A sure highlight of Friday’s programming at the 2013 Comic-Con International in San Diego is the world premiere screening of Marvel’s Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D. — an anticipated pilot so secretive that even members of the press didn’t see it before today.
The S.H.I.E.L.D. TV series takes place in the Marvel Universe — the same “world” where movies like The Avengers, Iron Man, Captain America, and Thor took place. A character that linked many of those films was S.H.I.E.L.D. Agent Phil Coulson, who was played by Clark Gregg. As many who have seen The Avengers could tell you, Gregg’s character of Coulson was killed in the Avengers movie… yet now, Coulson lives.
We spoke to Mr. Gregg today at an Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D. press room to talk about the experience. How does it feel to be back among the land of the living?
“”I’m not gonna lie, it feels bad-ass,” he admits. “I thought I was dead, and I was not happy about it; although what Joss did with that character was so spectacular, I was completely at peace. The day I had to act that scene, I was surprisingly emotional. I had been playing the guy for 5 or 6 years and four movies… it broke my heart. I loved playing him, and yet, I was peace about it. So when Joss called and said ‘listen, here’s what we’re thinking… he might not be dead.’ But I had questions. I didn’t want to undo that part of The Avengers, or do anything to cheapen it. So when I got the spin of the direction that they were thinking of going with it, and it was really kind of deep, and interesting, and Whedonesque, I was signed on and thrilled.”
While Gregg jokes that Coulson could be a ghost or a zombie — “that’s probably in Episode 3,” he kids — he does admit that things aren’t totally the same for Phil. “He’s a different guy. I don’t think you get to have happen to you, what happens to him in The Avengers, and come back the same,” he says. And, yes, there might be some consequences. “I have a feeling some Avengers and Pepper Potts are going to be quite unhappy when they find out that they’ve been messed with. I just wonder what the full story is going to be. I also think that Coulson’s not going to be happy when he finds out that his mint cards have been messed with. I’ve got a feeling he’s going to want to know what’s happening with the cellist; I don’t know,” he says.
Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D. premieres September 24 on ABC. Be sure to check out our S.H.I.E.L.D. hub SHIELDsite.net and follow our S.H.I.E.L.D.-related Twitter feed at @SHIELDsite! More interviews will be posted soon.
