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Craig began contributing to Screen Rant in 2016 and has been ranting ever since, mostly to himself in a darkened room. After previously writing for various outlets, Craig's focus turned to TV and film, where a steady upbringing of science fiction and comic books finally became useful. Craig has previously been published by sites such as Den of Geek.
Craig is an approved critic on Rotten Tomatoes.
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Marvel had many a TV series to its name before the advent of Disney+, but the platform triggered an MCU expansion onto the small screen after years of cinematic domination. While some of Marvel's TV efforts have greatly impressed (WandaVision, Moon Knight, X-Men '97), others have either drawn criticism or been lost within an increasingly saturated landscape (She-Hulk, Secret Invasion, Immortals).
Time will tell how history views each of those releases, if it remembers them at all. One of Marvel's early-MCU TV shows, however, has aged surprisingly well in the 13 years since it premiered. Looking back now, it feels like the series wasn't properly appreciated while airing, and its brilliance is now easier to see in a vastly-changed superhero landscape.
Agents Of SHIELD Was Underappreciated At The Time
Oh, how the world of television has changed since 2013. Back then, Agents of SHIELD airing in excess of 20 episodes per year felt like the standard anyone would expect. Compared to today, when 8 episodes every two years is the norm and well-received TV shows like Moon Knight tease continuation only to disappear without a trace, and it's safe to say the world took Agents of SHIELD for granted.
That Agent Coulson and the gang maintained such a high bar of quality across five 22-episode seasons and a further two 13-episode seasons looks like a more impressive feat now than it did a decade ago. Was Agents of SHIELD as polished and cinematic as Marvel's TV output today? Not at all, but those extra episodes gave viewers more time to fall in love with the SHIELD gang, and love them we did.
It should also be remembered that Agents of SHIELD launched only a year after The Avengers, which elevated the MCU to global phenomenon status. As Kevin Feige took Marvel movies from one success to another, it began to seem like Agents of SHIELD stopped being a priority for the franchise. That can be felt in how the series was mostly restricted to low-level comic characters the MCU didn't need, but also in how Agents of SHIELD started off as MCU canon before gradually losing that connection.
Those simply aren't the kinds of limitations Marvel TV shows are working with today. The likes of Sebastian Stan and Mark Ruffalo come and go between the big and small screen, Ms. Marvel and Loki had massive ramifications that echoed into Marvel's movie output, and the likes of Mephisto, Kang the Conqueror, and Lady Death were all reserved for TV debuts.
We're left with no choice but to applaud what Agents of SHIELD was able to achieve - overall, but also considering the climate it was produced in.
Agents Of SHIELD Featured A Few Surprisingly Big Parts Of Marvel Lore
Whenever Agents of SHIELD was granted permission to include a significant character or storyline from Marvel lore, the opportunity was grasped with both hands.
Ghost Rider is perhaps the Marvel character viewers will look back on as the most surprising big addition. Gabriel Luna more than did the role justice, and Agents of SHIELD season 4 duly gave Ghost Rider the narrative space he demanded, effectively serving as a Ghost Rider miniseries alongside the main storyline. Allowing Coulson to temporarily become Ghost Rider was every Marvel fan's dream come true, but Agents of SHIELD ensured that landmark moment had proper, lasting consequences too.
Agents of SHIELD season 5's Kree angle dug deeper into a seldom-explored element of Marvel movies. The Kree have featured heavily in some of the MCU's most pivotal entries, but Agents of SHIELD examined the race at a ground level, giving the series one of its standout seasons.
And with the troublesome LMDs (Life Model Decoys), Agents of SHIELD was ahead of its time, playing on the paranoia of doppelganger infiltrators, digital dimensions, and an even more dangerous version of Hydra.
Most Agents of SHIELD characters and storylines won't be in the MCU's thoughts as 2026 begins, but the series has nonetheless set a bar. If future Marvel movies introduce a new Ghost Rider, LMD program, or a community oppressed by Kree, Agents of SHIELD will be the standard those movies or shows will be held to. With Ghost Rider in particular, there's an argument that the MCU would be better off bringing Gabriel Luna back, given how well Agents of SHIELD handled his version of Ghost Rider.
Away From The Bigger Marvel Picture, Agents Of SHIELD Made Its Own Luck
At the beginning, Agents of SHIELD sat comfortably within the Marvel fold. There were direct ties to 2012's The Avengers and even a cameo from Samuel L. Jackson. As time wore on, that relationship crumbled. Now that the multiverse is a thing, Agents of SHIELD would be considered part of a separate timeline that diverged after the Battle of New York.
Without those big screen foundations, Agents of SHIELD could have easily collapsed. Instead, the show turned to the strengths already at its disposal. Agents Fitz and Simmons, for example. The pair began Agents of SHIELD as resident science geeks, providing exposition and humor as needed. The duo evolved into what is arguably Marvel's best onscreen romance, as Agents of SHIELD molded the connection between those characters into the show's emotional core.
And while the primary agents may not have been big Marvel names, Coulson aside, the group evolved into a family greater than the sum of its parts. Quake and Melinda May turned into fan-favorites. Passing allies like Lance and Bobbi were worthy of their own shows. Latecomers such as Mack and Deke felt like they'd been around since the beginning.
By the time Agents of SHIELD ended - with nowhere near as much fanfare as it deserved - whether or not the series was MCU canon, or even a Marvel show, no longer mattered. Agents of SHIELD had become its own beast, and may well prove to be the last of its kind.
Release Date 2013 - 2020-00-00
Showrunner Jed Whedon
Writers Monica Owusu-Breen, Sharla Oliver, Lauren LeFranc, James C. Oliver, Rafe Judkins, Matt Owens, Mark Leitner, Iden Baghdadchi, Shalisha Francis, Chris Dingess
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Daisy 'Skye' Johnson / Quake
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