Marvel’s ‘Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.': New Details on Coulson’s Return, Movie Interconnectivity

We're less than a week away from Comic-Con 2013, wherein 'Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.' fans will likely get a first look at the pilot, if not some major new details on the series. First and foremost on everyone's minds are certainly the circumstances of Agent Coulson's resurrection, as well as the role 'Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.' will have to the Marvel movies, so what new details does writer Jed Whedon have to offer?

For one, it seems we'll get tenuous answers of Coulson's return, but the major details will remain unknown even to the trading card-collecting agent himself. Coulson's S.H.I.E.L.D. colleagues mention in the pilot that he must “never know the truth” about his death, while Whedon tells Entertainment Weekly “we can’t wait to pull the curtain back on that, [but] we’re going to take our time.”

Fans will also gain the answer to the mystery of J. August Richards' character, though that secret will likely be kept under wraps until the panel itself. As for 'Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.''s involvement with the films, Whedon says, “We plan on trying to weave in between the films and try to make them more rewarding on both ends." Don't expect Iron Man or any of the other 'Avengers' to be proposed as a solution to every conflict, however, as "they are aware of each other, but they do have to have their own lives.”

While we wait for next week’s Comic-Con panel, Marvel’s ‘Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.’ features a cast that includes Clark Gregg’s resurrected Agent Phil Coulson, as well as Whedon vet J. August Richards, ‘ER’ doc Ming-Na as veteran agent Melinda May, Chloe Bennet as hacker Skye, Brett Dalton as Agent Grant Ward, and Elizabeth Henstridge and Iain De Caestecker as science team Gemma Simmons and Leo Fitz. Nick Fury himself, Samuel L. Jackson, previously stated that he expected to be involved in some small capacity, while ‘How I Met Your Mother‘ and ‘The Avengers‘ star Cobie Smulders remains open to the possibility. Even Sam Rockwell is game to reprise his ‘Iron Man’ role of Justin Hammer, by his own word.

We'll bring you the latest on 'Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.' from here through next week, but what say you? How do you think Coulson's return and the new team will feature into the larger Marvel universe? Give us your thoughts in the comments, and check out the trailer below: