1 MCU Casting Could Fix 2 Wasted Characters From Marvel’s Worst & Best Recent Releases At The Same Time

Mistakes from Marvel Studios’ recent best and worst releases, Deadpool & Wolverine and Secret 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 Invasion quickly became one of the MCU’s lowest-rated installments, whereas July 2024’s Deadpool & Wolverine marked 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.

Both Deadpool & Wolverine and Secret Invasion wasted characters that had previously been central to their respective franchises, whether that be Deadpool and Deadpool 2 or 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 allow Deadpool & Wolverine’s wasted character to get a much bigger role in the MCU, and would reverse one of Secret Invasion’s most 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 as SHIELD agent Maria Hill in 2012’s The 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 the Happy, Sad, Confused podcast (via Reddit) 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’s Deadpool.

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 to Maria Hill being killed off in Secret Invasion, while Morena Baccarin made her official MCU debut as Vanessa in 2024. It seems that Baccarin could have had a far more fruitful career as Maria Hill had she been cast in the role in The 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 in Deadpool and Deadpool 2, Morena Baccarin’s Vanessa Carlysle was completely wasted in Marvel Studios’ Deadpool & Wolverine. Wade’s birthday party scene in Deadpool & Wolverine confirmed 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 to Comicbook that she would love a larger role in the MCU after Deadpool & Wolverine.

Joking that she’s “only been waiting five years,” Morena Baccarin confirmed that she would love to see Vanessa become Copycat after Deadpool & Wolverine. Seeing Baccarin as a mutant with the ability to shape-shift into anyone would be brilliant, but it’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 as Maria Hill in 2023’s Secret Invasion series, 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 in Secret Invasion’s premiere, “Resurrection,” which ended with Maria 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.

Marvel Studios has already introduced many variants 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 in Avengers: Doomsday, Avengers: Secret Wars or 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 succeeds Nick Fury as the Director of SHIELD in Marvel Comics, has a huge part to play in the Civil War storyline, 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.

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 see Cobie Smulders return as Maria Hill, recasting the role could open Marvel Studios up to try new things with the character. After Deadpool & Wolverine and Secret Invasion, recasting Morena Baccarin as Maria Hill could be a fantastic choice for the MCU.

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