Agents of SHIELD, Agent Carter, and the MCU

[ZapperZ]

******** SPOILER ALERT*********

Don't read any further if you don't want to know about Captain America-Civil War.

I started this thread because I was fascinated and was in awe of the way Marvel was juggling the MCU with the movies and SHIELD TV series. I find the interwoven and interconnection between all the various media something that I haven't seen before, at least, not at this scale and not sustained this long.

Well now, I'm truly disappointed. After seeing how SHIELD series smoothly interwoven with Capt. America - Winter Soldier and Avengers - Age of Ultron, the latest movie Capt. America - Civil War didn't have any clear or clever connection with SHIELD's episode from last week. The trailer for SHIELD for this coming week appears to make a reference to the Sokovia accord, but I don't expect there to be much cross-referencing. The aspect of the MCU that got me sucked into this whole thing in the first place is almost non-existent.

The split between the Marvel movies and the TV/media format seems to be directly related to the animosity between Kevin Feige, the head of Marvel movie division, and Ike Perlmutter, CEO of Marvel and who still control the rest of Marvel's brand. As a result, I am guessing that the Marvel movies are ignoring the events happening in SHIELD. And that is sad.

I was disappointed with Winter Soldier, even though it had a nice tie-in with SHIELD. I was highly disappointed with Age of Ultron, and now, after seeing Civil War, I continue to be disappointed. Don't get me wrong. Civil War was a fun movie, great action pieces, and a fine story. But I've been highly disappointed in the scope of the story. Let's look at it carefully.

Winter Soldier was one souped up human (Bucky) giving Capt. America, Black Widow, and the rest of the "Good Guys" a run for their money (albeit, he was a Hydra weapon). Age of Ultron was basically The Avengers chasing their own tail, trying to clean up a mess of their own doing. And now, in Civil War, they are fighting among themselves, and get this, it was all instigated by ONE DISGRUNTLED DUDE! Seriously?

Compare that with what is going on on SHIELD! They are dealing with inhumans, you got a creature that got to Earth through some wormhole, and he's going to take over the Earth by turning everyone into inhumans. Not only that, he could make long-distance "hey, come get me" to the Kree! Call me crazy, but the storyline on SHIELD is a LOT more ominous than what has been going on in the Avengers/Capt. America movies lately. While the Avengers are busy fighting themselves or trying to get each other to sign the Sakovia accord, the rest of Earth is slowly being consumed by people getting in contact with the terrigan crystal from their fish oil!

What drew me in with the MCU is no longer as unique and fascinating. The Avengers/Avengers Lite movies (Civil War is Avengers Lite, minus Thor and Hulk) have trivial storylines when compared with the more doomsday-like storylines on SHIELD. And the interconnectedness between the two is gone, or is very weak at best.

And speaking of SHIELD, the 2nd half of SHIELD is getting to be tiresome. I'm tired of the Hive already. He needs to either Go Bad, or Go Home! This is another disappointment, considering how amazing the first half of Season 3 was.

Zz.

 

[strangerep]

I actually stopped watching SHIELD completely a few weeks ago.

This is the first time ever that I haven't followed a Joss Whedon series right through to the end...

 

[Vanadium 50]

I complained about Spacetime before, where the villains act illogically - their actions are solely to provide Our Heroes something to do. (Why? I guess they're just evil Or maybe that's Kree-vil"!) We've seen similar illogic in the last episode as well - why use Daisy's blood, since she's right there and willing when you can instead call down a couple of Kree and have a hard time of it?

The connection to the films don't bother me as much - it's hard to sync TV and films, especially with unpredictability of exact release dates. It does seem a bit odd that the Avengers are taking on the JV team of supervillains, and leaving the big baddies to S.H.I.E.L.D.

 

[ZapperZ]

***********SPOILER ALERT*************

Don't read anymore if you don't want to know about last night's episode of SHIELD.

