Show creator Joss Whedon said at NY Comic-Con that the character played by Clark Gregg is a big part of the organization and therefore should exist.
- October 15, 2012
AceShowbiz -
Fans of "The Avengers" have not seen the last of Agent Phil Coulson, the man-in-black agent who is played by Clark Gregg in the highest-grossing Marvel movie. Although Coulson died in the feature film, he will be very much alive on the new television series, "S.H.I.E.L.D.", at least in the pilot.
ABC has picked up the spin-off TV series about the superspy organization, which pilot will be written by none other than Joss Whedon, his brother Jed Whedon and Maurissa Tancharoen. Whedon and Marvel Studios head Kevin Feige announced in a video played at New York Comic-Con on Saturday, October 13 that Coulson will be making an appearance on the show, but did not explain to what extent.
Coulson's death and return may be or may not be explained on the series. However, Feige confirmed that he would not just appear in a kind of flashback, saying as quoted by Entertainment Weekly, "There was never going to be a S.H.I.E.L.D. show without Agent Phil Coulson!" Whedon added "He's headlining the S.H.I.E.L.D. show and always was."
Per Comic Book Resources, Whedon explained further, "We all love Clark Gregg, there's no doubt about that. From before we made 'The Avengers,' we discussed whether there was a way for him to be a part of the Marvel Universe, perhaps a part of a TV show even after his death. ...The fact of the matter is, as much as we love him, now that I'm really running Marvel, I like to keep a type of artistic integrity, which means we don't stretch the bounds of reality."
