The first trailer to Marvel's new TV show, Agents of SHIELD has been released and the release offers a pretty tantalizing look at the upcoming ABC series, helmed by Joss Whedon. Set following the events of The Avengers, Agents of SHIELD stars Clark Gregg as Agent Coulson. Undoubtedly, one of the biggest reveals in the pilot episode will be how Coulson is still alive after being impaled through the chest by Loki.
Well it looks like we won't need to wait for the Agents of SHIELD release date to find out as someone has already leaked to /Film the explanation to Coulson's presence on the show. This is obviously a fairly massive spoiler, so steer clear if you don't want to ruin anything for yourself before the series' premiere.
SPOILER ALERT:
In the pilot, it's revealed Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson), the ultimate super spy, faked Agent Coulson's death on purpose to motivate The Avengers. Some S.H.I.E.L.D. members were in on it (including, possibly, Maria Hill played by Cobie Smulders) but The Avengers were not. Their security clearance wasn't high enough. Coulson was forced to hold his breath as part of the ruse and that's a point of contention among his colleagues. After the fact, Fury moved him to a remote location until things died down, and then he was reinserted into duty at the time of the show.
At this moment, several things are unclear about this explanation. First, it's unclear how Loki piercing him with the scepter didn't kill him. Also, it's unclear if Coulson's return to S.H.I.E.L.D. will be a reveal in the rest of Phase Two or exactly why he was reinstated. What is clear is this plot point is part of a larger story, with more details to be revealed in the show itself. Things may change but, for now, this is the basic story Marvel is going with.
Agent Coulson is alive because he held his breath? The pilot episode to Agents of SHIELD is written and directed by Joss Whedon and if anyone can pull the resurrection of Coulson, it's the guy who killed him off. Still, we hope that the show hasn't already jumped the shark.
