It seems that Marvel's universe is expanding into television.
Marvel: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. series is set to premiere on ABC September 24--that's tomorrow--at 8pm, and fans as well as critics are excited to see the how the rest of the series will turn out, after a very enthusiastic response to the pilot, which was shown in the most recent San Diego Comic Con.
Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. revolves around an elite squad of investigators who follow sightings of people with superpowers, would-be superheroes, as well as supernatural sightings, and basically keeping peace and order in the world. The TV show will also feature stunning special effects--it is a spinoff of the blockbuster Marvel films-- as well as the trademark "Whedonesque" dialogue and character development.
Joss Whedon, who directs the Avengers series among others, created the TV series along with his brother Jed Whedon, and Maurissa Tancharoen, with the series being greenlit in 2012.
Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. shares the Marvel cinematic universe , meaning that it would most likely share continuity with Iron Man and the Avengers series.
Critics, however, warn future audiences who may be expecting far too much of the television series. "Trying to pull off a cinematic idea on a TV budget is one of the show's big challenges," says James Hibberd from Entertainment Weekly, "If anything, 'S.H.I.E.L.D.' was less lavish and action-driven than I expected. That's not necessarily a bad thing. It can be a mistake to make a costly pilot if it means that regular episodes look dinky by comparison."
"Whedon's cleverness and wit run strong through Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. and while there are a couple of moments that don't quite work, in terms of humor, for the most part, this is an incredibly crowd-pleasing pilot. Those looking for the scale of the Marvel movies will be disappointed - this is a high budget TV series, but it is a TV series - but S.H.I.E.L.D. quickly hits the right notes to firmly show how it exists on the ground level of the Marvel universe."
Other critics point towards the signatire of the series: its Whedonesque factor.
"The dialogue was, to give a shout out to a certain fan site, Whedonesque. It was the best aspect of the pilot, and precisely what you expect from this team. Smart, witty, self referential, with lines playing off your expectations..." However, several critics are quick to caution against the trademark wit--as not all future audiences will be familiar with the inside jokes and self-referential humor, which can be out of place and off putting.
The dry-humored Agent Phil Coulson, played by Clark Gregg, will be leading the team of investigators, despite his apparent death in the previous Avengers film, while Cobie Smulders will be appearing alongside him as Agent Maria Hill. Smulders and Gregg, who appeared in the Avengers movie series, could make it a possibility that the Movie Characters will be crossing over to the small screen. Will there be a chance of Scarlett Johansson gracing the series with her killer moves? No. Well, perhaps not yet.
But disappointed male fans could find consolacion: new characters have been cast as investigators and superheroes as well: Agent Melinda May (Ming-Na Wen) ace pilot and expert in weapons; Agent Grant Ward (Brett Daton) the black-ops specialist; Skye (Chloe Bennett), a civilian recruit; Agent Jemma Simmons (Elizabeth Henstridge) a scientist of both human and otherworldly sciences.
Fans are ecstatic; Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. being in the Marvel Universe could only mean seeing more of their favorite superheroes onscreen. For now, in the pilot episode, the team investigates one character, played by J. August Richards who has inexplicably gained superpowers. Does this mean we could be seeing more comic book staples on TV?
