Quick Answer: Who Is Maximiliano Hernández in Marvel’s Item 47?
Maximiliano Hernández plays S.H.I.E.L.D. agent Jasper Sitwell in The Avengers and Marvel One-Shot Item 47. In this interview, the Honduran American actor talks about joining Marvel, playing one of the few Latino characters in that world, and choosing roles that do not reduce Latinos to stereotypes.
This Maximiliano Hernández interview was recorded around the 2012 Blu-ray release of The Avengers, where the Marvel One-Shot Item 47 appeared as a bonus short.
Maximiliano Hernández on Item 47 and The Avengers
While we were waiting for The Avengers DVD/Blu-ray to come out on September 25, we had an exclusive interview with Maximiliano Hernández. A New Yorker who comes from Honduran parents, Hernández appears not only in The Avengers, but also in the Marvel short film Item 47.
The actor appeared in Thor as S.H.I.E.L.D. agent Jasper Sitwell and also appeared in the Marvel One-Shot The Consultant. He shows us some of his acting chops in the clips below, and although it was not known at the time whether he would be in The Avengers 2, we were crossing our fingers for him like good brothers and sisters.
This interview has been lightly edited for clarity and accuracy.
ShowBizCafe.com (SBC): Tell us about your character, Jasper Sitwell, in The Avengers and Item 47.
Maximiliano Hernández (MH): My character is a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent and many times I work under Phil Coulson’s command. In The Avengers, I’m the one that finds Loki in Stuttgart and also when Clint Barton attacks the ship, thanks to my abilities I’m able to fly it despite the damage it suffers. In Item 47, basically we are the ones that go to pick up the disaster that The Avengers leave in Manhattan after their epic fight with the aliens.
SBC: Can you tell us a little more about Item 47 and how you ended up being a part of it?
MH: In Item 47, after the last scene of The Avengers, S.H.I.E.L.D. agents, the heroes without superpowers, are sent in to pick up the weapons and everything else that the aliens used. The agency recovers all the weapons except for the Chitauri Weapon better known as Item 47. I’m assigned to find Item 47 since the couple that found it, Benny (Jesse Bradford) and Claire (Lizzy Caplan), are using it to rob banks.
I’m very honored to be part of Item 47 since they called me thanks to my role in Thor and The Avengers. I really liked being a part of this project since it was the first time that Louis D’Esposito, Marvel Studios’ co-president, directed a film.
SBC: Would you say that, as a Latino, it is hard to get to Hollywood and do what you’ve done?
MH: Well, I think being an actor is just like any other career where you have to give your best in order to achieve what you want to do. Yes, they’ve offered me the typical roles they offer Latinos in movies: waiter, criminal, etc. But I want to raise our culture name high and although sometimes you have to work for the money, I’ve decided to only choose roles that give a positive aspect to Latinos in Hollywood.
I think that it’s thanks to that and the support of my family that I’ve been able to achieve my goal and to be a part of something as big as The Avengers. I’m also very proud to say I’m one of the few Latinos that are part of the movie. With this, I hope to be able to open the door to others.
Watch Item 47 and The Consultant Clips
Item 47 follows S.H.I.E.L.D. agents cleaning up after the Battle of New York.The Consultant also features Hernández as Jasper Sitwell.
FAQ: Maximiliano Hernández and Item 47
Who does Maximiliano Hernández play in Marvel?
Maximiliano Hernández plays Jasper Sitwell, a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent who appears in Thor, The Avengers, Item 47, and The Consultant.
What is Marvel One-Shot Item 47? Item 47 is a Marvel short film connected to The Avengers. It follows S.H.I.E.L.D. agents trying to recover alien technology left behind after the Battle of New York.
Why does this interview matter for ShowBizCafe?
The interview captures a Honduran American actor talking about Marvel, Latino representation, and the pressure to choose roles that do not flatten Latinos into stereotypes.
