Ever since he died such a sudden, horrible death in The Avengers, fans have been trying to figure out a way that devoted S.H.I.E.L.D. agent Phil Coulson(Clark Gregg) could return. Some thought he may be revived as the android Avenger known as Vision, while others figured he may have already been a robot or what they call a "Life Model Decoy". Whatever the reasons turns out to be, Joss Whedon and Kevin Feige revealed at the New York Comic-Con that not only is Coulson back, but that he'll be leading the new S.H.I.E.L.D. TV series.
Here's the rundown of the relevant part of the panel, courtesy of CBR....
"We all love Clark Gregg, there's no doubt about that," Whedon said. "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."
"There was never going to be a 'S.H.I.E.L.D.' show without Agent Phil Coulson!" said Feige, who appeared behind Whedon, wearing a COULSON LIVES shirt.
"He's headlining the S.H.I.E.L.D. show and always was." said Whedon.
Clark Gregg actually turned up on stage to bask in the adoration of the fans, who were all chanting his name during the panel. So there you have it. Agent Coulson is back and is the first member cast in the S.H.I.E.L.D. TV show. That's all the reason I need to watch it, even though I was going to anyway!
