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The movies have set up a very careful yet distinct Maria->Steve dynamic. Logically that should be used in some way or another – good old Chekov's Gun.
The two most likely options are either a) a jealous and bitchy Maria, b) a romance. Obviously I'd prefer the latter to the former because jealous and bitchy Maria Hill is just wrong on multiple levels. If anything, I’d read Maria as having fewer personal expectations of people than the ‘norm’; if Steve’s offered friendship, she’s not going to read more into it.
Hurt, yes. Jealous, yes. Would she show it? Nope. Would she pine? Nope.
(Which is also why I'm blacklisting authors writing stories that can be summed up: "Steve and Sharon get together; Maria is jealous." Because, yes, Maria might be jealous if she had a relationship with Steve and then he walked away. But this character is one that got all the way to Deputy Director in her mid-thirties before SHIELD fell; a woman like that does not pine or angst or flail. She gets on with life; just a little sharper and a little more angry.)
Not to mention Steve Rogers climbing into bed with a woman and giving her expectations that he then walks away from is even more shades of wrong. (Or, I don't know, maybe from most people's POV, it's totes okay since women - and specifically women like Maria - aren't actually people and don't deserve consideration?)
I just feel like they've set up a Chekov's gun that they're not planning to use.
Although tossing it completely out the window isn't unknown in the movies - cf. Clint/Natasha.
Monday morning, down with a cold, up at work, hyped-up on coffee, and exhausted, with a full workload.
The two most likely options are either a) a jealous and bitchy Maria, b) a romance. Obviously I'd prefer the latter to the former because jealous and bitchy Maria Hill is just wrong on multiple levels. If anything, I’d read Maria as having fewer personal expectations of people than the ‘norm’; if Steve’s offered friendship, she’s not going to read more into it.
Hurt, yes. Jealous, yes. Would she show it? Nope. Would she pine? Nope.
(Which is also why I'm blacklisting authors writing stories that can be summed up: "Steve and Sharon get together; Maria is jealous." Because, yes, Maria might be jealous if she had a relationship with Steve and then he walked away. But this character is one that got all the way to Deputy Director in her mid-thirties before SHIELD fell; a woman like that does not pine or angst or flail. She gets on with life; just a little sharper and a little more angry.)
Not to mention Steve Rogers climbing into bed with a woman and giving her expectations that he then walks away from is even more shades of wrong. (Or, I don't know, maybe from most people's POV, it's totes okay since women - and specifically women like Maria - aren't actually people and don't deserve consideration?)
I just feel like they've set up a Chekov's gun that they're not planning to use.
Although tossing it completely out the window isn't unknown in the movies - cf. Clint/Natasha.
Monday morning, down with a cold, up at work, hyped-up on coffee, and exhausted, with a full workload.