During Marvel Television’s panel at the New York Comic-Con today, the studio revealed that despite what we all thought, Agent Phil Coulson is not gone from the Marvel Universe.
Though he met his untimely death during The Avengers, the fan favorite S.H.I.E.L.D. agent will return in the upcoming TV series being planned and actor Clark Gregg will return to reprise the role.
“We all love Clark Gregg, there’s no doubt about that,” Whedon said. “From before we made ‘The Avengers,’ we discussed whether there was a way for him to be a part of the Marvel Universe, perhaps a part of a TV show even after his death. … The fact of the matter is, as much as we love him, now that I’m really running Marvel, I like to keep a type of artistic integrity, which means we don’t stretch the bounds of reality.” Kevin Feige said, “There was never going to be a ‘S.H.I.E.L.D.’ show without Agent Phil Coulson!” “He’s headlining the S.H.I.E.L.D. show and always was.”said Whedon.
Previously, Gregg had dismissed the fact that his character would be returning to the Marvel universe, which makes this news surprising, but still very welcome.
Unfortunately, there’s no news on how Coulson will make his return, considering he seemingly died in The Avengers, but there are a number of possibilities.
That being said, Joss Whedon acknowledges in the above quote that Coulson is dead, so why bring him back for the TV show and more importantly, how is he going to return if we all saw him die this past summer?
Another thing to point out is that Whedon did say that the show would feature all new characters and be its own thing, which makes this news even more perplexing. If it’s supposed to stand alone, why tie it into The Avengers universe by including Coulson?
As of now, colour me confused, but still excited. I love Clark Gregg and his work as Agent Coulson, so it’s great to see him returning to Marvel’s universe. But, at the same time, I’m just not sure how this is all going to work out.
What do you guys think? How will they bring Coulson back? Let us know in the comments below.
