Geek Scope: Agents of SHIELD 1.12


Comic Connections

  • Donnie Gill becomes a supervillain known as Blizzard (as you can see above). I'm sure that costume would translate well on TV.
  • So far, Marvel has stayed squarely in the D-List for super-powered villains on AoS. (Setting up future confrontations with Blizzard and Graviton so far.)
That's merely an observation, not a criticism. It makes sense that the film guys would guard all the toys in their sandbox, but I think we could safely throw SHIELD a meatier bone than Blizzard, right? Now, with that said, Dylan Minnette did a great job as Donnie Gill. The writing and direction rebounded in this episode after the garbage fire of the previous two episodes.

Big things are afoot in the latter half of the first season with a guest stint by Bill Paxton and appearance of Sif from the Thor franchise, so we'll see if AoS can close strong. Too bad American television doesn't adopt the British model on a show like Agents. Cut the season in half, concentrate on ten great episodes, and you might have something special.

Geek Scope: Agents of SHIELD 1.11


Just a few words about last night's episode before I get into anything spoilery...  We've now had two episodes of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. in a row which suffered due to writing. I don't like to be negative on here and it's personally important to me not to slam other peoples' creative work. However, I have a rooting interest for this show to stay on the air and reach its full potential and I'm afraid that isn't going to happen if the writing is cringe-worthy on the two most important episodes of the season so far.

Clark Gregg still managed to produce a couple of very sincere moments. All the more impressive considering the circumstances. So, kudos to Clark's acting prowess and his ability to bring some added facets to Phil Coulson that I wasn't sure were possible.

We were promised answers last night. Did we get them? Mehhh... yeah sort of. I would call it satisfactory. We basically know Coulson is still human, we have an overall idea of what he went through and who is responsible. But there are plenty of details still out there to be discovered. That was probably the best way to handle it and best for the show.

Now let's look for any hidden secrets...

  • SPOILER:    Coulson is not a Life Model Decoy.
  • The phone that (killed?) Edison Po seemed to have a very similar effect to the device that Obadiah Stane used to paralyze people in Iron Man.
  • There were zero connections to the 616 (comics) Universe that I noticed in last night's episode, apart from the second appearance of Victoria Hand.

In my lowly opinion, last night's developments practically demand that we see Tony Stark learn that Coulson is alive and then confront Fury on the ethical issues of what was done to him. They can't possibly spend the time in one of the feature films to do this, therefore it would be necessary to make it happen in AOS. It is a moment that begs to be written and seen. It would be the most poignant and emotional issue Marvel has tackled by miles. You bring Downey and Sam Jackson in for this and Joss to write or direct it and you create the best hour of television that this show could ever generate. Put a script and a bag of cash in front of Downey that he can't resist. Make it a monumental TV event. Disney, eat the cost. You would never recoup it in a hundred years but the investment would be worth it. Why? It sends a message. Marvel TV isn't screwing around. This is no joke and this why you, the audience, want to watch every new series we produce from here on out. Because we might do things like this.

Let's hope the writing and directing rebound before the end of the season. I have hopes that the revelation of Coulson's resurrection will continue to be interesting. We'll see you here next week.


Geek Scope: Agents of SHIELD 1.10


"The Bridge" was an important episode, as it began to bring several storylines together for what will likely be a big finale in the second half of the season. With that said, the tenth episode's entertainment value wasn't necessarily equivalent with it's mid-season cliffhanger status. I think we can agree that not all AoS writers and directors are created equal. Now for the info:

  • At the beginning of the episode, Edison Po is broken out of Havenworth Penitentiary. It seems like a simple missed opportunity not to use one of the multitude of fictional prisons from the Marvel Universe.
  • I can't stress this enough:  If Po's need to eat in every scene and the seriousness with which he approaches his meals isn't some sort of set up, someone seriously needs to figure out a second way to make a character seem crazy/menacing. I'm just saying.
  • There were no direct comic references in The Bridge, but some possible set-ups for down the road. For example...
  • We learned that the primary looming villain of the season, the Clairvoyant, "doesn't like to be touched." Possibly a clue about an existing Marvel U character. (It also seems that Edison has his own issues with being touched.)
  • Once again, they visited the issue of are there or are there not psychics in this universe. You would have to assume there will be eventually due to the amount of time they spend discussing it, whether the Clairvoyant actually is one or not.
  • Pushing a bulldozer across a football field is absolutely superhuman which means it is something that Captain America absolutely can NOT do. (Get ready for the geek...) The super-soldier serum took Cap to the peak of what is possible for a human body; speed, strength, agility, etc., but nothing beyond that. They need to be careful with tidbits like that. Not having any true super abilities is at the core of Steve Rogers' character.
  • There was one reference to the Cinematic U that stood out; another mention of Coulson's cello playing love interest that we first heard about in The Avengers. You can count on meeting her at some point in the future.

