As far as Earth's Mightiest Heroes are concerned, Agent Phil Coulson is dead, murdered at the hands of Loki in 2012's The Avengers. As we all know, however, the tenacious S.H.I.E.L.D. agent is very much alive, and has been a central player in Marvel's television spinoff, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (where his sudden resurrection was explained).
While the show is now entering its fifth season, The Avengers still remain unaware that Coulson is alive, and actor Clark Gregg has hinted that it's probably going to stay that way...at least for the time being. "It is an ever-present theme," Gregg told ComicBook in an interview. "It’s really touching to me how much the fans stay obsessed with the idea of when the Avengers are going to learn Coulson’s alive. It’s something that…I don’t know, I find that so touching! I think the Avengers have moved on, they’re busy."
Of course, comments such as these inevitably lead many to say (incorrectly) that Marvel's television programs aren't a part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Gregg, however, believes that all the separate stories are taking place in the same world, and isn't averse to reuniting with the Avengers one day. “But also I think it's a great credit to the show and the characters and the actors who brought these characters to life and to our production team, to Mark Kolpack's visual effects and to the great writing of our writers, Jed [Whedon], Mo [Tancharoen] and Jeff [Bell], because I think there's a growing number of people who kind of feel like this feels like a part of that bigger world and they want to see the various worlds – whether it's the incredible Netflix world of New York, they just want at some point feel that this is one big story, which I still believe it is. And you know, when the time is right, who knows?”
Do you want to see Coulson reveal himself to The Avengers one day? Let us know in the comments! Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. returns for a fifth season tomorrow night on ABC.
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