One Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D. Star Doesn't Want To Return To Marvel (For A Good Reason)

The Marvel Cinematic Universe is growing so quickly and so vastly that it should be retitled the Marvel Cinematic Multiverse. Not even the studios' decision to drop Jonathon Majors as Kang can slow the cosmic franchise down. With that growth comes the introduction of new characters and the return of old favorites, including some from otherwise closed chapters, i.e. Black Bolt (Anson Mount) from the canceled ABC television series "The Inhumans" appearing in "Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness." Now, other former Marvel talents are expressing their interest — or lack thereof — in the MCU's future. 

During a 2023 interview with ComicBookMovie.com, Natalia Cordova-Buckley, who starred in ABC's "Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D." as Elena "Yo-Yo" Rodriguez, said she did not intend to return because her time with the superhero world was everything she could have hoped for already. While she expressed how important the character and the series was for her, she also admitted how eager she was to step away from franchises. "I want to do a lot of indies. I want to do stuff that does craft work. I didn't become an actress to be famous or make money and feel like, sometimes, those big franchise movies just turn into that. They can really lock you up as an actor with just those types of characters ... I had five years of doing a superhero. That's enough for me," Cordova-Buckley explained. "Someone else can take it over now. I'm profoundly grateful. It was perfect for me. It's like that relationship you finish off beautifully and is everything it could have ever been."

Natalia Cordova-Buckley's lasting adoration for "Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D." feels genuine, with the actor always taking every opportunity to compliment her noncanonical corner of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (sorry, ABC fans, the official MCU timeline confirms that "Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D." isn't narratively relevant). 

During a 2020 interview with Collider, just before the final season was released, she showered the show's writers and producers with immense praise. "I think the quality of the show got better and better, as it went by. There's a lot to be said there. That doesn't happen in a lot of TV shows. Our EPs and writers just kept challenging themselves, in terms of character and storyline, and made it much more interesting and relatable and accessible." Cordova-Buckley further acknowledged how proud she was of the writers' ability to creatively weave contemporary issues into the show's overall plot.

She went on to say that Marvel allowed Yo-Yo to evolve into her own protagonist, someone who wasn't afraid of their mistakes, only empowered by them to improve. And if Yo-Yo got all that already, why would Cordova-Buckley ever feel compelled to reopen that book?