Robin Sparkles: Agent of Shield

It is official, according to Variety, that Cobie Smulders will be cast as Maria Hill in the upcoming Avengers movie.  Smulders is most wildly known as Robin Scherbatsky from How I Met Your Mother.

Samuel L. Jackson revealed on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon that producers were auditioning “female sidekick” for his Nick Fury. This helps balance a heavily male cast that previously counted only Scarlett Johansson’s Black Widow as a known major female player. Agent Hill was created by writer Brian Michael Bendis and artist David Finch, having first appeared in New Avengers #4 before becoming the director of S.H.I.E.L.D. during Civil War only to hand the reins over to Iron Man.  The character is currently appearing in the Bendis-written, John Romita Jr.-illustrated Avengers title.

Smulders is familiar name to Whedon fans — she was reported as a front-runner for the role of Wonder Woman when the writer/director was attached to that property.  It is also noteworthy that having her How I Met Your Mother co-star is Buffy the Vampire Slayer alum Alyson Hannigan as a Whedon connection (not to mention the show has seen several Whedon vets show up as guest stars, including Alexis Denisof, Amy Acker and Morena Baccarin) didn’t hurt her chances.