By Heather Stromski
We work the cases S.H.I.E.L.D. hasn't classified,
We investigate the bizarre.
The strange,
The unknown.
To protect the ordinary from the extraordinary.
Welcome to level 7.
We work the cases S.H.I.E.L.D. hasn't classified,
We investigate the bizarre.
The strange,
The unknown.
To protect the ordinary from the extraordinary.
Welcome to level 7.
We see these words as an introduction to the new television show’s website, and it serves as a pretty good indication of what we can expect as a whole over the season. With God-of-Geek Joss Whedon at the helm, it should go without saying that we will be entertained, delighted with writing that perfectly serves each moment as they come across, and a variety of characters masterfully handled to a ‘T’. There’s more to it than simply being entertained, though, a number of things to be intertwined and pulled together until it’s easy to immerse ourselves within the world, really feel as though we know what’s going on, like we’re there. So, that being said - let’s dive right in to what we can expect to see over the course of the pilot season of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.
What Joss Whedon Does Best
What do Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel, and Firefly all have in common? They’re all shows with ensemble casts, several characters who all have their own spin they put on the cast. There is a strong central focus – Buffy, Angel, Malcolm Reynolds – but it’s made apparent that this focus is not more important than any other character on the show. If anything, we know that they would very likely be dead without the other characters, and the strengths they add. Oh, and, of course, they were all created by Joss Whedon. This is his niche. This is why The Avengers worked as well as it did, because Whedon loves telling the stories of how characters interact with one another. Add that to the fact that the man is a masterful writer and director – did you know he was also a screenwriter for the Pixar classic Toy Story? Enough said. I think it’s pretty apparent we should have some pretty epic nerd fare up ahead for us.
What do Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel, and Firefly all have in common? They’re all shows with ensemble casts, several characters who all have their own spin they put on the cast. There is a strong central focus – Buffy, Angel, Malcolm Reynolds – but it’s made apparent that this focus is not more important than any other character on the show. If anything, we know that they would very likely be dead without the other characters, and the strengths they add. Oh, and, of course, they were all created by Joss Whedon. This is his niche. This is why The Avengers worked as well as it did, because Whedon loves telling the stories of how characters interact with one another. Add that to the fact that the man is a masterful writer and director – did you know he was also a screenwriter for the Pixar classic Toy Story? Enough said. I think it’s pretty apparent we should have some pretty epic nerd fare up ahead for us.
Agent Phil Coulson
How often can it be said that a fan base was vocal enough to bring a character back from the dead? Sure, this happens all the time in comic books, but it’s a little harder to justify in film. Granted, we can’t be sure that that was what was done – it could be that this was always Whedon’s master plan – but when you had the President of the United States posting up a tweet about mandating an executive order to bring Agent Coulson back, that has to say something. So…how was it done? Was he ever really dead? Or was that just a contrivance from Nick Fury? It sure looked like he was dead in The Avengers, but, hey…what do we know? Was it alien tech, or perhaps some experimental project a la the super-soldier serum? We’re bound to find out sometime in the season. It may be in the pilot, maybe not. Of lesser importance, but no less relevant: Do we ever hear anything else about the cellist? And just where did Lola come from?
How often can it be said that a fan base was vocal enough to bring a character back from the dead? Sure, this happens all the time in comic books, but it’s a little harder to justify in film. Granted, we can’t be sure that that was what was done – it could be that this was always Whedon’s master plan – but when you had the President of the United States posting up a tweet about mandating an executive order to bring Agent Coulson back, that has to say something. So…how was it done? Was he ever really dead? Or was that just a contrivance from Nick Fury? It sure looked like he was dead in The Avengers, but, hey…what do we know? Was it alien tech, or perhaps some experimental project a la the super-soldier serum? We’re bound to find out sometime in the season. It may be in the pilot, maybe not. Of lesser importance, but no less relevant: Do we ever hear anything else about the cellist? And just where did Lola come from?
Everybody Has a Story
“S.H.I.E.L.D. is all about these normal people dealing with this superhuman world.
