Agents of SHIELD introduced many interesting characters and innovative pieces of technology that the MCU’s main continuity would benefit from using.
Marvel Television’s Agents of SHIELD introduced many characters, pieces of technology, storylines and ideas that Marvel Studios could steal to use in the main continuity of the MCU. Developed to be set within the world of the MCU, Marvel Television’s Agents of SHIELD premiered in 2013 and ran for seven seasons before coming to an end in 2020. Initially tied directly to the MCU’s big-screen adventures, Agents of SHIELD quickly became its own entity, meaning the canon status of the series has recently been thrown into question. Nevertheless, many ideas were brought to life in ABC’s Agents of SHIELD that could benefit the MCU’s main timeline, should they be revived.
Set after the events of 2012’s The Avengers, Agents of SHIELD revealed that Clark Gregg’s Phil Coulson had been brought back to life following his death at the hands of God of Mischief Loki. Coulson put together his own team of elite SHIELD agents, setting out to deal with smaller-scale threats. When Marvel Studios began to develop its own TV shows for Disney+ in 2021, Agents of SHIELD’s canon status in the wider MCU was disputed, but the series is assumed to take place in an adjacent reality of the MCU’s multiverse. This means that characters, storylines and equipment from Agents of SHIELD could be reinvented in the mainstream MCU.
10Life Model Decoys Would Help With The MCU’s Fakeout Deaths
Life Model Decoys Have Already Been Teased In The MCU
Agents of SHIELD first teased the introduction of Life Model Decoys in season 3’s finale, before the artificial intelligences had a major role in season 4. Initially, AIDA was the only LMD in Agents of SHIELD, but over the course of season 4, more and more SHIELD agents were replaced by robotic versions of themselves. Some have argued that Agents of SHIELD’s LMDs did Secret Invasion’s storyline better than the Phase 5 series, yet the LMDs themselves could still appear in the MCU. Tony Stark teased their existence in The Avengers, and the LMDs could be used to provide more impact to fakeout deaths, and potentially even revive age-old villains.
9The Framework Would Be Great For Training New Heroes
AIDA Created Agents Of SHIELD’s Framework Using The Darkhold
Leo Fitz and Holden Radcliffe originally designed the Framework, a simulated world, as a training simulator for SHIELD agents, but AIDA later hijacked the program and transformed it into a global virtual reality, ruled over by HYDRA. While Agents of SHIELD proved how dangerous the Framework could be, Marvel Studios could introduce the program into the MCU with its original intention – as a training simulator. Akin to the X-Men’s Danger Room in Marvel Comics, the Framework would simulate situations that budding superheroes could train in safely. This would benefit the X-Men’s debut in the MCU, and would help new teams such as the Young Avengers find their feet.
8Agents Of SHIELD Proved The MCU Needs Madame Hydra As A Villain
The LMD AIDA Became Madame Hydra In Agents Of SHIELD’s Framework
Inside the Framework, the LMD AIDA set herself up as the highest-ranking figure in the fictional version of HYDRA, Ophelia, a.k.a. Madame Hydra. Madame Hydra has taken several forms in Marvel Comics, but Ophelia Sarkissian’s Viper is perhaps the most well-known, so it would be great to see her wreak havoc on the MCU. However, Julia Louis-Dreyfus recently debuted as Contessa Valentina Allegra de Fontaine in the MCU’s Phase 4, a villain who also becomes Madame Hydra in Marvel Comics. This means it’s possible that Marvel Studios could establish Valentina as this powerful adversary, perhaps seeing her adopt the moniker in Phase 5’s Thunderbolts or beyond.
7Agents Of SHIELD’s Chronicoms Would Be A Great Addition To The MCU
Joel Stoffer Played The Chronicom Enoch In Agents Of SHIELD
The Chronicoms were introduced to Agents of SHIELD as an ancient race of semi-robotic beings who are tasked with observing the evolution of the universe, similarly to the Watchers of the MCU. Evidently, it doesn’t take long for the Chronicoms, specifically Joel Stoffer’s Enoch, to become involved in the lives of the humans he was supposed to simply observe – in much the same way that Jeffrey Wright’s Watcher intervenes in What If…?. Introducing the Chronicoms to the MCU would allow Marvel Studios to expand the cosmic and historical corners of the franchise, potentially bringing them into contact with the likes of the Guardians of the Galaxy or the Eternals.
