Agents of Shield Intro
The Marvel Cinematic Universe is so much more than the movies. Thought that the Infinity Arc was the only piece of the puzzle? There’s more. A lot more, in the television realm overseen by Joss Whedon’s younger brother, Jed Whedon. I am speaking of the ABC series Agents of Shield of which its first season premiered on September 24, 2013.
In the MCU, our first wind of S.H.I.E.L.D. was Agent Phil Coulson who made his debut in Iron Man. He introduced himself as an agent working for the Strategic Homeland Intervention Enforcement and Logistics Division which spells out S.H.I.E.L.D. It operates as a spy organization in the shadows which not even the FBI, CIA, or any intelligence agency in the world is aware of until the Battle of New York. People are skeptical when they find out there’s been an agency around since WWII which deals with superhuman activity or threats to Earth.
The roots of S.H.I.E.L.D. trace their origins to the Strategic Scientific Reserve, the same initiative that operated the Super-Soldier program and founded by Howard Stark, Colonel Chester Phillips, and Peggy Carter. Not even Tony Stark knew his father had a hand in helping create S.H.I.E.L.D.
It’s easily determinable that Agents of Shield revolves around Phil Coulson and the team he puts together and the unconditional loyalty and respect they develop for him as the series progresses. They bond together to form more than just a team and are willing to make great sacrifices for each other. In these analyses, some important characters and names that may appear include Phil Coulson himself, Daisy “Skye” Johnson aka Quake, Fitz, Jemma Simmons, Grant Ward, Melinda May, Mack, Yo-Yo Rodriguez, and Deke.
There are other MCU shows which are canon to the MCU but the connections are very weak. These include the Marvel Netflix series’ (Daredevil, Luke Cage, Jessica Jones, Iron Fist, Defenders, Punisher), Runaways, Inhumans, and Cloak and Dagger: very minute references simply to establish they exist in the same universe but none that are heavily impacted or face the repercussions of the films in such a way as this show. Actors from the films even make appearances such as Samuel L Jackson reprising his role as Nick Fury, Jaime Alexander as Sif, Cobie Smulders as Maria Hill, and Maximiliano Hernandez as Jasper Sitwell. This proves that there is continuity.
Agent Carter is another show with strong continuity connections to the films but it lasted only 2 seasons. Also, it’s more of a background, historical series whereas Agents of Shield is occurring simultaneously to the events of the films which is cause for more anticipation and lasted for 7 seasons. If there’s one quintessential show to discuss about in the MCU it’s Agents of Shield. So with that said, let us take the journey through……..