Mind-Blowing Secrets Unveiled: The Hidden Gems of Rewatching Agents of SHIELD

Summary

Agents of SHIELD ignored the emotional impact of Phil Coulson's death in The Avengers, reversing the Avengers' storyline for convenience.

The series introduced significant storylines that the broader MCU disregarded, diminishing the impact of Agents of SHIELD's significant events within the franchise. Agents of SHIELD initially faced challenges with underdeveloped scripts and inconsistency, resulting in its least successful season.

Marvel Television's Agents of SHIELD, the first and longest-running MCU TV spinoff, faced numerous challenges throughout its seven-season run. Initially introduced in Phase 1 of the MCU, the show aimed to delve deeper into the operations of the peacekeeping and spy agency. It was originally set within the same world as the Marvel Studios feature films, maintaining continuity. The series premiered in September 2013 and concluded in August 2020 with an emotional finale. Despite its longevity, Agents of SHIELD encountered several issues along the way.

Following his work on 2012's The Avengers, Joss Whedon collaborated with Marvel Television to develop a pilot centered on SHIELD for ABC. The goal was to replicate the high production value of the MCU's blockbuster projects within the limitations of a broadcast television budget. Clark Gregg's Phil Coulson, a character previously seen in Iron Man, Iron Man 2, Thor, and The Avengers, was revived in Agents of SHIELD. The story revolved around Coulson assembling a diverse team to investigate unusual occurrences in a world now aware of aliens and superheroes. While the show received consistently positive reviews throughout its seven seasons, it struggled to captivate audiences and had its share of flaws and significant missteps.

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12 Agents Of SHIELD Reversed The Avengers' Emotional Death

Phase 1 of the MCU reached its climax with The Avengers in 2012. This marked the moment when the iconic team assembled in the MCU for the first time, joining forces to combat Loki and his Chitauri army. However, before the Avengers could unite, they needed a catalyst, and that came in the form of Phil Coulson's emotional and tragic demise. His death resonated deeply with the original six members of the Avengers, forging a powerful connection among them. Surprisingly, Agents of SHIELD disregarded this pivotal event entirely and simply resurrected Coulson. Although season 1 delved into Coulson grappling with his return, Agents of SHIELD failed to question the morality of bringing him back in the first place.

11 The MCU Ignored Agents Of SHIELD's Biggest Storylines

Over the course of its seven-season run, Agents of SHIELD introduced several monumental storylines that were initially believed to occur within the world of the MCU. The appearance of Inhumans on Earth, multiple extraterrestrial assaults, the exploits of Ghost Rider, the creation of the Framework, Glenn Talbot's enhancement with Gravitonium, and the looming threat of the Chronicoms endangering life on Earth all seemed to involve the significant involvement of the MCU's renowned heroes. However, despite the frequent references to the MCU in its early seasons, the larger franchise completely disregarded the events unfolding in its television counterpart, rendering Agents of SHIELD's significant narrative arcs seemingly inconsequential.

10 Agents Of SHIELD Had A Very Slow Start

Although Agents of SHIELD's viewership declined over time, each season consistently received positive reviews from both audiences and critics. However, the series had a slow start in season 1, with its focus on character development, episodic format, stronger connections to the MCU, and scripts that lacked depth. As a result, season 1 received the lowest rating among all the Agents of SHIELD installments on Rotten Tomatoes, achieving 88% while every other season scored over 90%. It is worth noting that seasons 3, 5, and 7 of Agents of SHIELD even earned perfect scores from critics, further highlighting the disappointment of season 1.

9 Agents Of SHIELD Forgot About Its MCU Guest Stars

Agents of SHIELD's early seasons prided themselves on their close connection to the storylines unfolding in the MCU. Season 1 was split into three parts, coinciding with the releases of Thor: The Dark World and Captain America: The Winter Soldier, and featured cameos from several MCU stars such as Samuel L. Jackson's Nick Fury, Cobie Smulders' Maria Hill, Jaimie Alexander's Lady Sif, and Maximiliano Hernández's Jasper Sitwell. However, as the series progressed, Agents of SHIELD began to neglect guest cameos, causing its ties to the MCU to appear weaker and weaker.

8 Agents Of SHIELD Forgot What Made Captain America: The Winter Soldier So Good

The revelation in Captain America: The Winter Soldier that HYDRA had infiltrated SHIELD from the very beginning came as a shock and had a significant impact on the latter part of Season 1 of Agents of SHIELD. However, Captain America asserted in The Winter Soldier that SHIELD and HYDRA were essentially one entity, with SHIELD becoming the very oppressive force it aimed to combat. This message resonated deeply with audiences, making The Winter Soldier one of the most beloved projects in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Unfortunately, Agents of SHIELD failed to capture this essence, as the series consistently portrayed SHIELD as the virtuous organization fighting against the malevolent HYDRA, completely disregarding The Winter Soldier's powerful statement.

