Although Nick Fury may be in charge of S.H.I.E.L.D., it's up to Agent Phil Coulson (played by Clark Gregg) to bring together the team of superheroes for
Marvel's The Avengers.
"I would be lying if I said that from the beginning we knew Agent Coulson would be the character in all of our films," said executive producer
Louis D’Esposito on his now vital role in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
"After the reaction to his character in ‘Iron Man,’ it was obvious that we wanted to continue the role. Agent Coulson is an everyman who people can relate to because he is just so darn likable and loves every part of being a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent. He doesn’t have any super powers, but he does have some fighting skills and sense of humor, which you really get to see in the way speaks with Nick Fury and Tony Stark. It’s absolutely charming, funny yet serious."
Clark Gregg meanwhile has enjoyed his time as Coulson and the important role that he has played in the solo films leading up to this May's superhero ensemble.
"What I love about Coulson is how he has evolved from what seemed like an annoying bureaucrat pestering Tony Stark for an interview in ‘Iron Man.’ As the Marvel film universe has expanded it’s been a great thrill to see him become a much more formidable force who’s kind of hiding in plain sight. Every time I get a Marvel script, I’m very excited to find out what new layers to his character and duties are revealed and it certainly has culminated with ‘The Avengers,’ where he is heavily involved with trying to pull the team together."
He went on to reveal,
"The Avengers initiative has not necessarily been accepted by the World Security Council and is looked at with some great suspicion. The Super Heroes are viewed as dangerous and uncontrollable and I don’t think anybody, including Nick Fury, is fully convinced yet that The Hulk and Thor are good people to have around, based on what has gone down in the past. So in the time leading up to The Avengers, a major focus of S.H.I.E.L.D. is about developing the Tesseract and finding out a way to harness and use its vast power."
However, it seems as if it is director
Joss Whedon who most enjoyed the inclusion of Agent Coulson in the superhero ensemble due to the fact that the character takes part in some of his favourite scenes (which he wrote).
"Coulson is the face of S.H.I.E.L.D in a way that Nick Fury isn’t. Nick Fury stays in the background pulling the strings, while Coulson is the guy in the trenches alongside ‘The Avengers.’ His relationship with Steve Rogers is one of my favorites. There are so many characters in this film with a dry wit, so I wanted to find some other dynamic Coulson could have with Captain America and it hit me, ‘Oh my god, he’s a fan boy!’ Giving him a man crush on Captain America not only lent itself to some of the funniest scenes, but also established the type of relationship they had, which led to the whole trading card run in the scene, which is possibly my favorite thing in the movie."
STARRING:
Chris Evans as Steve Rogers/Captain America
Robert Downey Jr. as Tony Stark/Iron Man
Chris Hemsworth as Thor
Jeremy Renner as Clint Barton/Hawkeye
Scarlett Johansson as Natasha Ramanoff/Black Widow
Mark Ruffalo as Bruce Banner/Hulk
Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury
Clark Gregg as Agent Coulson
Cobie Smulders as Maria Hill
Tom Hiddleston as Loki
RELEASE DATE: April 26th, 2012. (UK) May 4th, 2012. (US)