There has not been a more longstanding issue of canon in the MCU than that of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.
Along with fellow ABC series Agent Carter, there have been many suggestions that the shows are canon to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but several glaring plot points have ultimately led to arguments over exactly how the shows could possibly fit into the far-reaching Marvel timeline. The multiverse has made this debate even more relevant, and it seems that one person who has been constantly thinking about it is Marvel Studios’ Head of TV, Streaming, and Animation, Brad Winderbaum.
The MCU is set to continue integrating Daredevil into its story next year, and with other legacy characters having the potential to make a reappearance in the franchise, the status of the old ABC shows – which ran completely separate to the MCU with a couple of minor crossovers – is once again being questioned. While speaking to ScreenRant, Winderbaum shared his current thoughts on whether there is a chance that these shows, particularly Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., could be fully integrated into the franchise. He said:

“Well, I’ll tell you this, and put it to you like this. It’s exciting for me to think about how to square those ABC shows with the canon. That, to me, if you know me and the way my brain works, that is fun territory to imagine.”

‘Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.’ Did Some Crossovers

In the grand scheme of things, there are several other older Marvel properties that would be much more difficult to integrate into the current MCU than Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Although the later seasons of the show contained fewer connections with the events that were happening in the MCU on the big screen, there were still some minor mentions of characters made within the series. The biggest issue is that following the death of Agent Coulson in the Marvel movie timeline, there has been a lack of appearances by any Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. characters, which really suggested that the show and movies were completely separate entities for the most part.
The ambiguity surrounding the canonical status of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. has been a point of contention for long enough now to have somehow become both a moot point and one of the most returned to complaints at the same time. There have been several rumors about former stars of the show being ready to reprise their roles in the MCU, similar to the rumors surrounding the likes of Jessica Jones’ Krysten Ritter and, until recently, several stars of the Netflix Daredevil series. However, it has been revisited on so many occasions that it is pretty pointless getting wrapped up in rumors and “scooper” comments unless Marvel Studios makes an explicit announcement itself.

Related

Agent Coulson Actor Addresses Potential Secret Wars Cameo and Agents of SHIELD Canon Status in MCU

Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.’s Clark Gregg discussed Agent Coulson’s cameo in Secret Wars and the series’ canon in the MCU.

The latest comments from Winderbaum, however, do suggest that Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., and Agent Carter, are never too far from his thoughts. That means that they are also never too far from the brainstorming of Marvel Studios in general. There have already been rumors that Hayley Atwell will be reprising her role as Peggy Carter in the future, so maybe it is time to start believing that we could finally see some of those old favorite Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. characters again sooner rather than later.

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Release Date

September 24, 2013

Seasons

7