This Actress Was Blindsided by Her Character’s Major Twist In Far From Home

Cobie Smulders, known for her role as Maria Hill in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, recently revealed that she was completely unaware of a significant plot twist involving her character in the 2019 film Spider-Man: Far From Home.

Warning: The following contains huge spoilers for the end of Spider-Man: Far From Home, including major character details and hints about future Marvel movies and the Secret Invasion Disney+ Show.

After Spider-Man beats Mysterio, Nick Fury and Maria Hill thank him and supposedly leave to do other SHIELD business. In the film’s post-credits scene, it was revealed that Maria Hill and Nick Fury were actually Skrulls, an alien race known for their shapeshifting abilities. This was to show that SHIELD had no idea what was going on and that the Skrulls had already successfully invaded. This twist set the stage for the Disney+ series Secret Invasion, which explored a larger Skrull infiltration of Earth.

Smulders stated that she only learned about the twist after filming for Far From Home had concluded. She spent the entire shooting thinking her character was the real Maria Hill. Marvel Studios had kept the secret from her to make sure she’d give a natural performance. If she knew she wasn’t Hill, she may have given certain things away, which would have let the audience know.

While Smulders was surprised by the twist, she said at Terrificon that she thought they’d have played it similarly (thanks CB).

I wasn’t really me. I didn’t know that until the end, until we had finished shooting, [Marvel Studios] let me know. They were like, ‘Just so you know, we were gonna do this thing… They wanted me to play it [normally]. Even if I knew the whole time, I think we still would be playing the reality of the day-to-day.

Cobie Smulders

This plot twist added a layer of complexity to the film and helped to establish the concept of the multiverse in the MCU. It also connected Far From Home to the larger narrative of the franchise, leading directly to the events of Secret Invasion.

The secret added intrigue to her character and helped make her more interesting and multifaceted.