The Bridge wasn't only a setup for a showdown with Centipede. It was also the first step that will lead to discovering how Coulson was brought back to life. We'll see you back here in January when Agents of SHIELD resumes its season. In the meantime, keep up with all the other junk we do around here.

Geek Scope: Agents of SHIELD 1.9

Geek Scope uses 25 years of otherwise useless Marvel comics continuity to look for tidbits in TV and movies that the average non-geek might miss.


Nothing to see here in the way of hidden nuggets of info. Tobias Ford was an original creation, but I would say be on the lookout for him to return at some point.

  • Roxxon Oil makes an appearance as the gas station at the beginning of the episode. Roxxon has been the go-to representation of big industry greed and evil in Marvel comics for decades. They're always up to something and generally effing things up whether intentionally or on accident. Their logo appears in the background of almost every Marvel movie and you'll continue to see it.
  • The alien world that was accidentally accessed by the particle accelerator had no discernible features that I could see. Tobias thought it was Hell (and I was slightly resentful about the oh-you-stupid-Christians element of the story) and while there are a couple of different realms called or thought of as "Hell" in the Marvel U, I seriously doubt they would ever go in that direction. A shame, because that would be much more interesting than the everything-and-everyone is an alien from outer space angle that they currently have going.

One thought...
Marvel needs to be careful with how far they push their notion that everything can be explained and grounded in their cinematic universe. (I went on to rant for five paragraphs about this and decided it needs to have its own post or video. So that is going to happen.) See you here in two weeks for the next Agents of SHIELD.

Geek Scope: Agents of SHIELD 1.8

You wanted him to use the Ghostbusters II accent, right?

Not a lot in the way of easter eggs in this episode, titled "The Well."
  • They mention the Berserker Staff and the Berserker Army of Asgardian lore. As far as I know, neither of those exist in comics.
  • I was fairly certain there is or was a character called the Berserker, but I had to look it up. There was indeed a Berserker and he looked promising, but the backstory provided by Agents of SHIELD has absolutely nothing to do with him.
  • Turns out my best memories of The Berserker come from this guy...
Ask Allen; my love for the WWE WWF's Berserker goes deep.
  • Also, all that "Asgardian who stayed behind" junk about Ghostbusters guy... no, not in the comics.
  • Agent May and Agent Ward did the dirty. You know that, right?
"Is Coulson a Robot?" Update
  • Another reminder of Coulson's mystery tonight, but no revelations.
  • He can't remember being revived. (Already made that clear.)
  • The Tahiti flashback didn't give us much other than to confirm that it wasn't real with the "Tahiti's too good to be true," line, which surely everyone knows by now. Phil's masseuse responds with, "I know. It's a magical place." Which causes him to wake up in a sweat.
  • No updates to my theory based on that.
Come back later today for Indie Wednesday. And just because we can't possibly have enough Berserker on this blog for my taste...


Geek Scope: Agents of SHIELD 1.7

Geek Scope uses the 25 years of otherwise useless Marvel Comics continuity stored in my brain to point out any elements that the non-geek viewer might miss in Marvel TV and movies.


This episode, titled "The Hub" kept me on my toes, so let's get right to it.

  • Jasper Sitwell makes an appearance. Sitwell is a longtime SHIELD agent in the comics, but has already appeared in the cinematic universe in Thor, The Avengers, and maybe most notably in the Marvel One Shot, The Consultant. which was tacked on to the Thor Blu Ray. Nice to have a significant piece of movie SHIELD solidifying the connection to TV SHIELD. By the way, the Sitwell of comics has a full head of blonde hair.

  • Simmons mentions the Triskelion which is the primary SHIELD headquarters in the Marvel "Ultimate Universe" continuity (not 616) and hasn't appeared (or even been mentioned as far as I know) in the movies. However, there is apparently a rumor that the Triskelion will appear in Captain America: The Winter Soldier.
  • Victoria Hand is the much cooler appearance of the night because she is only the second character that Agents of SHIELD has adapted straight from the comics to TV (the first being Dr. Franklin Hall), and I would argue the most significant. Hand is generally portrayed as a character who is willing to do whatever it takes to get the job done, crossing some lines that others might not and sometimes falling on the wrong side of the good/bad fence. Just something to keep in mind for down the road.

