At New York Comic Con yesterday, Marvel Television announced Zodiac, a mystery live-action TV series coming to Disney+ in 2028. While several groups have that name in the comics, none feel like a natural fit for a show, and it's not exactly a well-known Marvel IP.
There's been some chatter about the series being an X-Files-inspired spy thriller, but all the press release from Disney+ says is, "'Zodiac,' a new live-action series from Marvel Television, is currently casting and set to go into production in 2027."
The question on everyone's lips today is this: "Is Zodiac a sequel to Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.?" Given that Jonathan Hickman's S.H.I.E.L.D.-adjacent Secret Warriors run featured Zodiac, aka the Great Wheel, as an antagonist, it's not hard to see where this notion has come from.
Heck, the logo for the series even features a nod to the S.H.I.E.L.D. logo!
The plot has thickened today after Clark Gregg, the MCU's Agent Coulson, shared the Zodiac title treatment on Instagram. Why would he feel compelled to do that unless he's somehow connected to the series? Could we finally see characters from Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. reunite on screen, with Coulson leading a team that includes Quake and other, newly introduced superpowered heroes?
If so, it would be a big swing on Marvel Television's part, especially as the ABC series, while popular, was by no means a mainstream hit. However, just like Daredevil got a second chance, why not give these characters the same platform to shine?
When Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. premiered on ABC, it was 100% meant to be part of the MCU. Following a rocky start, The Avengers spin-off found its footing in the second half of Season 1, excelling with a storyline closely linked to the events of Captain America: The Winter Soldier.
However, as the years flew by, the series became further removed from what's since been dubbed the "Sacred Timeline." We've since learned that Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige didn't want any Marvel Television shows; they were the doing of former Marvel Entertainment Chairman Ike Perlmutter.
After years of clashes, when the opportunity presented itself, Feige talked now-former Disney CEO Bob Iger into allowing Marvel Studios to oversee everything by producing MCU-set TV shows for Disney+.
The canon status of both Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. and Agent Carter has been hotly debated for years. Many argue that they're clearly part of the MCU, an argument which carries a little more weight now that the "Defenders Saga" appears to have been folded into the Sacred Timeline.
With Zodiac, things might finally become clear, though we wouldn't be surprised if it doesn't touch on Coulson being an LMD now (the post-Avengers: Secret Wars MCU could help streamline a lot of things, after all).
Clark Gregg shared the ‘Zodiac’ announcement
by u/MarvelsGrantMan136 in marvelstudios