The above quote from Chloe Bennet really tells it better than anything else does – Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. isn’t going to so much be about this group of people who go around investigating events of a superhuman nature. That’s just their job. It’s going to be about how they deal with it, how they deal with these superhuman types, and how they deal with each other. The show is going to tell their stories, past, present, and future, as they go on this extraordinary journey together. Each character has their own part to play on the team, and we can expect that they will explore aspects of their nature throughout the season, and how they tie together with one another. There will be a huge focus on Agent Coulson, of course, but based solely on what they’ve released on each of the other agents on the team so far, what we find out about them down the road should be well worth the exploration.
“S.H.I.E.L.D. is all about these normal people dealing with this superhuman world.
The above quote from Chloe Bennet really tells it better than anything else does – Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. isn’t going to so much be about this group of people who go around investigating events of a superhuman nature. That’s just their job. It’s going to be about how they deal with it, how they deal with these superhuman types, and how they deal with each other. The show is going to tell their stories, past, present, and future, as they go on this extraordinary journey together. Each character has their own part to play on the team, and we can expect that they will explore aspects of their nature throughout the season, and how they tie together with one another. There will be a huge focus on Agent Coulson, of course, but based solely on what they’ve released on each of the other agents on the team so far, what we find out about them down the road should be well worth the exploration.
Introduction of Superheroes
I wouldn’t expect to see too many of the big-name sorts – we’ll be lucky if we get a peek at Iron Man, Thor, Captain America, or any of the other big-screen superheroes – but this should be the platform where some of the lesser known guys and gals can get their shot. We’ve already discussed the fact that the fan base can do miraculous things – if there’s a superhero that the fans enjoy enough, it could be their stepping stone up in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, getting their foot into the door of the blockbuster movies. It’s not entirely implausible that Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. and the movies could tie events and situations with one another, making for a constant stream of Marvel Universe goodness throughout the year. Don’t count out Joss Whedon and his team creating their own superheroes, either. It’d definitely be right up their alley.
I wouldn’t expect to see too many of the big-name sorts – we’ll be lucky if we get a peek at Iron Man, Thor, Captain America, or any of the other big-screen superheroes – but this should be the platform where some of the lesser known guys and gals can get their shot. We’ve already discussed the fact that the fan base can do miraculous things – if there’s a superhero that the fans enjoy enough, it could be their stepping stone up in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, getting their foot into the door of the blockbuster movies. It’s not entirely implausible that Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. and the movies could tie events and situations with one another, making for a constant stream of Marvel Universe goodness throughout the year. Don’t count out Joss Whedon and his team creating their own superheroes, either. It’d definitely be right up their alley.
Cameos
We know that Cobie Smulders will be making at least one appearance in the show – she is listed on the IMDB page as appearing in the pilot as Deputy Director Maria Hill. There hasn’t been anything else released about possible cameos, but I certainly wouldn’t rule it out, not if they are intending on having the show and the movies operate simultaneously within the same universe, which I think is pretty much a given, since they reference the Battle of New York. If not the big-name superheroes, we can at least keep a lookout for cameos, whether small or large, by Samuel L. Jackson, Scarlett Johansson, and/or Jeremy Renner – namely, Director Nick Fury and S.H.I.E.L.D. Agents Natasha Romanoff and Clint Barton, aka Black Widow and Hawkeye, respectively.
We know that Cobie Smulders will be making at least one appearance in the show – she is listed on the IMDB page as appearing in the pilot as Deputy Director Maria Hill. There hasn’t been anything else released about possible cameos, but I certainly wouldn’t rule it out, not if they are intending on having the show and the movies operate simultaneously within the same universe, which I think is pretty much a given, since they reference the Battle of New York. If not the big-name superheroes, we can at least keep a lookout for cameos, whether small or large, by Samuel L. Jackson, Scarlett Johansson, and/or Jeremy Renner – namely, Director Nick Fury and S.H.I.E.L.D. Agents Natasha Romanoff and Clint Barton, aka Black Widow and Hawkeye, respectively.
Whatever else is possible, I think one thing is certain: We are going to get an amazing, in-depth look into this world that Marvel is concocting through this show. Keep up with me over the season as I bring you a running blog of every episode to see what we’ve learned throughout!
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