The Big Picture
- The addition of the Netflix Marvel Defender shows to Disney+ is significant for the MCU and its treatment of fan-favorite characters.
- The first season of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. had major flaws, relying too heavily on the larger franchise and lacking compelling storytelling.
- Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. improved when it distanced itself from the MCU and embraced its own narrative, leading to a diverse range of storylines and well-developed characters.
The Marvel Cinematic Universe continues to expand with not only a steady stream of new films and television shows, but also with the welcome return of some old friends. The Netflix era of darker Marvel TV shows have moved to Disney+, meaning you can watch Vincent D’Onofrio’s Hawaiian shirt-wearing Wilson Fisk get mowed down by a speeding car in Hawkeye, and then immediately switch over to see Fisk brutally turning someone’s head into soup with a car door in Daredevil Season 1. And while the addition of the Netflix Defenders to Disney+ is a huge deal that has massive ramifications for how the MCU will treat these fan-favorite characters, it’s vital we don’t forget about the other big addition to the platform, Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.
To paraphrase Nick Fury, there was once an idea. The idea was to expand the uber-successful MCU after 2012’s The Avengers and make the jump to television, creating a show that would tie in with the larger events of the movies, while delivering fans that extra dose of Marvel content they all desperately wanted. Thus, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. was officially born, and it checked all the necessary boxes. Bring back a beloved deceased character with a mystery surrounding their resurrection? Check. An episodic structure that basically copied the primetime-friendly procedural format but with Marvel references? Check. Callbacks and tie-ins to the larger cinematic universe? Ehhh …technically check! And while on paper, this show seemed like a great idea, there was one major problem: it stunk.
‘Captain America: Winter Soldier’ Flipped ‘Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.’s Narrative
The first season of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. is an amazing case study for every single thing that can go wrong with a television series that ties into a greater cinematic universe. It relied way too much on its parent franchise and tried coasting on brand awareness instead of crafting a compelling narrative with its own legs. It followed a bunch of uninteresting, shallow characters, and when it did hype up one of their “tie-in” episodes that connected to a Marvel movie, it usually ended up disappointing. But at the very end of Season 1, a funny thing happened over on the film side of things. Captain America: The Winter Soldier revealed that S.H.I.E.L.D. was actually heavily infested with HYDRA and the whole organization imploded. That’s actually low-key hilarious. The disconnect between the film and the TV side of Marvel Entertainment is well-documented at this point, but just think how silly it is that creators set up a whole show based on a group of S.H.I.E.L.D. agents to connect to the film franchise, but then the film franchise turns around and blows up your central concept. How do you make an Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. show when there’s no S.H.I.E.L.D.?
But then an even funnier thing happened. The twist made the show better. It allowed for them to fundamentally change the show’s DNA and morph it into one of the best Marvel TV shows. One of the show’s biggest flaws was framing the block of wood Grant Ward (Brett Dalton) as the show’s male lead and romantic protagonist, but the twist was able to shake things up and reveal that Ward was HYDRA the whole time and actually became one of the series’ greatest villains. To be able to recognize that something at the heart of your show isn’t working and somehow course-correct for better results is a TV trait that should be applauded. Imagine if Iron Fist would’ve taken a page out of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.‘s book and just ditched Finn Jones’ Danny Rand after Season 1 to focus on Jessica Henwick’s Colleen Wing? Probably would’ve helped a lot.
But although Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. only continued to get better the more it distanced itself from larger MCU connections, there was one other thing holding it back from getting the recognition it deserved. And that was the constant question about where the other superheroes were. These characters were constantly trying to save the world from massive alien invasions and other huge threats, so there was always an undercurrent about why Iron Man and his amazing friends didn’t swoop in to lend a helping hand. Of course, the obvious answer is “because we can’t afford to pay any A-Lister’s price tag,” but that was still a big hurdle for a lot of fans to get over.
However, now, that’s not an issue.
The MCU Phase 5 and ‘Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.’ Both Explore the Multiverse
We’re in Phase 5 of the MCU now, and it’s all about multiversal mania! The concept of different universes is forming the backbone of the movie and TV franchise today with things like Spider-Man: No Way Home, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, and Loki Season 2 all getting audiences used to this big idea that will dominate the MCU going forward. And that’s where Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. deserves a reevaluation. Where before, it was easy to overlook Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. because it clearly was not canon with the main film franchise anymore, it could now easily be viewed as a different universe and tie into the overall franchise’s broader themes of a vast multiverse.
It should happen, too, because when Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. was firing on all cylinders, it was the best Marvel TV out there. Wisely, it realized early on that having a full season’s worth of one story was problematic — an issue that plagues just about every Defenders show as well — which led to each season of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. having two or three arcs. And it’s amazing just how much variety this show had over the course of its seven seasons.
You had storylines like the virtual reality Framework arc, the rise of the Inhumans, a whole segment dedicated to Ghost Rider and the Darkhold, a dimensional alien takeover from the Fear Dimension, ancient prophecies signaling the destruction of Earth, and the whole final season devoted to time travel/Quantum Realm/multiverse shenanigans. And throughout its entirety, these stories were grounded with characters you love and care for, which was the real secret weapon.
Marvel’s’Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.’ Is Now Available on Disney+
Yes, over the course of seven seasons, any television show is bound to experience a rough patch or a dry spell as it deals with a plot line that’s just not working, but even when that problem seemed to be getting to Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., especially in its final two seasons, you could always fall back on the characters you love to get you through it. That’s the sign of something special. Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. was under-loved during its original run, but with the show now available on Disney+, it’s time to give the show its due.
All seven seasons of Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. are now streaming on Disney+.
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Khushi Patel is a science fiction author who lives in Austin, Texas. She has published three novels, and her work has been praised for its originality and imagination. Khushi is a graduate of Rice University, and she has worked as a software engineer. She is a member of the Science Fiction Writers of America, and her books have been nominated for several awards.
