50 shades of Agent Phil: Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. S1-4 now streaming

Update: Marvel’s Agents of SHIELD is no longer on Showmax. Find your next binge in the full series catalogue here.

The Avengers movies have given big-screen life to comic heroes like Thor, The Hulk, Captain America and Iron Man (Chris Hemsworth, Mark Ruffalo, Chris Evans and Robert Downey Jr respectively). And what unites them besides being on a team? Their underlying respect for Agent Phil Coulson (played by Clark Gregg). Sure, he’s an ordinary guy who looks like your neighbour – but underneath, Agent Phil is a man of integrity, honesty, belief and the need to do what’s right… and that resonates with his superhero sidekicks. It worked so well that Marvel gave Agent Phil his own show, kinda.

In Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D (2013-current; Seasons 1-4 are now on Showmax), Agent Phil has returned from the Avengers grave after being killed by Loki (Tim Hiddleston) and he’s putting together a team of agents who investigate the new, the strange and the unknown across the globe.

“We are the line between the world and the much weirder world. We protect people from news they aren’t ready to hear. And when we can’t do that, we keep them safe,” says S.H.I.E.L.D agent Grant Ward (Brett Dalton). Executive producer Joss Whedon makes it clear though what fans should expect: “The thing that appealed to me when creating the series was these guys don’t have super powers and the idea that everybody matters. That stands out.”

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The Team

Agent Phil isn’t fighting the battle alone – in fact, almost everyone on his team lacks superhero powers. “Although Coulson does not have superpowers, he has the special ability of political power to take his team wherever in the world they are needed,” jokes Clark. And while it’s not apparent from the outset, each member of Agent Phil’s team has been recruited for a specific skillset. Agent Ward is highly trained in combat and espionage. Melinda May (Ming-Na Wen) is an expert pilot and martial artist who doesn’t flinch in the face of danger. Leo Fitz and Jemma Simmons (Iain De Caestecker) make up the smarts as “Agent Fitz-Simmons” – he’s an engineer while she’s a genius bio-chemist. And filling out the last spot on the not-so-superhero squad is Daisy “Skye” Johnson (Chloe Bennet), a hacker who gets them into places that are built like Fort Knox. “Sometimes the world’s greatest miracles happen by accident,” says Skye when the team investigate a guy with super abilities in Season 1, episode 1. Watch now »

I’ll be back

It’s not a superpower but it’s supercool – the S.H.I.E.L.D team don’t know that Agent Phil died. In fact, neither does he, explains Joss. Agent Phil thinks that he was sent to an island paradise for a few days to recover, when his resurrection is a lot darker. “That might bowl fans out of the water,” says Joss, “but we came up with an ingenious idea on how to resurrect him.” In Season 1, episode 1, Agent Phil says, “Tahiti is a magical place”. As it turns out, S.H.I.E.L.D. director Nick Fury (Samuel L Jackson makes a cameo) ordered a series of high-tech, super-secret, super-spy surgeries to bring Agent Phil back to life. “They adjusted his memories so that he thinks he was in Tahiti recovering,” adds Joss. By the end of the season, Agent Phil learns the truth but turns a blind eye to his “holiday”. Watch now »

Character cool

Agent Phil isn’t just the oldest guy on the team, he’s also the go-to-guy for anything and everything. What’s so special about that, you ask? He’s a dad, he’s a mechanic, he’s a mentor, he’s the team leader, he organises IT goodies for Fitz-Simmons, he organises guns and ammo and weapons – he does everything! “He’s totally the Team Dad,” jokes Clark Gregg. “He looks after the team like they are his own family – and he has so many personalities, from funny Coulson and weepy Coulson to revenge Coulson and cool-dude Coulson. Okay, maybe not the last one…” Watch now »

Go-go gadget guy

And last but not least, the “superpower” that sets Agent Phil apart from just about everyone else is his little black book. In it, he’s connected to the biggest spy/superhero network in the universe. Who has Iron Man on speed dial? Agent Phil! Who can invite The Hulk over a beer on Saturday afternoon? Agent Phil! And who can phone a friend and get access to the most high-tech fancy-schmancy gadgets on the planet? Agent Phil! Just look at The Bus – it’s a cargo plane on the outside but on the inside, it’s an operation hub that takes the team from country to country for their missions. Plus, it’s home to Lola, Agent Phil’s beloved cherry-red Chevrolet Corvette convertible that has a secret of its own. “Lola’s not just a collectible, you know? People tend to confuse the words new and improved…”, hints Agent Phil to Ward in Season 1, episode 22. But even Ward doesn’t expect to see Coulson fly off into the sunset in Lola. And yes, we do mean “fly”! Watch now »

See? You don’t need to be an alien god or a genetically mutated genius to be super!

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