Maria Hill first appeared in The New Avengers #4 (March 2005), and was created by Brian Michael Bendis and David Finch.

At the same time, Hill suspects the group's latest incarnation are harboring an illicit agenda in connection with the "House of M" affair.

[6] She earns Iron Man's respect when she ignores the President of the United States's orders to nuke an island while the Avengers are on it.

Hill argued that the will of the American people must be obeyed, attempting to arrest Captain America who fights out of the Helicarrier and escapes.

[9][volume & issue needed] After foiling an attack on Stark Tower, Hill thinks that she does not want her job as director of S.H.I.E.L.D.

cabinet and assists Stark in dealing with a sudden rise in various terrorist groups who have gained access to hyper-advanced biological weapons.

Unlike the rest of the cabinet (including Sal Kennedy whom she loathed personally), Hill remains skeptical of a single conspiracy behind all these attacks.

[13] Subsequently, however, Hill becomes much more trusting in Stark's leadership, a trusted agent in her role as Deputy Director and far less bound by conventional process, particularly after a confrontation with Dum Dum Dugan, in which she's forced to confront the fact that she was apparently willing to take actions that would allow innocent people to die while still sticking to "the book" because the alternative was to disobey orders.

Hill then activates the Helicarrier's self-destruct system, killing all the Skrull infiltrators on board, escaping via jet pack.

[17] During the "Dark Reign" storyline, S.H.I.E.L.D is disbanded by the President, Hill and Stark lose their jobs, and are replaced by Norman Osborn who then reforms the fallen remains into H.A.M.M.E.R.

Hill finds the Controller holed up in the basement of Futurepharm, hooked into a large machine holding many people in containers.

[21] Hill becomes a supporting cast member in the Iron Man series, protecting her friends from multiple threats.

[22] In the 2010 "Heroic Age" storyline, which followed "Siege", Hill is appointed by Captain Steve Rogers to work with a new team of Avengers.

scientists have used reality-warping technology derived from the Cosmic Cube called "Kobik" as a demonstration was used where Graviton is turned into the mild-mannered Pleasant Hill chef Howie Howardson.

[26] Following the "Civil War II" storyline, Hill was later seen being kidnapped by Diablo who attempted to extract the security code clearances for all the active helicarriers and the Triskelion, when she was rescued by Victor Von Doom.

[36] Maria Hill appears in media set in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), portrayed by Cobie Smulders.

before joining Stark Industries following the organization's dissolution, and falls victim to the Blip before she is killed by Skrull rebel Gravik while helping Fury stop him.