Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. returned this past Friday [read our review of the premiere here], with the show opting to take a leaf out of the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s book by taking things cosmic for its fifth season. During an interview with CBR, showrunner Jed Whedon revealed that the decision to venture into space has been inspired by the likes of Guardians of the Galaxy and Thor: Ragnarok:
“We try to a little bit follow in the wake of the films as they plot new territory in the MCU,” said Whedon. “Last year that was magic, with Doctor Strange. We felt like Ghost Rider all of a sudden fit into our show in a way that we didn’t necessarily feel like he would have before, tonally. And this is us expanding out even further into the world of space which they very much are living in now in the features. It’s the great unknown, and we hadn’t explored it yet.”
Whedon then went on to warn fans not to expect any cosmic cameos from the MCU, revealing that unlike earlier seasons, the focus for the show now is to tie into the feature films thematically, rather than in terms of the wider narrative.
“It’s a thematic tie. We try to make it feel like that the whole thing is moving in this swelling direction. We’re not in space for no reason. We wouldn’t have gone there if they hadn’t. The overt ties were a necessity of starting out, but those have faded over time, basically because we have our own mythology. That started to be much more interesting to us, and hopefully to the audience, just digging that stuff up. No one wants to come to see our show to see another show. Now they want to see our show, which, yay.”
What did you make of Friday’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. premiere? Are you excited about what’s in store for Coulson and company this season? Let us know in the comments below…