Pretty close, right?

"Is Coulson a robot?" Update

Writers continue to play with the notion of Phil being an LMD. Tonight the line came from Skye: "He's acting like a robot version of himself right now." Couldn't miss that one, could we? That's a bit much, guys and gals.

There was also a further sense that Tahiti being a "magical place" is a planted response for Coulson that he can't even fully control, as he slightly stutters over it. We also learned that Phil doesn't have clearance to see his own recovery report.

Best guess this week? I'm going to say that Coulson is not a full-on synthetic human like Life Model Decoys of the comics. I would guess that he has some new electronic/synthetic pieces a la cyborgs, the 6 Million Dollar Man, etc. It seems to be certain that there is something different about his physiology since Akela Amador viewed him with her "back-scatter" vision and basically said as much in the fourth episode.

Geek Scope: Agents of SHIELD 1.6

I have decades of otherwise worthless Marvel comics continuity stored in my brain. In Geek Scope, I'll attempt to use that knowledge to shine a light on any hints or Easter eggs producers might drop into Agents of S.H.I.E.LD.
Simmons almost bit it this week.

We didn't get any comics continuity but we had plenty of reference to the Cinematic Universe. I'm still going to take a look at the episode which, by the way, was far and away the best to date. I had begun to doubt if the show could hit its potential. Episode 6 is proof that it can and did.

  • The episode was swimming in Chitauri/Avengers whatnot.
  • Titus Welliver reprised his role as Agent Blake from the Marvel One Shot, Item 47
Seriously the episode was genuinely intriguing and moving. In fact, I'm slightly stunned at how good it was.

The "Is Coulson A Robot?" Update

Lots of development on the LMD front this week. Phil gets a physical which we later discover he ordered for himself because he feels "different." He apparently has some concerns of his own about just what happened to him while he was on the other side.
  • All his vitals are normal; heartbeat, etc.
  • From Coulson's speech to the dying fireman, we find out that he genuinely believes he left "here" and spent time over "there."
  • His bloodwork is perfectly normal.
  • Agent May asks to see his scar and he does, in fact, have a giant scar right where it should be.
So, despite the writers having some fun with it ("...I'm feeling a little rusty"), most of the evidence is pointing to Phil Coulson not being a Life Model Decoy. I think that would be the best move at this point. After all the speculation, that outcome would almost feel anticlimactic unless they put an unexpected spin on it. Now, the mystery has returned and therefore the interest. Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. is going to be at its best when it finds that sweet spot of spycraft intrigue on the underside of a superpowered world and this episode absolutely zeroed in on it.

Geek Scope: Agents of SHIELD 1.1 - 1.4


Episode 1.1

All of the main characters are original to the show and/or (in Coulson's case) the Marvel Cinematic Universe. (However, Phil Coulson has found his way from the movies into the comics now, so there is also some reverse transference happening as well.) Maria Hill (Colbie Smulders), who makes a guest spot, has been a vital part of SHIELD in the comics since 2005.

The mystery surrounding Coulson's survival is broached for the first time. Phil believes he recovered in Tahiti and says it was a "magical place." A phrase that has been repeated in multiple episodes and the one clue that might point away from Phil's recovery being completely technological in origin. There are plenty of sources of magic in the Marvel Universe including the "Sorcerer Supreme" Dr. Strange (Think of a 40 year-old Dumbledore if he were a creeper with a goatee. He's also on track to get his own film.) and the otherworldly "magic" of Asgard. If you want to see my spoilery theory on Coulson, you can read it here.


And then there was my favorite moment from the pilot. Despite its hokeyness, Lola the flying car is a major shout-out to all the fanboys who are watching. Flying cars have been a part of SHIELD since its earliest days. Plus they look and operate exactly the way the show depicted, complete with Jack Kirby-esque tubes and technology.

Episode 1.2


Okay, I'm not going to point out every reference the television show makes to Marvel movies (ie technically Stark is a consultant, "a hammer", etc.). I'm focused on what they're pulling from the comics and possibly injecting into the Cinematic Universe on their own. Therefore the main take away for me in Episode 2 is that their flying headquarters, "The Bus," is designated as "SHIELD 616." Prepare for geek overload...

616 is a reference to the main Marvel Universe of the comics. In comics there are an infinite number of alternate realities/universes and hence, multiple Earths. The Earth we follow in the comics is #616. Soooo, primary Marvel Universe continuity is also referred to as 616. Got it?

