After the huge success of “Avengers” in theaters (the film earned over $90 million in its opening weekend alone), it is not surprising that Marvel would work to create more revenue outlets. This is evidenced by ABC’s “Marvel’s Agents
of SHIELD.”
The show, while independent from the Marvel films, still exists within the universe Marvel created in its big blockbusters. “Agents of SHIELD” centers around Phil Coulson, a character who has appeared in several Marvel movies, and his new team of SHIELD agents. This team is tasked with investigating “the strange and the unknown.”
Overall, the pilot episode of “Agents of SHIELD” did what it was supposed to do. It shows us the basic premise of the show and introduces us to the cast of characters. It also hints at a couple story arcs for the season.
All the characters had brief moments to shine. Coulson, as a crossover character, had the most screen time. In previous Marvel movies, his character had a small, but prominent, role as Director Fury’s right-hand man. In “Agents of SHIELD,” he is commanding his own hand-picked team. Coulson still retains the characteristics audiences fell in love with in “Avengers,” but a more serious side to him is revealed throughout the pilot. As a fangirl, I’d love to see an episode focused on Coulson’s past, but this serious side will make that potential episode much more interesting.
The next most prominent character is Agent Grant Ward. He is a black-ops specialist who has worked with SHIELD for several years. The show sets him up to be a Bond-level spy, but also includes a lack of people skills. Ward’s character wasn’t that compelling to me in the pilot, but I’m interested to see how he develops in
future episodes.
Along with Ward comes another SHIELD-trained agent, Melinda May. She functions as the pilot of the team’s plane. She also has some serious combat skills, but is hesitant to use them. I want to see the back story behind that. Perhaps a mission gone wrong?
Fitz-Simmons, the team’s science power duo, bring some comic relief to show. Leo Fitz and Jemma Simmons are SHIELD scientists, who have a close friendship. Their heated techno-babble debates are fun and interesting and their chemistry played well on screen. I’m definitely looking forward to seeing more of them.
And lastly, there is Skye, the resident super-hacker. She discovers the superhero of the week while collecting content for her website, which is dedicated to discovering the mysterious things SHIELD works hard to keep secret. For obvious reasons, Skye is not keen on joining the team right away, but she gets there eventually. One of the most interesting aspects of her character is the fact that she completely erased her identity. I can see a future episode centering around her reasons for doing so.
Along with presenting an interesting cast, the pilot also sets up a few story arcs for the season. First, there’s “Centipede” — a scientific formula that enhances human abilities. While one test subject is subdued during the first episode, it is made clear that Centipede is still out there. Whoever is behind Centipede will most likely be the villain of the season.
Also, there is the mystery surrounding Coulson. If you saw “Avengers” last year, Coulson’s death at the hands of Loki wasn’t hard to miss. We still don’t know why or how Coulson is alive, and there is rampant speculation among the fans. But it seems we won’t get our answers for awhile. I’m expecting the big reveal to be an integral part of the season finale, and I can’t wait to find out.
You can watch “Agents of SHIELD” Tuesdays at 7 p.m. on ABC.
Aguirre is a sophomore majoring in journalism and political science.
