Who Plays Maria Hill's Mom On Secret Invasion?

Contains spoilers for "Secret Invasion" Season 1, Episode 2 — "Promises"

In the series premiere of "Secret Invasion," the Marvel Cinematic Universe's latest deep dive into the world of espionage, Maria Hill (Cobie Smulders) is shot and killed. To rub salt into the wound, she's the victim of a Skrull wearing a familiar face ... the face of Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson). And the show seems to be leaning hard into the fallout of that event by introducing her mother, Elizabeth.

Audiences meet the character in Episode 2, "Promises," during which she admonishes Fury for how little the United States government is telling her about the circumstances that led to her daughter's death before also admonishing him for how he put her daughter in harm's way. She's got a lot of justified rage trapped in her heart. It's a fairly typical scene that plays out in a fairly typical way, but it pulls back the curtain on Hill's spy mystique because it showcases exactly what kind of parent it takes to mold someone like her.

Elizabeth's verve is brought to life by Juliet Stevenson, who shows no fear when berating Jackson's former commander of SHIELD.

Juliet Stevenson's name might not ring a bell with movie fans in North America, but that's only because most of her career has been spent closer to home in the United Kingdom. And her niche gets even niche-ier when you factor in how she splits her time between the screen and the stage.

Stevenson entered the professional performance industry in the early 1980s with the Royal Shakespeare Company in productions like "As You Like It," "Measure for Measure," "Antony and Cleopatra," and "The Tempest" and has been sharing her talent live ever since. She has received several awards, including a Laurence Olivier Theatre Award in the best actress category for "Death and Maiden" in 1992 and a Critic's Circle Theatre Award in the best actress category for "The Doctor" in 2020.

Of course, theater is a time-consuming art form, so it's kind of unbelievable that she's somehow managed to appear in almost 100 films and television shows as well. Again, most of them are British, but her screen credits include "Truly, Madly, Deeply" across from Alan Rickman, Gwyneth Paltrow's "Emma," and the early 2000s hit 'Bend It Like Beckham."

During a 2021 interview with The Guardian, Juliet Stevenson shared her philosophy on the performing arts, stating that she's always trying to take on challenging projects, even if it means accepting lower pay. "Many actors get to a point where they're not directed any more [sic]," she said. "But some part of you has to remain open to being directed, otherwise you won't get any better. And the thought of getting worse is terrifying. The very moment you feel safe, you should either stop or jump sideways, because safety is a very dangerous place to be as an actor."

Stevenson also explained that she branched out into painting to allow her to continually feel challenged by the act of creation. Hopefully, in the coming weeks, she might just reveal what compelled her to join the MCU in such a small but meaningful role. New episodes of "Secret Invasion" will be released every Wednesday on Disney+ through July 26.