OK, they sort of redeemed themselves a bit with last night's episode. I mean, I laughed out loud (did I cheered?) when the plane opened and it was Lash that was sent to meet Hive! That was brilliant!

Still, why didn't Lash finish off the Hive? It is obvious that he was capable to do that after overpowering the devil. This part, I don't understand.

As I expected, SHIELD made more effort to tie in with what happened with Captain America-Civil War. The implication of the Sokovia accord, and the death of Agent Carter were all in the episode. I just wish the movies try to weave what's going on in SHIELD, and up the level of their "problems" to the ones that SHIELD faces.

Who will die next week in the 2-hour season finale?

Zz.

 

[Borg]

I haven't seen last night's episode yet but I've been waiting for when Lash would go up against Hive. Going to see Captain America today though.

 

[Borg]

Still, why didn't Lash finish off the Hive? It is obvious that he was capable to do that after overpowering the devil. This part, I don't understand.

As usual with the show. Don't finish off the baddies when you have a chance that's also a very convenient coincidence. Lash may have had Hive where he wanted him but Daisy was previously able to give Lash a hard time. How nice that she was too tired from giving blood to put up much of a fight.

And, speaking of coincidences, I thought that the Civil War movie's big problem was the convenient location of the security camera when the Winter Soldier attacked the car on a lonely country road - plus the fact that there weren't any security cameras in general use at that time. Without that 'footage' a big chunk of the movie's plot doesn't occur.

 

[Borg]

Looks like Agent Carter's show died along with her character.
'Agent Carter' Canceled at ABC; 'Marvel's Most Wanted' Not Moving Forward

And, no series for Bobbie and Hunter
ABC Passes on Agents of SHIELD Spinoff Marvel's Most Wanted

 

[Borg]

Who will die next week in the 2-hour season finale?

My bet is on Mack because he has a cross like the one that is seen floating in space in Daisy's premonition even though it's probably being shown to mislead everyone. With all the powered people he's been going up against, Mack is becoming more of a punching bag these days.

He's beginning to look like a red shirt from Star Trek.

 

[ZapperZ]

Looks like Agent Carter's show died along with her character.
'Agent Carter' Canceled at ABC; 'Marvel's Most Wanted' Not Moving Forward

And, no series for Bobbie and Hunter
ABC Passes on Agents of SHIELD Spinoff Marvel's Most Wanted

I can only hope that they might consider bringing back Bobbie and Hunter to SHIELD.

Zz.

 

[Borg]

I can only hope that they might consider bringing back Bobbie and Hunter to SHIELD.

Zz.

Seconded.

 

[Vanadium 50]

Who will die next week in the 2-hour season finale?

My guess is May. Ming-Na Wen is in her 50's, and by Hollywood standards, that's ancient. The suits are not going to like this.

And nobody liked Kree-vil? Man, this is a tough crowd.

 

[ZapperZ]

The 2-episode season finale of SHIELD airs tonight here in the US.

http://www.flickeringmyth.com/2016/05/watch-a-new-clip-from-agents-of-s-h-i-e-l-d-season-3s-two-part-finale-absolution-and-ascension/

Holy cow! That clip truly messed with my head!

They have a lot to live up to, because the finale for Season 2 was a kick-ass send-off.

Zz.

 

[ZapperZ]

***********SPOILER ALERT*************

If you do not want to know what happened during SHIELD's 2-hour Season 3 finale, do not read any further.

OK, I have conflicting opinions about last night's finale. On one hand, I like the resolution to the Hive problem. Like I said in my earlier post, I think the storyline was getting to be tedious, and Hive needs to either go all the way bad, or just go. It looks like he went KABOOM! And the way the necklace with the cross got passed from one SHIELD agent to the next kept the suspense on who was going to die in that explosion. And I guessed correctly who it was going to be, because he wasn't one of the original characters of the show (my next guess was Yoyo).

I still find parts of it frustratingly silly. I mean, May chatting with Daisy about "feelings" in the middle of a rescue mission on a ship that contains the enemy and, not to mention, Hive? I mean, c'mon! She was deservingly smacked unconscious on the head. That was just a silly bit.

