Cobie Smulders' portrayal of Maria Hill in the MCU has become beloved by fans over the years starting with her first appearance in The Avengers. The character became one of the close confidants of the Avengers and assisted them on several missions. But just like any other role in Hollywood, a lot of actresses were auditioning to play the character and it also came down to a few names including one who would, later on, join the Marvel Universe in another role.
Per Screen Rant, during an interview on the Happy Sad Confused podcast by Josh Horowitz, Morena Baccarin revealed the details regarding her failed Maria Hill audition for The Avengers in which she shared why she didn't end up getting the role and praised Smulders for her depiction of the character.
"I didn't get it at all, I didn't get it at all," Baccarin said. "I love that [director 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, 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.'"
While Baccarin obviously didn't end up getting the role, she did eventually join the Marvel Universe years later as she played Wade Wilson's girlfriend Vanessa in the Deadpool films. Now that Marvel Studios has the rights to X-Men, Deadpool, and the associated characters, there is a possibility that we might see Baccarin officially make her jump into the MCU by reprising the role of Vanessa, especially since we know that a third Deadpool film is in the works.
Most of us can agree that Smulders is fantastic in the role of Maria Hill and we now associate the character with her, but it's also interesting to hear that there was a time when Baccarin almost played her. It would be a good "What If?" question to ponder about what would have happened if Baccarin got the role instead. Perhaps that exists in another universe and only they can answer that.
Also Read: Secret Invasion Set Photo Reveals First Look at Emilia Clarke's Mystery Character
In the end, everything worked out for both actresses and we're also just glad that we will be seeing Maria Hill again in the MCU next on the upcoming series Secret Invasion, which is set to be released on Disney+ later this year.
Explore new topics and discover content that's right for you!