Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Preview

Agents+of+S.H.I.E.L.D.+Preview

For those Marvel comics-addicted filmgoers who can’t get enough of Tony Stark and Thor, an upcoming television show will bring a few characters back from the Marvel Cinematic Universe and place them in a readily-available spot on the television.

“Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.,” set after the events of “The Avengers,” features Clark Gregg reprising his role as Agent (Phil) Coulson, the leader of a new group of S.H.I.E.L.D. agents in a special force to handle strange new cases.

S.H.I.E.L.D. is a secret organization featured in the Marvel Cinematic Universe that deals with superhuman or alien threats. Characters in the show have noted that the creators of the Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement and Logistics Division “really wanted [the initials] to spell SHIELD.”

For those die-hard Avengers fans (spoiler alert): Phil Coulson never died at the hands of Loki in “The Avengers,” Nick Fury, organizer of The Avengers Initiative, had Coulson fake his own death to motivate Tony Stark and Captain America to fight together instead of trading insults. Coulson was then put into hiding until “Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.” occurs.

Hopefully, Coulson will return in “Captain America: The Winter Soldier,” since we all know that Coulson is C. America’s biggest fan. For now, he’ll have to oversee his division’s missions as other S.H.I.E.L.D. agents frown upon his faked death.

For Marvel to allow “Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.” to run is a dangerous gamble. If the show does not pull in ratings or enough money, or if the plot is terrible, then the entire Marvel Cinematic Universe may come crashing down. Coulson’s revival from his proclaimed death in “The Avengers” is similar to the plot lines for many major film and comic franchises: killing a minor but loved character and resurrecting him in a spin-off series to generate a few extra bucks to fund the real money-spinning movie.

Agent Coulson is, in “The Avengers,” one of the secondary characters, and represents the people that have no powers. As an audience, we forget that not every character will survive. Perhaps we’ve grown so used to the good guys always winning that we forget that heroes are mortal sometimes. Sometimes, the real heroes are the ones who give their lives for the greater good.

The pilot episode of “Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.” was released on May 10, 2013, and the series will air Tuesdays at 8:00 pm on ABC, starting in the fall.