But what is more disappointing to me is how anticlimatic and how "weak" Hive was. This was the creature that the entire Hydra organization was built around, having the sole purpose of trying to bring him to Earth. I was left with the feeling of "Is that all there is?" I mean, he's definitely a badass dude, but the means doesn't seem to match the magnitude.

Again, not that I was expecting it, but considering that the entire human population was in jeopardy, where were the Avengers? Oh wait, I forget, they're busy having a catfight among themselves! The MCU concept now is a joke.

Now, about the ending. I think the storyline with Daisy going rogue might be interesting. How this will affect the Secret Warrior project might be an interesting storyline. The other one might be ominous as well. But now, it appears that this might be another "disaster" that is self-inflicted (re: Age of Ultron) and another internal squables (re: Civil War) rather than an ominous external thread. I won't pass judgement until next season, but I darn hope that these are not the storylines that they are going to pursue.

Edit: Oooh, I just found this. There's a lot more information here:

https://www.yahoo.com/movies/agents-shield-bosses-talk-finale-deaths-time-jump-060520580.html

Zz.

 

[MexChemE]

Okay, seriously, the last five minutes of the season finale were weird. A new Director? Could it be May? Talbot? And Daisy (Now Quake, finally) gone rogue? Maybe that's due to the Sokovia Accords, perhaps SHIELD was forcing her to register as they were going to do with Lincoln and she was against it. Talbot made it very clear in episode 20 that the Accords were in fact signed, and going into effect.

Speaking of which, I don't think the movies are disregarding the TV series nor the other way around. I know seasons 1 and 2 did a fantastic job setting up mini-cliffhangers in the episodes just before the releases of TWS and AOU, but that was simply too difficult to do this season given the nature of Civil War's plot. I mean, TWS revolved around the fall of SHIELD itself, and they managed to give us a heads-up on AOU thanks to Raina's visions. I just can't think of anything the show could have given us before the release of CW. Episode 20 did a good job acknowledging the events of CW, with the news flash about the whereabouts of Captain Rogers and the effects of the Sokovia Accords.

I do agree that the stakes are way too much higher in Agents of SHIELD than they were in CW, but then again, not all the events related to the Avengers have to be world-ending. The events of Civil War were not groundbreaking for humanity (well, actually, kind of, there are the Accords, but they were not the ultimate focus of the film), but they were for the Avengers, and we shall see their consequences in Infinity Wars, and maybe in the upcoming Spider-Man film too. Technically, Spidey should have to be acting as a registered enhanced individual in his upcoming film, but who knows, maybe the Accords fail to be effective. And well, let's see what Dr. Strange brings us too. Perhaps I'm expecting too much, but I still have faith on the MCU.

Lastly, I have two reasons to believe the TV series are still getting their right place inside the MCU. The upcoming Inhumans movie was apparently cancelled, and though it hasn't officially been stated, I'd say it was because Agents of SHIELD has gone deep into Inhuman mythology and Inhuman-related events, and there's never been even the tiniest reference to the Inhuman Royal Family, and Hive has been acknowledged as the first Inhuman ever in the MCU, so maybe doing the Inhumans turned out more difficult than expected. Secondly, I read some rumours a couple of months ago about the heroes of the Netflix series being included in some way in Infinity Wars, so there's that too, although highly unlikely.

 

[Vanadium 50]

A new Director? Could it be May? Talbot?

Fury?

 

[StatGuy2000]

Fury?

I suppose that's possible, but Fury went "dark" or "underground" after the events of Winter Soldier, so I find it unlikely he'll be leading Shield again (although who knows?)

As far as the new Director, I'm curious if the new Director was permanent or temporary (to give the chance for Coulson to resume leading SHIELD). Ah well, we'll figure it out when the new season starts (in Sept or Oct, I presume).