Other continuities exist on their own, although sometimes they overlap for crossovers (ahhh, comics). The second most important universe is known as the Ultimate Universe (Earth 1610, but nobody calls the Ultimate Universe "1610" and I'm proud to say I did NOT know which Earth it was without looking it up). Ultimate comics launched in 2000 and a lot of what we see in the Cinematic Universe was pulled from these versions of the characters including a black Nick Fury who looked like Sam Jackson.

616 Nick Fury has always been a white guy... until now. So I said all that to inform you that Marvel went to the trouble of introducing Marcus Johnson, an unknown love child of the original Nick Fury. Marcus is black and happens to resemble Ultimate Nick Fury/Sam Jackson. So then... basically, Marcus Johnson discovers he is actually Nicholas Joseph Fury, Jr., decides to go by that name, white Nick Fury disappears, oh... and new Nick's best friend from the military is a guy named Phil Coulson.  TA-DAAA!

Oh so smooth, Marveldisney. You guys are sly indeed.
For the record, I am all for more black characters in the comics and movies, but this particular move was cash motivated and about has ham-handed as anything I can imagine.

Episode 1.3

Dr. Franklin Hall

Episode 3 is all about Dr. Franklin Hall. Long story short, Dr. Franklin Hall becomes the supervillain Graviton in the 616. Graviton can control gravitons (surprising, I know), the theoretical particles that carry the force of gravity.

Although the Marvel Universe has plenty of made up elements like Adamantium and Vibranium... "Gravitonium" is definitely not one of them. That little bit of goofiness belongs solely to Agents of SHIELD.

We may actually get to see the Graviton story play out on the show because we saw the hand reach out of the Gravitonium in the final scene. Let's just hope he wears that costume.

Episode 1.4

No major comic book nods to see in this one. Only a couple of small notes.

  • Melinda May basically says there is no known telepathy in the Cinematic Universe as of yet. Interesting and sort of makes sense because telepathy is almost exclusively a power set of mutants and Marvel doesn't have the rights to their own X characters.

Geek Scope: Agents of SHIELD 1.5

I have decades of otherwise worthless Marvel comics continuity stored in my brain. In Geek Scope, I'll attempt to use that knowledge to shine a light on any hints or Easter eggs producers might drop into Agents of S.H.I.E.LD.

She really likes her flower dresses.

I didn't catch many hidden secrets on AoS this week. As far as I could determine, all the new characters were original creations of the show.

However, there was one small detail that made me raise an eyebrow. Two henchmen appear (quite hilariously out of nowhere) in heat suits to apprehend Chan Ho Yin (aka "Scorch") (aka Scorch?? uugggh). The heat suits immediately brought to mind the AIM agents of the comics.

AIM stands for Advanced Ideas in Mechanics. You may or may not remember that the organization already exists in Marvel's cinematic universe. AIM was Guy Pearce's company in Iron Man 3. And if you start to connect those dots... AIM was behind the Extremis serum which this current mystery group on the TV show is modifying and testing human guinea pigs. Hmm. Whether the visual cue was intentional or not, we'll have to wait and see.

Undead Coulson Theories

(Possible spoilers beyond this point, so beware.) One of the ongoing storylines of the season is the mystery of how Coulson survived being stabbed through the heart by Loki in The Avengers. My theory from the beginning is that Coulson did not survive and is actually an LMD with implanted memories. (Okay, get ready for unfiltered nerd...) LMD's are Life Model Decoys. They are exact duplicate androids of living humans that sometimes don't even realize they aren't the genuine article. They've been used for various forms of espionage and protection.

Tony Stark even mentioned them on the phone in The Avengers when Coulson comes to Stark Tower. "You've reached the Life Model Decoy of Tony Stark..." or somesuch line. Also, in last week's episode Akela Amador asks Melinda May what they did to Coulson. That means something is different about Phil's physiology because Amador was able to see through/into him with her fancy, electronic X-ray eye. That would also lend some credence to the LMD theory. However, if he was a full-on android, it doesn't seem like she would even need to ask the question.

My only other doubt about the theory comes from "Tahiti is a magical place." Obviously Tahiti is the façade they created in Phil's mind for whatever it was they did to him. They've given us the line over and over with magical being the key word. That makes me wonder if some type of Asgard healing science/magic could come into play and possibly Phil is still Phil rather than a robot with Phil's memories.

What are your theories? Leave them in the comments! Keep stopping by on Wednesdays and we'll unravel it together.