-

We’ve got an episode of Collider Connected with Linda Cardellini coming your way on Friday, June 12th in celebration of Season 2 of her hit Netflix series Dead to Me! Cardellini was game to talk Dead to Me spoilers for a bit and also shared why she decided to sign on for Capone with Josh Trank, but as with all Collider Connected interviews, we like to take the opportunity to pave the way from the very beginning to the filmmaker’s latest work. And for Cardellini, that journey includes her run in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

Cardellini joined the $22.5 billion film franchise for Avengers: Age of Ultron as Laura Barton, Clint’s (Jeremy Renner) wife. While we only got to see Cardellini on screen in the role for the safe house sequence in Age of Ultron and the beginning and end of Avengers Endgame, Cardellini made the absolute most of that screen time and ensured that Laura made an impression. 

The MCU is absolutely packed to the brim with top tier talent, but it still seems like a shame to have brought Cardellini on board only for a handful of scenes. During our lengthy Collider Connected chat, I asked her if the possibility for more was ever on the table and here’s what she said:

avengers-hawkeye-laura-linda-cardellini-jeremy-renner
Image via Marvel Studios

“I mean, you know, it was one of those things where I was sort of brought into the universe and it truly is its own universe. It’s its own entity with this fandom that is incredible and to be part of it is, I don’t know, it’s pretty fun. My daughter’s friends love it. It’s one of those kinds of things, you know? So it’s always fun. I mean, would I love to see a Laura Barton movie? Sure! But I don’t think that’s gonna happen. I think people are more interested in the superheroes.”

While it’s nice to hear Cardellini really enjoyed the experience and embraces the passionate fandom, I do have to disagree with that last statement. Yes, the action and adventure of MCU movies are a blast, but as the franchise grows, we’re seeing the series take more storytelling risks and that could call for a change of tone and perspective. I, for one, truly do want a Marvel movie that covers the moments in between the big battles. As Cardellini put it, “Yeah, I mean, she’s the wife, but you can see it from the wife’s perspective, right?”

First off, any movie that has more Cardellini in it is better off, but I really do believe there could be great value in seeing familiar MCU events playing out from a different perspective or maybe how the characters respond to everyday problems. We could see what Linda went through during the events of Civil War or just any old day in the life of the Barton family. Marvel did go that route in a sense with the Thor short films that explained Thor's own absence from Civil War. Yes, those pieces certainly had more of a satirical vibe to them, but I also think it proved that there’s material well worth mining between films.