Cobie Smulders knew about Maria Hill's fate "for years"

when she was shot by Gravik who shapeshifted into Nick Fury.

Many fans were shocked at the scene and still held out hope that Hill would somehow survive. However, Smulders confirms that it looks to be the end of her character in the MCU.

"This has been an amazing run," Smulders said. "What a dream job. I'm proud and excited that I got the opportunity to play Maria Hill over the last 10 years in films and television and in animated form."

She was aware of Hill's fate in Secret Invasion for a long time. The actor revealed that she has a conversation with Marvel before joining the cast of Secret Invasion.

"I was told right away," the actor shared. "I was told right off the bat when [Marvel Studios co-president] Lou D'Esposito gave me a call to chat about just joining up [on Secret Invasion], and so I've known about it for years, which is really funny. It's nice to finally have it out there. I'm surprised I didn't let her slip, so I've known for a while."

Smulders is surprised that the plot point hasn't leaked before the premiere of Secret Invasion.

"There were a lot of people around, so I'm surprised that there wasn't an image that got leaked," she stated. "I guess that's the respect that Marvel has earned over the last decade, which is like, 'Don't spoil it for people.' And nobody did, thankfully."

Smulders first appeared as S.H.I.E.L.D. agent Maria Hill in 2012's The Avengers. She went on to appear in five more films and was also part of the Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. and What If? Despite her death in Secret Invasion, she is expected to appear

in The Marvels later this year

.

When asked about the possibility of returning as Maria Hill in the MCU with all the Multiverse shenanigans going on, she's not ruling out the possibility but she's leaving it up to Marvel to decide, saying:

That's sort of for them to decide. I will always answer the call, but I have no idea what they have planned for future productions. But I guess anything's possible in the multiverse.

Is this the end of Maria Hill in the MCU? We certainly hope not. There is a huge possibility that a Skrull had taken her place. We will see in the next episodes of Secret Invasion.