to be introduced.
10 Awesome MCU Characters The Movies Did Nothing With
The Marvel Cinematic Universe isn’t always great at paying off the potential of its characters, with many great heroes and villains being overlooked.
Over a decade after her original audition for the role of Maria Hill, it’s likely that Morena Baccarin could now have a better understanding of the character. This is especially true as a new Maria Hill would take on a different form without the supervision and direction of the controversial Joss Whedon. While many want to seeCobie Smulders return as Maria Hill, recasting the role could open Marvel Studios up to try new things with the character. AfterDeadpool & WolverineandSecret Invasion, recasting Morena Baccarin as Maria Hill could be a fantastic choice for the MCU.
Marvel Cinematic Universe
The Marvel Cinematic Universe is a multimedia superhero franchise that began in 2008 with Paramount’s Iron Man starring Robert Downey Jr. The franchise quickly grew in popularity, with Disney eventually buying out Marvel Entertainment in 2009. The MCU consists of dozens of movies and TV shows, most notably Avengers: Endgame, WandaVision, and Loki.
