Marvel fans had high hopes for Maria Hill’s return in Secret Invasion, so it was the cruelest of twists when the Disney Plus series went and killed the long-running character at the end of its very first episode. Cobie Smulders has often been underserved by the franchise over the years, so there was a lot of excitement for her to have a major role in this show, but alas that wasn’t to be.
The good news is, though, that Smulders remains just as busy as she’s ever been, with the former How I Met Your Mother star having several projects lined up in varying stages of development and/or confirmation. But once you pull together official announcements, reports, and what Smulders has hinted about where her career’s going next, it becomes clear that the 41-year-old actress has an exciting year ahead.
The Marvels
Yes, the big project on Smulders’ slate is The Marvels, the upcoming Marvel Studios blockbuster due this November. The only problem is that Smulders herself has denied being in it. “I don’t know anything about that,” Smulders claimed to Vanity Fair when faced with the rumors pointing to her involvement in the Captain Marvel sequel. The thing is, though, these casting reports have been pretty widespread so it’s not hard to imagine that Smulders is pulling an Andrew Garfield here and is attempting to keep Marvel’s secrets under wraps (The Marvels takes place after Secret Invasion, after all).
Cupid & Me
For a project Smulders is 100 percent confirmed to be in, we reach out of the Marvel universe and into the romcom genre. The actress is set to co-star opposite Pitch Perfect‘s Brittany Snow in light-hearted fantasy comedy Cupid & Me. Set in a world in which Cupids exist, Snow plays the most respected of Cupids who is faced with her biggest challenge yet — to help one hopeless romantic fall in love by Valentine’s Day, or else render all Cupids redundant. Smulders is presumably playing the woman Snow is trying to matchmake in this film from writer/director Jamie Adams, which is currently in production.
Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur season 2
Smulders might be denying her The Marvels role, but the actress is happy to spoil that she’s reprising an animated variant of Maria Hill in the second season of Disney’s Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur. When doubling down her claim that she doesn’t know anything about an MCU return to Entertainment Weekly, Smulders said:
“I mean, I do not make those decisions. I’m still working on [Disney Channel’s] Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur animated show — I literally recorded some episodes today. So I have no idea how or when she’s going to come back around to me, but I’m always welcoming the call.”
Smulders previously voiced Maria in an episode of the acclaimed animated series’ first season.
How I Met Your Father season 3
Last but not least, this is more speculative, but there’s a decent chance Smulders could reprise her other most iconic role alongside Maria once again in the near future. Smulders delighted HIMYM fans everywhere when she cameod in the season 1 finale of How I Met Your Father, returning as Robin Scherbatsky opposite series star Hillary Duff. Smulders gushed over getting to “pop back” into this world to Hollywood Life at the time, so she’s definitely up for more of Robin, and Duff told ET that there are plans for more crossovers in future seasons. So Smulders lovers should keep an eye on the series as it continues.