With the release of Marvel’s Secret Invasion series
on Disney+ prominently featuring former Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. Maria
Hill as portrayed by Cobie Smoulders’ who has played the character
in the Marvel Cinematic Universe since 2012’s The Avengers, I
thought now would be an opportune time to finally cover Maria Hill in the
MC2.
Maria Hill made her debut in the pages of New Avengers
#4 in 2005 though was apparently originally meant to first appear in
the Secret War mini-series before lengthy delays saw it released far
later. In either event, she replaced Nick Fury
as Director of S.H.I.E.L.D. during that period.
Meanwhile in the MC2, we see some familiar faces
amongst the Agents
of S.H.I.E.L.D. during the Carnage story
arc, with Maria Hill making the scene in Amazing
Spider-Girl #9. On behalf of her ‘superiors’ Agent Maria Hill tasks Special
Agent Arthur Weadon and his team of former villains led by Kaine
with safeguarding the transport of an item referred to only as 'Specimen 297'
(actually a piece of the Carnage
symbiote) through New York City. When the transport convoy
is attacked by a faction of S.H.I.E.L.D. Agents led by Contessa
Valentina Allegra de Fontaine (who will no doubt warrant her own post
someday) and the Specimen accidentally let loose in the
city by Spider-Girl,
Carnage is reborn.
With the New York City Police Department on the scene
(including Police Scientist Peter
Parker), Special Agent Maria Hill obstructs Captain Ruiz’s
investigation of the situation before chastising Special Agent Arthur Weadon
and his team’s failure to protect the Specimen. Nick Fury makes
his first on-panel appearance in the MC2 - albeit shrouded in
shadow-when he assures President
G.W. Bridge the situation would be resolved despite the
complications as he has his best Agent on the case. After an attack by Carnage
at Café Indigo, Hill dispatches S.H.I.E.L.D. agents and Weadon’s
team to track down Spider-Girl
for questioning about her involvement (Amazing Spider-Girl #10-#11).
After evading both groups, Spider-Girl is reacquired during a battle with Carnage, with Maria Hill sending Weadon’s team and S.H.I.E.L.D. after her once more which results in Carnage attacking all of them. Fortunately, Spider-Girl manages to save everyone involved, but her baby brother Benjy, now merged with a part of the Carnage symbiote, is taken by the villain. Hill calls for emergency aid before following them to Midtown Medical Center (Amazing Spider-Girl #12).
Maria Hill reports back to Nick Fury that Specimen 297 has been fully neutralized. Despite the operation not going as planned, the situation was salvaged thanks to Spider-Girl's intervention, providing the President with a sound rationale to convince the congressional committee to destroy the remaining Specimen (Amazing Spider-Girl #12).
As for where Special Agent Maria Hill next appears in
the MC2, we turn to the American Dream mini-series.
These appearances are tricky. Maria Hill shows up so you would
think she was working for S.H.I.E.L.D. but dialogue and recap
pages both state she is working for the National Security Force. I
would be inclined to accept that Hill simply changed employers
since her last appearance, except every issue after she shows up in American
Dream #2 clearly depicts her in full S.H.I.E.L.D. uniform
and leading other agents also clad in S.H.I.E.L.D. uniform.
Maria Hill calls into Avengers Compound to order
Shannon
Carter
aka American
Dream to cease her inquiries into the crystalline creatures she had
encountered. After some consideration and discussion with the rest of the Avengers,
American Dream decides to continue her investigation while seeking a
missing person (American Dream #2).
Returning to Avengers Compound with a federal warrant
to assume custody of a crystal creature, Hill proceeds to chastise American
Dream, and tells her again to back off before she and the rest of the Avengers
are charged with treason. This prompts American Dream to resign from the
Avengers to protect them while she pursued the matter solo (American
Dream #3).
For good measure, Hill angrily makes a third trip to Avengers Compound to arrest American Dream after she is spotted at a classified crime scene, only to be told by Edwin Jarvis that he does not know where the former Avenger has gone. After threatening to take Jarvis in as an accessory, Thunderstrike steps in to defend him, questioning why Hill is trying to stop the investigation. We soon learn that S.H.I.E.L.D. is attempting to discover how to destroy the crystalline creatures to prevent them falling into enemy hands, unaware they are actually illegal immigrants who’ve been unwillingly transformed by the villain Silikong. When the one in their custody reawakens, Hill finds herself shorthanded (American Dream #4).
While across town the Avengers locate and aid American Dream in her fight against the combined forces of Hope Pym aka The Red Queen, Ion Man, Silikong and his crystalline creatures, Maria Hill and her agents struggle against their single foe until the control over the creatures is stopped by Dream. This leads Special Agent Maria Hill to admit she has some grovelling to do and we later learn that Hill has arrested Silikong and will try to reverse the process used on the victims of his experiments (American Dream #5).
Maria Hill in the MC2 is a good example of a Main
Marvel Universe character who debuted after the point at which the MC2
diverges, with very different events unfolding. Her appearance in the MC2
acts as a nice nod to the New Avengers era of the Main Marvel Universe
in much the same way as references to Luke Cage
established his membership on that team in the MC2’s own history.
Until I perform dual duties as an National Security Agent
and an Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D., I remain
frogoat