 

[ZapperZ]

In case you don't know this, the new season of Agents of Shield premiers in the US tonight, to be shown an hour later than in previous seasons.

We will see how the Ghost Rider fits into this whole thing.

Zz.

 

[Noisy Rhysling]

I'm currently watch S1:E21, and it's been fun. I'll catch up with you guys eventually.

 

[MexChemE]

In case you don't know this, the new season of Agents of Shield premiers in the US tonight, to be shown an hour later than in previous seasons.

We will see how the Ghost Rider fits into this whole thing.

Zz.

So excited!

 

[Noisy Rhysling]

I noticed that Blade's ride has been commandeered by SHIELD.

 

[ZapperZ]

Don't read this link if you don't want to know what happened on the Season premier of Agents of SHIELD last night here in the US. This is as complete of a recap as you can ever ask for:

http://www.ew.com/recap/marvels-agents-of-shield-season-4-premiere

As usual, there are several parallel storylines going on here, and it will be tough to juggle all of them at the same time.

Zz.

 

[ZapperZ]

**********SPOILER ALERT************

Don't read anymore if you don't want to spoil the surprise.

I hope you didn't miss the "Meet The New Boss" episode of "SHIELD" last night. I like this one a lot more than the season premier.

And from what I've read on a few websites, "Jeffery", the new boss of SHIELD, may have his own long-history in the MCU. I was actually glad that they didn't make him the expected pain-in-the-butt, one-dimensional bureaucrat bad-guy against Coulson (i.e. like Talbot).

Edit: The E! website has an even greater detail of speculation on who he could possibly be.

I still am not sure if I like these "ghosts" around. It looks too "supernatural". I have a feeling that they're tying it somewhat with the upcoming "Doctor Strange", but I'm not sure. BTW, if "Lucy" can go through walls, why did she had to walk around the corner of a room before going into the room where those other ghosts were held?

Zz.

 

[Vanadium 50]

I still am not sure if I like these "ghosts" around. It looks too "supernatural".

Unlike, say, Ghost Rider?

 

[ZapperZ]

It seems that many sites are saying that the SHIELD episode last night ("The Good Samaritan") was the lead-in to the premier of "Doctor Strange" in the US this weekend.

http://www.ign.com/articles/2016/11/02/marvels-agents-of-shield-the-good-samaritan-review

The movie has already opened in parts of the world, and kicking the boxoffice into high gear (if you've seen it, don't spoil it yet!). We probably won't be seeing it till a week later after it opens, but luckily, SHIELD won't resume its season until the 29th.

I still think the origin story of the Ghost Rider is a bit weak. You just asked for it while you're flying up in the air, and then you got it? Really? It was THAT simple?

Zz.

 

[Isaac0427]

I still think the origin story of the Ghost Rider is a bit weak. You just asked for it while you're flying up in the air, and then you got it? Really? It was THAT simple?

See, I think it was that simple because the devil was there during the attack. We know that Joseph ordered the hit on the brothers, and he also had the book supposedly written by the devil. I think the devil was there to answer his call because he knew what was going to happen; perhaps he was in on it. I feel like there is more coming about the devil.

 

[Vagn]

See, I think it was that simple because the devil was there during the attack. We know that Joseph ordered the hit on the brothers, and he also had the book supposedly written by the devil. I think the devil was there to answer his call because he knew what was going to happen; perhaps he was in on it. I feel like there is more coming about the devil.

Wasn't 'the devil' the original ghost rider?

 

[Isaac0427]

Wasn't 'the devil' the original ghost rider?

No, he was the devil (he just looks like the ghost rider). The ghost rider is the half human half flaming demonic sperit thing.

 

[Noisy Rhysling]

Do we have enough back story for Spiderman or do we have to sit through ANOTHER origin story?

 

[Isaac0427]

Do we have enough back story for Spiderman or do we have to sit through ANOTHER origin story?

I think the latter is what will happen. Spider-Man will be a movie in the MCU soon, I believe.