# Marvel Agents of SHIELD **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [September 25, 2013, 12:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/marvel-agents-of-shield/669608 "2013-09-25T00:55:46Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 9
**Author:** ![Bill\_Door](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/50afbb/32.png) [@Bill\_Door](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bill_Door)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2013, 4:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/marvel-agents-of-shield/669608/161 "2013-09-28T16:09:29Z")
> [@Telemark](#): > > Actually, this was one of my peeves with the episode. The “He must never know” bit was too cliche, too trite, too predictable for my tastes. I would have preferred more subtlety or just ignore the issue for now. No need to throw that in the pilot. Yeah, that was a little heavy handed. If he really must never know, everyone would have already known that he must never know. The only reason to mention it was to let us know that there was a mystery here. Still, better than 90% of the stuff on TV, and for a pilot, that’s pretty good. ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2013, 5:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/marvel-agents-of-shield/669608/162 "2013-09-28T17:00:54Z")
Coulson was brought back to life by a spell cast by a group of [del]Scoobies![/del] Agents! ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_Q](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/898d66/32.png) [@Johnny\_Q](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_Q)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2013, 8:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/marvel-agents-of-shield/669608/163 "2013-09-28T20:07:32Z")
I wonder how Coulson will feel when he finds out his bosses got blood all over his mint condition Captain America trading cards. ---
**Author:** ![C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b2d939/32.png) [@C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/C_K_Dexter_Haven)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2013, 8:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/marvel-agents-of-shield/669608/164 "2013-09-28T20:22:34Z")
OK, bias disclaimer: I was never a reader of the comics (I stopped reading comics in the late 60s) so I don’t know much about the Marvel-SHIELD underlying this. I’ve just got the TV show (and most of the recent movies.) I thought it was OK as a pilot (new series take a few episodes to get rolling, as a rule), but if I’m going to watch regularly, I’m going to need more information than what they gave me. Seemed hopelessly confused and confusing. My wife discarded it utterly, but she doesn’t like most comic-book movies either. Of the characters introduced in the pilot, which of them are known from the comics? (I understand there is some speculation in this thread that TV-character-so-and-so might be comic-character-thus, but speculation aside, what is absolute?) ---
**Author:** ![aNewLeaf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ac91a4/32.png) [@aNewLeaf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aNewLeaf)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2013, 8:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/marvel-agents-of-shield/669608/165 "2013-09-28T20:33:57Z")
> [@Cat\_Whisperer](#): > > Coulson was brought back to life by a spell cast by a group of [del]Scoobies![/del] Agents! There’s only ever one Phil Coulson at a time, and if he dies a new one is appointed by the Council of Furies. ---
**Author:** ![TBG](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c89c15/32.png) [@TBG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TBG)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2013, 8:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/marvel-agents-of-shield/669608/166 "2013-09-28T20:43:37Z")
> [@Grumman](#): > > He’s a Skrull? Chitari (or however it’s spelled). They can’t call them Skrulls because of Fox’s ownership of the FF rights. Anyway, the shapeshifter theory is a good one, but I’d almost rather it be something like Thor went down and got him back from Hell (or Hel) or some hoodoo like that so yes, he did die, but yes he is the real Coulson. Was anyone else expecting them to have Gunn turn out to be Luke Cage? ---
**Author:** ![CarnalK](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnalk/32/486_2.png) [@CarnalK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CarnalK)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2013, 8:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/marvel-agents-of-shield/669608/167 "2013-09-28T20:44:34Z")
> [@C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](#): > > Of the characters introduced in the pilot, which of them are known from the comics? (I understand there is some speculation in this thread that TV-character-so-and-so might be comic-character-thus, but speculation aside, what is absolute?) As far as I know, none of them. Coulson the agent as introduced in the Avengers/Iron Man movies is all I recognize (IANAComicsFanatic however). ---
**Author:** ![gonzoron](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a6a055/32.png) [@gonzoron](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gonzoron)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2013, 10:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/marvel-agents-of-shield/669608/168 "2013-09-28T22:00:43Z")
> [@CarnalK](#): > > As far as I know, none of them. Coulson the agent as introduced in the Avengers/Iron Man movies is all I recognize (IANAComicsFanatic however). Agent Maria Hill (Cobie Smulders), the one who debriefed Agent Ward and muttered ominously with the doctor about Coulson’s Trip to Tahiti, was in the comics, but she was listed as “special guest star” and won’t likely be a regular on the show. Not a major character, to be sure, though. And Coulson was introduced in the movies, but subsequently written into the comics. ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2013, 2:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/marvel-agents-of-shield/669608/169 "2013-09-29T02:37:16Z")
> [@aNewLeaf](#): > > There’s only ever one Phil Coulson at a time, and if he dies a new one is appointed by the Council of Furies. There you go! ---
