Welcome back to Dude, What the Heck? a segment where a highly divided subject in comics is analyzed on why that is the case.
Today, rather than focusing on an event or a short story, I’ll be focusing on Marvel Comic’s Maria Hill. Maria Hill is a SHIELD agent who has regularly appeared in the Marvel Universe since her debut in The New Avengers by Brian Michael Bendis. During this time she is portrayed as being paranoid and being suspected in illicit crimes. She even abducted Spider-Man and Vision to question their motives after the House of M affair. Joe Quesada describes her as being very strong and imposing as Nick Fury but wasn’t quite sure about her motives.
Which brings us into how Hill tends to be portrayed in nearly all of her appearances. She is headstrong, follows non-catastrophic order, and attempts to do the right thing.
Setting Up Maria Hill
Hill has a moral ambiguity when it comes to actions. Despite her earlier actions in the same New Avengers series; she ignores the President’s order to nuke an island the Avengers are on in order to kill the Xorn Collective. This in turn earns her Iron Man’s respect, something that solidifies Hill’s appearances in later comics.
The Screw-Ups
Unfortunately, due to poor writing Hill’s moral ambiguity is often a plot device rather than a character trait. As director of SHIELD, she is in charge of arresting anyone who refuses to comply with the Super Human Registration Act. She even points guns and fires on Captain America when he refuses to support it. Yeah, Hill is one of the reasons the Pro-Registration side looks lawfully evil. It certainly does not help that Hill hates her job as director and even laments her Deputy Director job. Why couldn’t she have turn out to be a Skrull in disguise in Secret Invasion?
Ray of Hope?
A better question is how someone like her stays around. Hill’s attitude is very by-the-book; with a shoot first and never bother to question her actions. So, Dum Dum Dugan confronts Hill with an important lesson that there are times to just say no. Ultimately she does refuse allowing this complicated relationship with the Marvel Universe to continue.
By the time of Iron Man: World’s Most Wanted/Stark Disassembled, Maria has to confront her paranoia. Here the audience gets a clear look at Hill’s life of abuse at the hand of her father. Hill becomes more sympathetic and vulnerable unlike the usual stick in the mud. By this point, Hill becomes more trustworthy to be on the more moral side. Steve Rogers even has her work closely with the Avengers.
Like Poetry
Eventually, she is once again Director of SHIELD and goes back into old habits. Why? She creates a prison to hold super villains; all while altering their lives with the Cosmic Cube. The Cosmic Cube however takes the form and persona of a little girl SHIELD calls Kobik. But Hill never treats Kobik as a person which leads to her compromise by the Red Skull. That’s not even including the blackmail and her refusal to take responsibility; by extension this leads to Captain America turning evil.
It’s obvious that Marvel treats Hill more like a plot element than a character. Which stinks because she does have character. But the only person who seems to acknowledge that is her creator.
Is there any Hope for Maria Hill?
If anything, Marvel should stick to giving Maria Hill some depth and reason for her actions and not chopped together stories. There were hints of realization during Avengers Standoff! when Hill expects to be put in prison. But that alone does not fix her lack of responsibility. Her creator, Brian Michael Bendis, gives Maria some much needed depth in the Jessica Jones comics. Hill actually reflects on her past actions as an angry and self-righteous person.
This leaves room for development in future comics. With Maria Hill’s presence in the Marvel Cinematic Universe; she isn’t going anywhere anytime soon no matter how many things blow up in her face. All she needs is the right writer to do her justice.
But what do you all think? Is Hill a necessary evil or does she need to get a life?
As always thanks for coming and remember to look between the panels.