Maria Hill or Sharon Carter, Who Will Be (Side) Kickin' it With Nick Fury?

Baccarin certainly has an uncanny resemblance to Marvel's Maria Hill.

Behind every great hero, there’s a great sidekick. And Nick Fury is need of some assistance as he travels around the Marvel Universe setting up deals to join Earth’s Mightiest Heroes.

Samuel L. Jackson, who plays the famed one-eyed, double-barreled, Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D., announced on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon this week that he would be screen testing a handful of women for the role of sidekick this week (see interview after the jump). Who said sidekick is remains a mystery, but there are a couple of likely candidates.

Interesting clip. I was surprised that Nick Fury was going to be appearing in Thor. Until now, the rumor mill has maintained that only Hawkeye would be making an appearance.

Maria Hill: A S.H.I.E.L.D. Agent, and Fury’s right hand woman, Maria Hill was first introduced in Brian Michael Bendis’ 2005 Avengers relaunch. The crop-topped woman-of-action has maintained a strong presence in the Marvel Universe and throughout many of its big crossovers (Civil War, Secret Invasion and Siege).  Is Maria Nick’s sidekick? Most likely.

Sharon Carter:  The niece of Peggy Carter, Captain America’s longtime love during World War II, Sharon works also works as an Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D.  While it would make sense to include Sharon into the fray at some point, it might be an odd fit to include her in this capacity when there’s greater dramatic opportunities in Cap’s films. Is Sharon Nick’s sidekick? Possible.

Heat Vision announced that the list of candidates are Morena Baccarin (V, above) Jessica Lucas (Cloverfield), Cobie Smulders (How I Met Your Mother) and Mary Elizabeth Winstead (Scott Pilgrim vs. the World). This deal is for a nine-picture contract similar to Jackson’s—ensuring a pretty steady presence in blockbuster films over the next decade and a welcome mat at every Comic-Con.

One thing I question about Marvel’s decision to cement a S.H.I.E.L.D. presence in all of their Avengers-related films is whether or not it is necessary to keep them somewhere on the canvas of each picture. I know they are looking for a cohesiveness in these movies, but, will it always be necessary to include (of cut away to) Nick Fury in each film? This will be for the filmmakers to chew on.

For now, keep assembling your Avengers guys.

The Avengers begins production in April and is scheduled for release on May 4, 2012.