Hypable exclusively sat down with Clark Gregg and Jeph Loeb to discuss the new season of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. and how Marvel TV affects the wider cinematic universe.
Gregg, who plays the esteemed Director Coulson, and Loeb, Head of Television for Marvel, spoke with us only briefly, but their vision and optimism for the connected Marvel universe is infectious. Not to mention their hopes for Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. moving forward.
Hypable: Do you think with Coulson’s physical handicap, and of course with Matt Murdock being blind, it could be a catalyst for seeing more disabled superheroes in the future?
Gregg: I sure would like that. Somebody said that on Twitter and I got so excited. I said, ‘Oh yes, that’s amazing. I’m proud to be that!’ Of course there is Matt Murdock, Nick Fury, Professor X, so it’s certainly been something that’s been in the tradition of Marvel. Coulson is missing a hand, but he’s got an awfully great one. He has, certainly, a disability, but I don’t think it ranks up there with Matt Murdock’s. It would be cool with me, any way we can represent, especially since the story we’re telling is about people who are different being important to who we are. To any extent that we can represent the different kinds and differently abled people out there as being integral to what we are, the better.
H: Speaking of people who are different, how is Coulson’s relationship with the Inhumans going to be moving forward?
Gregg: He’s really being pulled in a lot of different directions. I think you gotta know, at his core, the fact that the person that in many ways he’s closest to, other than Agent May, is Daisy, and she is one. So his heart is always going to be connected there. But on the other hand, there are people popping up around the world who are extremely dangerous and unstable who need to be controlled or else they’re going to kill many, many people. So he’s going to be stuck on a case by case basis in terms of how to handle these people who are like Daisy.
H: One of the most interesting story lines in Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. has been about Grant Ward, and we’ve seen that Ward has had a very skewed moral compass. In what ways will his moral compass be tested going forward into the new season?
Loeb: First of all, we’re very lucky that Brett Dalton plays it in such a way that the nature of evil is not something that is one side or the other. So it’s a very complex way of looking at it, but make no mistake about it, he has murdered people in cold blood. [The fact that some people are still drawn to him] speaks to the writing and the performance. Our job is to continue to make a show where people remain invested in the characters. What we now know is that Ward has a mission, and that mission is to revive Hydra in a way that works for him. And it’s an interesting dichotomy because across town, his rival, Director Coulson, is reinventing S.H.I.E.L.D. in a way that he thinks it should run best. How those two things go together builds a delightful dynamic between the two of them, and then how that then works with the fact that there are Inhumans popping up all over the place, you have to sort of figure out which one of those teams is going to grab the football and what that is about. Once again, it’s all connected.
H: What kind of influence does Marvel television have in terms of testing the waters for audience interest in Marvel film regarding female-led and diverse properties?
Loeb: I don’t think it’s an influence situation. What we try to do is tell the best stories with the best people. We’re very proud of our strong female properties. That’s true in publishing; I think it’s true in the film division. It’s really where the best thing takes place. I wouldn’t say that one thing does the other, but certainly being able to see the success of Carter or the success of any of the incredible women that are on our shows certainly does open up the Marvel universe to a larger audience and whenever there’s a larger audience, there’s always a need to fill.