ABC Officially picks up MARVEL'S AGENTS OF SHIELD; reveals first synopsis, images and footage

This will all be par for the course to the hardcore geek crowd, but Joss Whedon can apparently do no wrong. At least ABC seems to think so, as the television network has apparently liked the Whedon scripted/directed pilot episode of Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. – a spinoff TV series from the box office Hulk smashing The Avengers – enough that they’ve given the go-ahead for a full season of episodes to be developed.

And to mark the occasion, they’ve also given us our first glimpses at what the series will look like.

 

The show is set to debut in the US Fall season (i.e. our Spring) and will the adventures of a select group of agents at S.H.I.E.L.D., the global espionage and peacekeeping task force established in all the Marvel movies from 2008’s Iron Man to featuring most prominently in last year’s The Avengers. Here’s the official synopsis of the show:

Clark Gregg reprises his role of Agent Phil Coulson from Marvel’s feature films as he assembles a small, highly select group of Agents from the worldwide law-enforcement organization known as S.H.I.E.L.D. Together they investigate the new, the strange, and the unknown across the globe, protecting the ordinary from the extraordinary. Coulson’s team consists of Agent Grant Ward (Brett Dalton), highly trained in combat and espionage, Agent Melinda May (Ming-Na Wen) expert pilot and martial artist, Agent Leo Fitz (Iain De Caestecker); brilliant engineer and Agent Jemma Simmons (Elizabeth Henstridge) genius bio-chemist. Joining them on their journey into mystery is new recruit and computer hacker Skye (Chloe Bennet). From Executive Producers Joss Whedon (“Marvel’s The Avengers,” ”Buffy the Vampire Slayer”); Jed Whedon & Maurissa Tancharoen, “Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.” pilot co-writers (“Dollhouse,” “Dr.Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog”); Jeffrey Bell (“Angel,” “Alias”); and Jeph Loeb (“Smallville”) comes Marvel’s first TV series.  “Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.” is produced by ABC Studios and Marvel Television.

And to help put all those names to faces, this series of S.H.I.E.L.D. ID cards have also been revealed.

Now before you start checking your medication dosages, just note that no, you’re not going crazy – well at least not crazier than normal – as yes, that is the very same Agent Phil Coulson that was last seen having his spine introduced to the deadly pointy end of Loki’s spear in The Avengers. He appeared to die from his wounds, with his death being the cause that the rest of the heroes rallies around to eventually defeat Loki, but there was always some irregularities surrounding his demise.

What actually happened to him, and how he’s suddenly now alive and kicking ass on TV will apparently be one of the show’s central mysteries, along with all kinds of other superpowered shenanigans, as can be seen in this new trailer that was also revealed last night.

Another clip leaked online over the weekend, showing a much longer look at some Hulk-like creature walking through a flame engulfed, half destroyed building/base of some kind while it’s being analyzed by some kind of computer program. Marvel have pulled these clips down quicker than a pants at a flasher’s convention, but the few seconds of footage in that clip plus his appearance in the above trailer does indicate that Hulk may have some role to play. Could Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. be setting up another TV series, like the long in development Hulk series from director Guillermo Del Toro?

Only time will tell, but right now, those 6 seconds of footage above was already enough to make me hulk out in my pants with excitement, so hurry up and be Fall already!

Last Updated: May 13, 2013