Get the popcorn ready. On Tuesday, Sept. 24,
Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. — a new show that takes place in the world of last year’s box-office smash
The Avengers — will join ABC’s fall lineup. Continuing the story arc last visited in the
Avengers
movie, Agent Phil Coulson (Clark Gregg) — yes, you read correctly —
leads a small team of special agents who will investigate big cases and
occasionally work with some of the world’s newest superheroes. All on a
weekly basis.
Before you tune in, however, we insist upon a pre-ops briefing. The
expansive world of Marvel Comics is as fun as it is confusing with new
characters on every page and twice as many villains waiting to pounce in
the next inked cel. Series creator Joss Whedon is wont to capitalize on
this exhaustive mythology, so here are five things you need to know to
start off sharp.
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1. What is S.H.I.E.L.D.?
From Iron Man
(2008):
Agent Phil Coulson: I’m Agent Phil Coulson with the Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement and Logistics Division.
Virginia ‘Pepper’ Potts: That’s quite a mouthful.
Agent Phil Coulson: I know. We’re working on it.
Led by Gen. Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson), S.H.I.E.L.D. is a covert
agency of non-superheroes, affiliated with the United States government,
who often deal with superhuman activity across the world. (In the
comics, however, they’ve been linked with the United Nations, as well.)
Although Fury serves as executive director, he reports to a mysterious
12-member council whose identities are unknown even to him.
A global operation with the most advanced technology at their
disposal, S.H.I.E.L.D. keeps their eyes open everywhere. Its central
headquarters is aboard the floating Helicarrier, as seen in
The Avengers movie,
with additional offices located in S.H.I.E.L.D. Central in New York
City. Other intelligence hubs and key assets remain confidential, with
only Fury knowing of their existence and locations.
It’s General Fury, however, who is responsible for uniting The
Avengers, which includes Captain America (Chris Evans), Iron Man (Robert
Downey, Jr.), The Hulk (Mark Ruffalo), Thor (Chris Hemsworth), Black
Widow (Scarlett Johansson), and Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner).
Marvel Entertainment
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2. Who’s Agent Coulson?
For a while, Coulson was the glue that held together the Marvel
Cinematic Universe, aka the string of films produced by Marvel Studios
(e.g.
Iron Man,
Thor,
Captain America,
The Incredible Hulk,
etc.) Portrayed by actor and director Clark Gregg, the quiet if not
charmingly witty agent works alongside Fury and was instrumental in
bringing together the Avengers. Although he wasn’t an original character
in the comics, his popularity amongst the general fanbase has since
made him part of the official Marvel universe, specifically with his
appearances in
Ultimate Spider-man. It should also be noted that Coulson owns an entire collection of rare, vintage Captain America trading cards.
MVLFFLLC. TM & Marvel
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3. But wait, wasn’t Coulson killed in The Avengers?
Whoa, spoiler alert much? Yes, Agent Coulson was killed by Loki (Tom
Hiddleston, below) in The Avengers, an idea that director Joss Whedon —
who’s killed a number of beloved characters in his TV shows and movies —
originally conceived prior to Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.. As he
told NBC, “I absolutely killed him — this was not percolating.”
Still, this is the Marvel universe, after all, a place that has
brought back to life many a character presumed dead. (I’m looking at
you, Magneto.) Coulson is no different, although his resurrection is a
mystery that will unravel as the show’s mythos continues to evolve. At
this year’s SXSW, Whedon teased fans about his secretive Lazarus pit,
stating, “I’ll tell you guys this, Heimlich.”
Online speculation has dug deeper, of course.
Screen Rant highlights one theory,
provided by their own Deep Throat-esque source, that suggests Coulson’s
death was a cover up used to unite the Avengers. They link this to a
comment made by Gregg at this year’s Tribeca Film Festival, who said:
“It would be surprising to me if this was a world where there wasn’t
some reckoning for the fact that it’d be … you know, some level of
deception must have been perpetrated on the Avengers.”
In other words, we’ll see come Tuesday.
Marvel Entertainment
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4. Are we going to see superheroes?
Yes. And no. Don’t tune in Tuesday night expecting to see Iron Man
falling from the sky, or Captain America throwing his shield down for a
coffee at headquarters. As
Whedon insists,
the show’s “about the peripheral people” or those “on the edges of the
grand adventures.” That explains its call sheet of relative unknowns:
black ops specialist Grant Ward (Brett Dalton), pilot and martial artist
Melinda May (Ming-Na Wen), computer expert Skye (Chloe Bennet), weapons
expert Leo Fitz (Iain De Caestecker), and life scientist Jemma Simmons
(Elizabeth Henstridge).
Outside of the regulars, Whedon has confirmed that
The Avengers
star Cobie Smulders (below) will reprise her Maria Hill role for the
pilot, and that actor Ian Hart has signed on to play Dr. Franklin Hall,
who comic book aficionados should recognize as the villainous Graviton.
(FYI: In case the name’s lost on you, the guy does wonders with
gravity.) What’s more, Samuel L. Jackson has also expressed interest in
tagging along, even if it’s a minor vocal addition a la
Charlie’s Angels.
Justin Lubin / ABC
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5. How will the show tie in with the movies?
Since
Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. exists within the
parameters of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, fans should look out for
various references that relate to events from the ensuing film
franchises.
“It always starts with what’s best for the story – you never do an
Easter egg for the sake of doing an Easter egg,” Jeph Loeb, head of
Marvel’s television development,
explained to NBC.
“What we really try to do is just make sure that every single thing
that’s in the script feels like it’s real, it’s grounded and that you
don’t have to feel like you have to run to Wikipedia after you’ve seen
an episode.”
In the same interview, references to
Iron Man 3 and
Johansson’s Black Widow (pictured) are confirmed for the series
premiere. Though, these little nods will be used sparingly, as Whedon
added, “We don’t want to hurt the movies at all.”
So, if you’ve been debating to finally stream
Thor or
Captain America: The First Avenger on Netflix, now might be a good time to clear your queue.
