The Marvel Movie Agent Coulson Actor Clark Gregg Wishes He Could Have Been In - Exclusive
When it comes to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, it feels like Clark Gregg's Agent Phil Coulson has done it all. He was there when the MCU first started, with a small role in the very first Iron Man that grew in Thor and Iron Man 2. He had Avengers' biggest, most dramatic death scene. He's been leading the Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. on ABC for the past seven years, and returned to the big screen in 2019 to add some levity to Captain Marvel's origin story.
In fact, Coulson has been such a regular presence in Marvel's programming that it's easy to forget that there are tons of Marvel characters with whom the former S.H.I.E.L.D. director hasn't shared the screen. Coulson dealt with the fallout of the Winter Soldier's big-screen debut during S.H.I.E.L.D.'s first season. He's never met Doctor Strange, the Scarlet Witch, Ant-Man, or Spider-Man. He's tangled with the Kree and has been to space, but if he knows Thanos, it's by reputation only.
While Gregg couldn't diclose what the future holds for the character he's been playing for the past 12 years now that S.H.I.E.L.D. is winding down, he did tell Looper in an exclusive interview which Marvel movie he most wishes Agent Coulson could've been a part of. When asked, he doesn't hesitate for a second before saying, "I was blown away by Black Panther. I really wish Phil Coulson could've had a chance to visit Wakanda. I mean, there's just been so much great stuff they've done."
That's not all, though. Gregg says he would also love a chance to hang with the Guardians of the Galaxy — given Coulson's long and complicated history with the Kree, he'd fit right in — and "would have killed" to have been part of Thor: Ragnarok. "It was so funny. I just wanted to interact with Taika [Waititi]'s stone guy," he says, referring to Korg, who was played by the film's director.
Thankfully, Gregg may still get his chance. Waititi's follow-up to Thor: Ragnarok, Thor: Love and Thunder, was announced last summer as part of Marvel's Phase 4, while both a Black Panther sequel and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 are officially on the books at the studio.
The most underrated Marvel movie, according to Clark Gregg
Thanks to his everyman status, Agent Coulson has been the fans' representative in the Marvel Cinematic Universe since at least The Avengers, when the dedicated S.H.I.E.L.D. agent revealed his fanboy side. Like the fans, Gregg has opinions about the Marvel movies too.
When asked if there's one movie in the MCU that's underrated, Gregg takes a moment to think. After all, Marvel doesn't have any real bombs — even the lesser efforts are still considered big hits. "I was going to say that I really loved the irreverence of Ragnarok. I thought that was incredible," Gregg shares. Still, he admits, "I don't know if that's underrated. I think a lot of people feel that way."
So, instead, Gregg takes a different tact. The movie he chooses stars one of the most beloved Marvel characters of all time, but it wasn't made by Disney or Marvel Studios. "I am a huge fan of Into the Spider-Verse," Gregg says. "I thought that was as fun as anything in the Marvel universe."
Gregg isn't the only one. In 2019, Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse took home the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature, and it has a 97 percent fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes – making it better reviewed than any movie in the MCU except for Black Panther. Like Gregg's other favorite MCU films, Into the Spider-Verse is also getting a sequel, which is tentatively scheduled to hit theaters on April 8, 2022.
That's still a long way away. In the meantime, you can see what Agent Coulson himself is up to on Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., which just launched its final season. New episodes air on Wednesdays at 10 PM on ABC.