7 Agents Of SHIELD Never Figured Out What Story To Tell

After devoting its first season to establishing characters, backstories, and motivations, Agents of SHIELD took a more adventurous approach in subsequent seasons, with each new installment featuring a distinct, self-contained storyline. This creative freedom injected freshness into the show and kept viewers on their toes with unexpected twists. However, this approach also led to a lack of consistency throughout the series. Characters underwent significant transformations from season to season to better align with the evolving narratives, and the team found themselves embarking on increasingly extravagant escapades that strayed from the intimate, street-level tone of Agents of SHIELD season 1.

6 Other Marvel TV Shows Overshadowed Agents Of SHIELD

Agents of SHIELD, the first TV show developed in conjunction with the MCU, gave rise to a whole new generation of similar shows. Unfortunately, most of these shows ended up overshadowing their predecessor. Marvel Television's Defenders Saga on Netflix received an overwhelmingly positive response, thanks in part to its grittier and more down-to-Earth tones, which appealed to a more mature audience than Agents of SHIELD. Since then, Marvel Studios' development of dedicated MCU-set shows on Disney+ has blown Agents of SHIELD out of the water. Projects like WandaVision, Loki, and Ms. Marvel have enjoyed tremendous success, boasting bigger budgets and higher production values, which have made them far superior viewing experiences.

5 Agents Of SHIELD Wasted Some Of Its Best Villains

Agents of SHIELD consistently prioritized its heroes - the formidable team assembled by Coulson that flourished throughout the series. Regrettably, this often led to the overshadowing of its antagonists, which is truly unfortunate considering the array of captivating adversaries from Marvel Comics at its disposal. The portrayal of the Kree as feeble and weak, the perplexing downfall of HYDRA, the lackluster rendition of the Darkhold in comparison to WandaVision's rendition, the insufficient character development for Jiaying and Mr. Hyde, and the infrequent appearance of Carl Creel's Absorbing Man, who happens to be one of Marvel Comics' enduring villains, are all disappointing. Instead of being formidable menaces, these villains were regrettably overlooked time and again.

4 Agents Of SHIELD Introduced Great Heroes (That The MCU Won't Use)

While the villains of Agents of SHIELD may have lacked development, the same cannot be said for the show's heroes. Coulson and his team, including standout characters like Daisy Johnson (played by Chloe Bennet), also known as Quake, Melinda May (portrayed by Ming-Na Wen), Jemma Simmons (played by Elizabeth Henstridge), and Leo Fitz (portrayed by Iain De Caestecker), became extraordinary individuals in the world of Agents of SHIELD. They had the potential to transition into roles within the broader Marvel Cinematic Universe. However, despite persistent speculation, it is highly unlikely that characters from Agents of SHIELD will make appearances in the MCU. This possibility only diminishes further with the passage of time following the conclusion of Agents of SHIELD.

3 Time Travel Confused Agents Of SHIELD

A central element in several seasons of Agents of SHIELD was the idea of time travel. Initially, the team was thrust into a dystopian future, and later on, they utilized time travel to prevent the Chronicoms from eradicating SHIELD in the past. In fact, nearly every episode of Agents of SHIELD season 7 unfolded in a different time period. While this allowed for impressive costume choices and thematically fitting opening titles, it convoluted the storyline, rendering it excessively intricate to comprehend. The explanation behind Agents of SHIELD's time travel was unclear, and the inclusion of multiple timelines diluted the plot to such an extent that the team's eventual farewell seemed underwhelming.

2 Agents Of SHIELD's Own Spinoffs Went Nowhere

While Agents of SHIELD could be considered a spinoff from the MCU itself, it also had the potential to create spinoffs of its own, but unfortunately, this didn't pan out. The addition of Inhumans in Season 2 of Agents of SHIELD led to the development of a dedicated Inhumans series for NBC. However, this series was heavily criticized and lasted only eight episodes before being discontinued. It's worth noting that Anson Mount later reprised his role as Black Bolt in the MCU's Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. In addition to the Inhumans spinoff, there were also plans for other spinoffs like Most Wanted, featuring Agents of SHIELD's Bobbi Morse and Lance Hunter, as well as a Ghost Rider series. Unfortunately, these spinoffs never came to fruition.

1 Agents Of SHIELD's MCU Canon Questions Haven't Been Answered

Agents of SHIELD commenced in 2013 and was initially strongly linked to the MCU, leaving no doubts about its canonicity. However, as the show progressed, it gradually distanced itself from the overarching narratives of the MCU. It instead opted for brief mentions of the larger franchise, like showcasing Coulson's role in making the Helicarrier available for Avengers: Age of Ultron and hinting at Thanos' assault in Infinity War. With the series concluding in 2020 and Marvel Studios venturing into their own Disney+ productions, the canon status of Agents of SHIELD became uncertain once again. To date, there has been no confirmation or denial of its status.