The moment Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. was announced, fans wondered if any Avengers might pop in on Coulson’s new adventures. Recent rumors suggested Netflix’s Defenders might instead cross over to celluloid in Avengers: Infinity War, but a new report offers surprising insight on which MCU TV characters may make the leap, and what it would take to see Avengers on Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.

Take the following with a few grains of salt, as as Marvel’s cinematic heavyweights have been known to skirt their contracts a bit (see Chris Evans in Thor 2, or Samuel L. Jackson on Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.), but a recent Twitter session with Latino Review’s ElMayimbe offered some surprising insight into the nature of Marvel contracts, both on the TV and movie side.

For one, it seems reports on Netflix’s Defenders crossing over to The Avengers: Infinity War, Part 2 may well have been accurate, as Marvel TV contracts usually span a duration of 5-6 years, and include options for film appearances. That said, the core actors of The Avengers lack contracts enabling any TV appearances, thereby making any Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. drop-ins an expensive prospect.

Beware a bit of language, and see for yourself:

Not that we ever necessarily expected any of the Avengers to drop in on Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (perhaps at best Hawkeye, though even Jeremy Renner seems to downplay the possibility of late), but it’s of interest to know why Marvel’s biggest names keep to the silver screen, while the door remains wide open for TV to join the movies’ side. The Defenders participating in the Infinity War would certainly make sense, as a culmination of Marvel’s decade-long phases, but one other tidbit of information caught our eye:

That could mean quite a bit on the TV side, but are Marvel’s cinematic contracts truly a one-way street? Could Spider-Man get some TV limelight, perhaps among any of the TV projects Marvel has begun setting up in recent weeks? What of the Inhumans, given Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.’s early setup of the franchise? We’ll keep an eye on the latest, so stay tuned for Avengers, Defenders and all the rest, from TV to theaters!

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