(WARNING: The following story contains MAJOR spoilers for the two-part series finale of ABC’s “Agents of SHIELD” on Wednesday.)
Unless the MCU decides to go back into the past again, it’s likely that Wednesday’s series finale of “Agents of SHIELD” represented the final appearance for Clark Gregg’s Phil Coulson.
Aside from Robert Downey Jr. or Chris Evans, Gregg has probably appeared the most in the MCU between his small roles in Marvel’s batch of films, where he primarily existed to serve as the connective tissue between all the various films, and his starring gig on “Marvel’s Agents of SHIELD,” Marvel’s first crack at extending its universe to the small screen.
It’s been a wild journey for Gregg, who has been brought back from the dead, twice (though the second time it was as a Life Model Decoy), played an evil doppelganger version and even moonlighted as the MCU’s version of Max Headroom. “He’s such a thoughtful and passionate actor, and with everything that was thrown his way over the course of seven years, he takes it he adjusts it processes it and then he’s right in there with us,” co-showrunner Maurissa Tancharoen told TheWrap.
After dying for real at the season five, Coulson was brought back as an LMD version to help the SHIELD team fight the Chronicoms, who were trying to erase the spy organization from the past in their bid to take over Earth. “His initial reaction to LMD Colson was all the existential questions that come with it, which became his story for the season,” said fellow co-showrunner Jed Whedon.
Wednesday’s finale allowed them to bring Coulson’s journey full circle, considering the series began with his first revival back in 2013, a year after Coulson was murdered by Loki (Tom Hiddelston) in “The Avengers.” After spending years feeling like he was living on borrowed time, or shouldn’t be “alive” at all, the finale on Wednesday finally sees Coulson at peace, and ready to take a well-deserved vacation (with a new and improved Lola).
“It’s a way for Colson the character to come full circle,” – Tancharoen said.