**Author:** ![Amateur\_Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/59ef9b/32.png) [@Amateur\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amateur_Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2013, 3:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/marvel-agents-of-shield/669608/170 "2013-09-29T15:22:21Z")
Enjoyed it, but I agree the flying car bit was pure cheese. They should have left Lola’s supposed capabilities a running gag until something was truly needed for a plotline - lull the clueless into thinking that Lola is only special because it’s a 1960 Vette that Coulson loves. My bigger concern is that Coulson’s snappy Steven Wright-like patter, which was a high point of the movies so far because it was used sparingly, will become too too much when it’s front and center for most of each episode. ---
**Author:** ![aNewLeaf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ac91a4/32.png) [@aNewLeaf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aNewLeaf)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2013, 8:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/marvel-agents-of-shield/669608/171 "2013-09-29T20:18:48Z")
Oh, I got it- Coulson is Howard Stark. He got an early batch of the Super Sauce that turned him super horny and mostly immortal. And a little bald. ---
**Author:** ![Wolverine](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/ba9def/32.png) [@Wolverine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wolverine)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2013, 10:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/marvel-agents-of-shield/669608/172 "2013-09-29T22:42:22Z")
Do we get points for being right or for coming up with theories not seen elsewhere? Coulson is the original Human Torch seen in the glass tube at the beginning of the Captain America movie. He’s not an LMD since he’s an original, but SHIELD uses him because they can fix his body and his memories. If they don’t keep up the pretense, Coulson could accidentally go supernova. Plus, he’s kinda fun to have around. ---
**Author:** ![bienville](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/4bbf92/32.png) [@bienville](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bienville)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2013, 2:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/marvel-agents-of-shield/669608/173 "2013-09-30T02:17:28Z")
> [@Johnny\_Q](#): > > I wonder how Coulson will feel when he finds out his bosses got blood all over his mint condition Captain America trading cards. [HA! I beat you to that joke by 4 and a half months!!!](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=16287975&postcount=16) (Link to the “First promo for “Agents of SHIELD” on ABC” Thread from last spring) And a Copy & Paste of my thoughts from the other Thread- issues I’m still wondering about: [QUOTE=Me in the other Thread] The short film Item 47, which was included with the Avengers Bluray, did suggest that Coulson was dead. That short featured Jesse Bradford and Lizzy Caplan as new characters and I wondered if they were being set up to be regulars on the T.V. show (which I’d have liked since I’d watch Lizzy Caplan read the phone book). _\_ The absence I find more surprising is Agent Sitwell who was portrayed by Maximiliano Hernández in Thor, The Avengers, the short films The Consultant and Item 47, as well as the upcoming Captain America: The Winter Soldier. [/QUOTE] ---
**Author:** ![Snooooopy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ee7513/32.png) [@Snooooopy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snooooopy)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2013, 7:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/marvel-agents-of-shield/669608/174 "2013-09-30T07:50:33Z")
Add me to the list of those who could definitely do without the tech duo Frick and Frack. But I’ve liked enough Whedon stuff to give it a DVR slot for now. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_other_waldo_pepper/32/12370_2.png) [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Waldo_Pepper)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2013, 12:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/marvel-agents-of-shield/669608/175 "2013-09-30T12:21:26Z")
> [@Wolverine](#): > > Coulson is the original Human Torch seen in the glass tube at the beginning of the Captain America movie. He’s not an LMD since he’s an original, but SHIELD uses him because they can fix his body and his memories. If they don’t keep up the pretense, Coulson could accidentally go supernova. What, you’re saying they Fill the Son Of Coal with kerosene? ---
**Author:** ![Intergalactic\_Gladiator](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/intergalactic_gladiator/32/112_2.png) [@Intergalactic\_Gladiator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Intergalactic_Gladiator)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2013, 2:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/marvel-agents-of-shield/669608/176 "2013-09-30T14:29:47Z")
> [@gonzoron](#): > > Got it: Coulson’s been dead the whole time. Maybe he was only just mostly dead. ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2013, 4:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/marvel-agents-of-shield/669608/177 "2013-09-30T16:45:25Z")
> [@Intergalactic\_Gladiator](#): > > Maybe he was only just mostly dead. He got better! ---
**Author:** ![Misnomer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/misnomer/32/14897_2.png) [@Misnomer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Misnomer)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2013, 5:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/marvel-agents-of-shield/669608/178 "2013-09-30T17:57:56Z")
Well, it _was_ just a flesh wound. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2013, 3:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/marvel-agents-of-shield/669608/179 "2013-10-01T15:03:07Z")
Rumor has it that there is going to be a post-credits cameo in the second episode. ---
**Author:** ![Misnomer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/misnomer/32/14897_2.png) [@Misnomer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Misnomer)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2013, 4:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/marvel-agents-of-shield/669608/180 "2013-10-01T16:17:26Z")
Yeah, Clark Gregg has been telling Twitter to be sure to watch through the credits of the second ep. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/marvel-agents-of-shield/669608.md?page=8) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/marvel-agents-of-shield/669608.md?page=10)