6Afterlife Would Help The MCU’s Mutant Introduction
Agents Of SHIELD’s Afterlife Was An Inhuman Haven
Agents of SHIELD season 2 introduced Afterlife, a haven inhabited by Inhumans. Daisy Johnson – then known as Skye – was taken to Afterlife to learn how to control her new Inhuman ability, but Afterlife wasn’t known to the rest of the world, allowing Inhumans to life in secrecy. This could provide the perfect explanation for where mutants and the X-Men have been throughout the history of the MCU, especially since mutant-inhabited locations such as Krakoa and Genosha exist in Marvel Comics. Marvel Studios could simply reveal that mutants have been living in a secret haven all this time, allowing them to integrate into the MCU’s current timeline fairly easily.
5Ghost Rider Needs To Be In The MCU
Gabriel Luna Played Robbie Reyes’ Ghost Rider In Agents Of SHIELD
Gabriel Luna debuted as Robbie Reyes, a.k.a. Ghost Rider, in Agents of SHIELD season 4, but the character has been heavily rumored to be entering the MCU’s main continuity for several years. Actors such as Norman Reedus, Ryan Gosling and Keanu Reeves, among many others, have been suggested to be perfect to portray the MCU’s Ghost Rider. With the recent development of the Marvel Spotlight banner for more grounded, character-driven stories, Ghost Rider’s introduction into the MCU could be imminent, so while Luna’s version of the character will likely be reinvented, this gritty antihero could soon be joining the MCU’s more supernatural storylines.
4Deathlok Is A Major Character In Marvel Comics
J. August Richards Played Mike Peterson’s Deathlok In Agents Of SHIELD
J. August Richards portrayed Mike Peterson’s Deathlok in Agents of SHIELD, acting as an original iteration of the character, as several other Marvel Comics characters have adopted the Deathlok moniker over the years. Marvel’s Deathlok is created when a dead human – usually one of high skill and significance – is reanimated through the use of cybernetic technology. While Deathlok’s name screams villainy, these characters are actually prominent heroes, with versions of Deathlok working for the CIA, SHIELD, the Armed Forces and X-Force. This means Deathlok would make a powerful addition to the MCU, and would perhaps be an asset to the upcoming New Avengers team.
3Project TAHITI Could Revive Fallen Avengers
Coulson Was Brought Back To Life Using The TAHITI Project
In Agents of SHIELD, TAHITI was the codename given to the project that enabled Phil Coulson to be brought back from the dead. TAHITI used Kree DNA to regenerate cellular tissue, while the memories of the recipient would also need to be altered. While this process had some traumatic side effects for Coulson and other subjects of Project TAHITI, Marvel Studios could revive this idea for the MCU proper, using TAHITI to bring fallen Avengers back from the dead. This was TAHITI’s original purpose, so it would be great to see it put into action, perhaps allowing the likes of Tony Stark, Natasha Romanoff and Pietro Maximoff to be resurrected.
2Fury’s Toolbox Could Help To Rebuild The MCU’s SHIELD
Coulson Became The Director Of SHIELD Using Fury’s Toolbox
Following the fall of SHIELD during 2014’s Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Nick Fury gifted Phil Coulson a compact storage device known as the Toolbox, which allowed Coulson to become the Director of SHIELD, and begin to rebuild the organization covertly. SHIELD hasn’t been involved in the MCU’s storylines since Avengers: Age of Ultron, and Fury himself seems to have moved on to SABER, but the Toolbox could be reintroduced to enable a new hero to re-establish SHIELD as a global security agency. SHIELD is a major fixture in Marvel Comics, but has been missing from the MCU for almost a decade, so it’s about time it made its return.
1Agents Of SHIELD’s Monoliths Can Help Fix Inhumans In The MCU
Phase 4 Debuted The MCU’s First Official Inhuman
The Di’Allas, a.k.a. the Monoliths, were three rocky structures in Agents of SHIELD that had command over time, space and creation. One of these Monoliths allowed HYDRA followers to sacrifice themselves to their Inhuman champion, Hive, for centuries, so perhaps the Monoliths could be used to establish Inhumans as a widespread species in the MCU. Anson Mount’s Black Bolt appeared in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, proving Inhumans exist in the MCU, but this has been the only Inhuman appearance in the MCU’s main timeline. Future MCU projects could develop Inhumans even further, similarly to how Agents of SHIELD explored them better than their own ABC spinoff series.
