The Marvel Cinematic Universe continues to expand with non only a steady stream of new films and television shows, merely besides with the welcome return of some onetime friends. As of March sixteen, the Netflix era of darker Curiosity TV shows have moved to Disney+, meaning you can sentinel Vincent D'Onofrio's Hawaiian shirt-wearing Wilson Fisk become mowed down by a speeding car in Hawkeye , and then immediately switch over to run into Fisk brutally turning someone'south head into soup with a automobile door in Daredevil Season one. And while the addition of the Netflix Defenders to Disney+ is a huge deal that has massive ramifications for how the MCU will treat these fan-favorite characters, information technology's vital nosotros don't forget near the other big addition to the platform, Marvel'south Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.

To paraphrase Nick Fury, there was one time an thought. The thought was to expand the uber-successful MCU afterwards 2012's The Avengers and make the jump to television, creating a show that would tie in with the larger events of the movies, while delivering fans that extra dose of Marvel content they all desperately wanted. Thus, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. was officially born, and it checked all the necessary boxes. Bring back a beloved deceased character with a mystery surrounding their resurrection? Check. An episodic structure that basically copied the primetime-friendly procedural format but with Marvel references? Check. Callbacks and necktie-ins to the larger cinematic universe? Ehhh ...technically check! And while on paper, this bear witness seemed like a neat thought there was one major problem: it stunk.

Agents of Shield-Coulson

The first season of Agents of Due south.H.I.E.L.D. is an amazing instance study for every single matter that can become wrong with a idiot box series that ties into a greater cinematic universe. It relied manner too much on its parent franchise and tried coasting on brand sensation instead of crafting a compelling narrative with its own legs. Information technology followed a agglomeration of uninteresting, shallow characters, and when it did hype upwards one of their "tie-in" episodes that connected to a Marvel pic, it usually ended upward disappointing. But at the very finish of Season i, a funny thing happened over on the picture show side of things. Helm America: The Winter Soldier revealed that S.H.I.E.50.D. was actually heavily infested with HYDRA and the whole system imploded. That'southward really low-key hilarious. The disconnect between the film and the Boob tube side of Marvel Entertainment is well-documented at this bespeak, simply just think how silly it is that creators set up a whole show based on a grouping of S.H.I.Due east.Fifty.D. agents to connect to the moving picture franchise, simply so the film franchise turns around and blows up your central concept. How do you make an Agents of S.H.I.E.50.D. show when there's no South.H.I.E.L.D.?

Merely then an fifty-fifty funnier affair happened. The twist made the show amend. Information technology allowed for them to fundamentally change the show's Dna and morph it into one of the all-time Marvel TV shows. One of the show'southward biggest flaws was framing the block of wood Grant Ward (Brett Dalton) equally the show's male atomic number 82 and romantic protagonist, merely the twist was able to shake things upwards and reveal that Ward was HYDRA the whole time and actually became i of the series' greatest villains. To exist able to recognize that something at the center of your show isn't working and somehow course right for better results is a TV trait that should exist applauded. Imagine if Iron Fist would've taken a folio out of Agents of South.H.I.E.50.D.'s book and merely ditched Finn Jones' Danny Rand subsequently Season 1 to focus on Jessica Henwick's Colleen Wing? Probably would've helped a lot.

But although Agents of S.H.I.East.L.D. only continued to get better the more than it distanced itself from larger MCU connections, there was ane other thing belongings information technology back from getting the recognition it deserved. And that was the constant question near where the other superheroes were. These characters were constantly trying to salvage the globe from massive alien invasions and other huge threats, so at that place was always an undercurrent about why Fe Man and his amazing friends didn't swoop in to lend a helping mitt. Of grade the obvious answer is "considering we can't afford to pay any A-Lister's cost tag," but that was nevertheless a big hurdle for a lot of fans to get over.

Still, now, that's not an issue.

Agents of Shield-Season 7

We're in Phase 4 of the MCU at present, and it'due south all about multiversal mania! The concept of different universes is forming the courage of the movie and TV franchise today with things like Spider-Human: No Way Home , Doc Strange in the Multiverse of Madness , and the Loki Telly show all getting audiences used to this big idea that will boss the MCU going forward. And that'south where Agents of S.H.I.Eastward.L.D. deserves a reevaluation. Where earlier, information technology was piece of cake to overlook Agents of S.H.I.E.Fifty.D. considering it clearly was not canon with the chief film franchise anymore, it could now easily exist viewed as a dissimilar universe and tie into the overall franchise's broader themes of a vast multiverse.

It should happen, too, because when Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. was firing on all cylinders, it was the all-time Curiosity Boob tube out there. Wisely, it realized early on that having a full season'southward worth of 1 story was problematic, an issue that plagues merely nigh every Defenders show as well, which led to each season of Agents of S.H.I.East.L.D. having two or 3 arcs. And it's amazing but how much variety this show had over the course of its seven seasons.

You lot had storylines like the virtual reality Framework arc, the rise of the Inhumans, a whole segment dedicated to Ghost Rider and the Darkhold, a dimensional alien takeover from the Fear Dimension, ancient prophecies signaling the destruction of World, and the whole final season devoted to time travel/Breakthrough Realm/multiverse shenanigans. And throughout its entirety, these stories were grounded with characters y'all love and intendance for, which was the real underground weapon.

Agents of Shield-Season 1

Yeah, over the course of seven seasons, any television show is bound to experience a crude patch or a dry spell as it deals with a plot line that'southward merely non working, but even when that problem seemed to be getting to Agents of S.H.I.Due east.L.D., specially in its final two seasons, you could always fall back on the characters you dear to get you through it. That'due south the sign of something special. Agents of South.H.I.Eastward.L.D. was under loved during its original run, but with the hype surrounding Disney+ acquiring all the Netflix/Marvel content, it'south time to give the bear witness its due.

All 7 seasons of Marvel'due south Agents of S.H.I.Eastward.L.D. are now streaming on Disney+.