After the apparent death of Agent Phil Coulson (Clark Gregg) in
Marvel's The Avengers, many were very surprised to hear that Gregg will be playing the lovable character - who has previously appeared in
Thor and the first two
Iron Man films - once again for Joss Whedon's
S.H.I.E.L.D. pilot for ABC. It was speculated that the potential series would be a prequel to
The Avengers, and then there were the various theories of how the character could be resurrected (Gregg mentioned "life model decoys" last fall when his casting was confirmed). Now, speaking with
IGN, ABC President Paul Lee was asked how
Marvel's S.H.I.E.L.D. would tie into the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and he reveals that the pilot (which has yet to be picked up for a full series) will actually take place after the final battle in
The Avengers.
"There is no question that it is part of the Marvel Universe. In fact, the story takes place after the battle for New York." Despite its connection to the MCU, Lee reiterates that it's more stand-alone.
"This is S.H.I.E.L.D. They’re following their own particular stories. There are characters in it, Coulson, who clearly comes from Avengers. So it’s part of the world, but we’re going to be very, very careful that we don’t tread on the toes of the features and build a whole new world. And that’s what Joss Whedon does better than anybody else. He’s built a world for us."
Additionally, when asked about the possibility of introducing certain Marvel characters on the series if picked up, Lee remains optimistic.
"I think if we’re lucky enough to have a great series, we’re obviously having fun with that. At this point though, we have a number of characters at the heart of the script who are real characters, who are the Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., and the first task is to make those guys great and relatable and everything that a great show needs. Beyond that, fingers crossed!" Filming on the
Marvel's S.H.I.E.L.D. pilot will begin next week, with hopes to air on ABC this Fall.