Oct. 15, 2013 -- It looks like the Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement and Logistics Division is here to stay. As is appropriate for a shadowy espionage outfit, that raises a lot of questions.
Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. debuted on ABC Sept. 25 to boffo ratings, starring Clark Gregg as Phil Coulson, the soft-spoken but ultra-competent agent who has been ubiquitous in the Marvel movies. ABC had originally ordered 13 episodes, but recently extended the contract to 22 – a full season. The show even had its own well-attended panel at the New York Comic-Con Oct. 12, starring writer and Executive Producer Jeph Loeb and actors Elizabeth Henstridge (agent Jemma Simmons) Iain de Caestecker (agent Leo Fitz).
At the risk of becoming persons of interest, let’s take a look at some of S.H.I.E.L.D.’s secrets with a quick Q&A:
Q: Does S.H.I.E.L.D. exist in Marvel Comics?
A: Yes, but you’re forgiven for asking, as it’s never been able to hold a title for long. The organization debuted in a book titled Strange Tales in 1965, and the first issue introduced the helicarrier seen in Avengers and flying cars, like Coulson’s beloved Lola. But while it’s never been a big seller, it’s always been a big concept, tightly wound through the fabric of the Marvel Universe. The Strange Tales run gave us big bads like Hydra and Advanced Idea Mechanics (A.I.M.), as seen in Captain America: The First Avenger and Iron Man 3, respectively.
Q: Isn’t Agent Coulson dead?
A: He was quite thoroughly perforated in Avengers, wasn’t he? His return is one of the many mysteries of the series, not mitigated at all by Coulson’s sketchy explanations about being revived by medical personnel and recuperating in Tahiti.
Several hints: Coulson has mentioned three times that Tahiti is “a magical place.” Since the show’s creative mastermind Joss Whedon (Avengers, Buffy the Vampire Slayer) never puts anything in without a good reason, repeating that line means there’s more to it than the obvious. “A magical place” could be a metaphor, or it could be quite literal. If, for example, Coulson went to Valhalla (he was killed by a Norse god in combat, after all), that would qualify as “a magical place,” from whence he could have been released by Thor or Odin.
There’s also some puzzling dialogue in the first episode. After Coulson drops one of the Tahiti lines, a medical agent says to agent Maria Hill (Cobie Smulders) “He really doesn’t know, does he?” To which Hill responds, “He can never know.”
That has given rise to theories that Coulson is an LMD (Life Model Decoy), sophisticated androids that were introduced back in 1965, or even The Vision, an android in the comic-book Avengers.
Whedon told The L.A. Times Hero Complex (herocomplex.latimes.com) that resurrections are tricky stuff. “I worked in comics and TV and fantasy for a long time, and I know that there’s a right way and a wrong way” to handle them, “so that people don’t feel that you lied, that you pulled one over on them.” He added, “I liked the idea (for reviving Coulson) when I heard it, I liked the idea when I developed it into an actual show, I like everything about it.”
But he never said what “it” is.
Q: Are the agents on TV the same ones as in the comics?
A: No. All of Coulson’s agents are original to the show. Which doesn’t mean we won’t see any of the comic-book agents eventually, such as Clay Quartermain, Jimmy Woo or even Timothy Aloysius “Dum Dum” Dugan, a World War II vet whom we have already seen as a young man in Captain America: The First Avenger.
As to the new agents, “there's a reason that these people have been put together,” Henstridge told MTV.com. “And we'll find out exactly what that is, even the characters don't know. But they've all had interesting paths to get that point, and that's now definitely something we have the luxury of exploring.”
Henstridge expounded on that point at the New York Comic-Con Oct. 12, as reported by insidetv.ew.com: “Well, now we have more episodes to explore the character backgrounds. It’s something that’s definitely going to be developed. It’s going to come organically with the story, but there’s lots of secrets and choices of their past that you’ll find out. I don’t think you’ll be disappointed.”
Some tantalizing hints have already been dropped. Coulson made an unflattering reference to agent Grant Ward (Brett Dalton) about his “family history,” and something mysterious and traumatic happened to agent Melinda May (Ming-Na Wen) that induced her to retire from field missions.
Q: Will any Avengers guest star on “S.H.I.E.L.D.”?
A: Unlikely. Not only are there budget limitations, but there are boundaries the show must observe to avoid conflict with the movies. According to Newsarama.com, writer and EP Loeb described his marching orders as “a nine-lane highway, and we try not to hit the guardrails. … As much as we would like to, we can't have 30 Iron Men show up in the last act to save the day. We’re trying to tell stories about people.”
Of course, there have already been two big-name cameos; Hill appeared in the first episode and Nick Fury (Samuel Jackson Jr.) in the second. Those were pretty organic, though, since both are S.H.I.E.L.D. agents. I can’t imagine the Hulk or Thor strolling through, but I could see cameos by S.H.I.E.L.D. agents Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner) or Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson), if they came down on their salary a bit!
Contact Captain Comics at capncomics@aol.com.
ART
1. Clark Gregg stars as agent Phil Coulson on Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Credit: ABC/Bob D'Amico
2. Joss Whedon, seen here at a fan event for Avengers, is the creative force behind Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Copyright Disney Enterprises Inc.
3. Elizabeth Henstridge plays agent Jenna Simmons on Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Credit: ABC/Ron Tom
Replies
I think you're right on, regarding Agent Coulson. I had him pegged for an LMD from the first mention. As for "tahiti",
I hadn't thought of Valhallah, as an option, and I seriously doubt that they'll test the general TV audience's credibility with that one, but I DO think that we'll find that Tahiti is either a code name for the LMD research lab, or the actual location of SHIELD's LMD lab, or Henry Pym's lab... or that it's a code word for a status check on the functioning of the LMD.
That is, when asked about his recuperation, if Coulson replies that "Tahiti is a magical place", then all is functioning fine.
If he DOESN"T respond with that phrase, then something's wrong...and if he says "Tahiti is Hell, I don't ever want to go back there", then it's an indication that the LMD needs an annual check-up.
I think we'll see one or two of these play out before the first season ends.
I also think we'll not only see the team discover that something's off with Coulson, but also come to terms with his being an LMD...and then, we'll see a Rouge or BAD LMD take his place for a time, and THAT may lead to their discovery of his true nature...and lead them to Tahiti as a resolution...with a new model Coulson strolling out of assembly line in Tahiti as if nothing had happened. It will stun them and allow the status quo to continue in the series. "the appearance of change, without actual change".
Interesting theory. Especially if the new model says "Welcome to Level 8."
There's another thing I didn't have room to mention, and is also just suspicion. In the last episode I saw (the one with the gravity machine), Coulson seems to have lost his muscle memory when it comes to reloading his gun. He and another character described it as his being "rusty," but I'd guess reloading your gun is as natural to a long-time agent as brushing your teeth.
I wonder if we'll see the shadowy world council that showed up in the Avengers movie.