Cobie Smulders Officially Signs On For ‘Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D’

Cobie Smulders is coming back to Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.

The actress announced that she’s going to reprise her role as agent Maria Hill from The Avengers when it makes its shift to the small screen in the new ABC series. The arrangement won’t be full-time, or at least not yet, as Cobie continues her duties as Robin Scherbatsky on How I Met Your Mother.

But as this is the final season for HIMYM, there’s a good chance Cobie Smulders joins Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. full-time once it ends.

Avengers mastermind Joss Whedeon badly wanted her on board.

“I wanted very much to have Cobie in the pilot, because as much as anyone else, she is S.H.I.E.L.D.,” Whedon told EW.com. “She’s cool and commanding, and has the dry humor that plays so well with Clark’s. Also, if she’s in it I get to hang out with Cobie.”

Whedon also had big hopes for the show in general, saying it is nothing like the formulaic programs cluttering up television today.

“I’m excited about the show because it’s a very hopeful show,” Whedon told TVLine in an interview. “It’s not about murder, and it’s not about crime, and it’s not people looking into their own belly buttons. It’s about people who are trying to help each other, and that’s one of the things I loved about comic books. They had costumes and the villains were cool [but] they stood for something, and I like doing a show that does that.”

S.H.I.E.L.D. is based on the intelligence organization featured in many Marvel Comics’ titles, including Iron Man, Captain America, and The Ultimates. The law-enforcement agency, which was introduced to the comic book world in the 1960s, stands for Strategic Homeland Intervention Enforcement and Logistics Division.

Cobie Smulders joins Clark Gregg, who signed on to S.H.I.E.L.D. in October to reprise his character, agent Phil Coulson. He died in The Avengers, but will be brought back to life for the television series.