In the world of Marvel, it has already become public knowledge there are both superheroes and aliens on Earth. Thankfully a small, highly skilled group of agents were assembled in order to combat the growing threat, named the Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. They were tasked with investigating the unknown and strange occurrences around the planet. Their goal is to protect humans from the ever-growing threat of supernatural beings and extra-terrestrial outsiders. The group is led by Agent Phil Coulson, Nick Fury’s right-hand man and leader of the team. The group has helped fight HYDRA during many missions, which is a terrorist organization looking for world domination. Now, Director Coulson must fight many other planetary threats, including strife within the Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. itself, who don’t always see eye to eye and who eventually break into separate groups, before eventually being reunited for the common good.

The Marvel Cinematic Universe has expanded well beyond what was initially imagined, and some MCU stories are not always fully fleshed out years in advance. That urges future Marvel storytellers to find interesting ways in order to connect to the ever-growing universe, as additional writers, directors, and numerous others must all work together to tell the best stories possible. Disney+ recently added older Marvel shows from the past decade (that previously aired on Netflix) to its expanding rosters, such as Daredevil, Jessica Jones, Luke Cage, Iron Fist, The Defenders, The Punisher, and Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. is perhaps one of the most recognizable of the bunch because of Agent Phil Coulson’s involvement in a few of the famous films in various supporting roles. But is the origin show canon to the MCU if its story was created outside the arc of the stories in the films? This question has been debated online between fans over the years. Would it be beneficial to have Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. be canon, and if so, is it even possible to do so at this point?

The MCU is Just One of an Infinite Amount of Universes

     Marvel

It’s easy to think the MCU is the end-all, be-all of universes in the Marvel spectrum. However, when you consider the multiverse timelines and the introduction of variants that have been part of the MCU in recent years, nothing is currently off-limits. No character, especially when variants are involved, is ever truly gone unless the portal to the multiverse is closed. Can it even be closed though? Even then, as seen in the Avengers films, they’ve been able to introduce a kind of time travel into the realm of possibilities, making the universe even more wide open to whatever future projects will be. For that reason, it’s certainly possible the Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. can somehow be introduced as a canon part of the MCU. In order to do so, though, it might be somewhat convoluted and difficult to follow from a logical standpoint. However, if anyone is able to pull it off, the team at Marvel will certainly be able to handle the task.

Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.‘s Bold Story Choices Make It Harder to Integrate

     Marvel Television

When the Disney+ show Hawkeye revealed Laura Barton to be Agent 19 in its finale, this basically erased the 2013 show’s version of Agent Mockingbird. This implied Agent Coulson was killed and there wouldn’t be an easily justifiable way around that in order to keep Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.‘s story intact with the rest of the MCU. Other shows didn’t always follow the movies or Disney+ shows storylines either. For example, the ABC show Agent Carter also did its own stories without setting up future plots for upcoming movies. Some fans have speculated Agent Carter may be a variant, though, and that could keep the storylines of that show canon within the MCU. Many things have currently not been confirmed either way, so it keeps the hope alive for fans hoping everything will ultimately be combined as one giant singular universe. After all, the multiverse is a big place with infinite possibilities, and the stories are only limited by the creativity and imagination of their writers.

The Biggest Benefit of Making Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Canon

Probably the biggest benefit of having Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. as a canon part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe is that all of Marvel’s stories fit under one umbrella from a storyline standpoint. That’s no longer really needed, though. For one, it shouldn’t change the fans’ love (or hate) for any Marvel-related project that’s already been released. Shows like Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. are strong enough to stand alone on the merit of their entertainment value without being properly integrated into the MCU. Of course, it is kind of weird when actors from these stand-alone projects have crossed over into official MCU canon projects as the same characters. However, most casual Marvel fans who haven’t watched every Marvel show probably don’t even know the difference unless it is pointed out to them. Perhaps with Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. now on Disney+ alongside the canon films and shows, it will make this storyline dilemma stand out more to MCU fans who’d never seen the show previously. If more people bring this to the attention of Marvel President Kevin Feige, as some have already done through a previous online petition, he may consider doing something about it. Even if he doesn’t though, it shouldn’t take away or diminish anything from these previously released projects. They weren’t originally expected to be part of the MCU storylines anyway. While some people may be disappointed or irked if they aren’t officially included, there are certainly more important things in the world to focus on instead. Plus, one thing’s for sure: Marvel has many more films and shows ahead that will certainly be canon to the MCU.