Posted in: Disney+, Marvel, streaming, TV | Tagged: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., agents of shield, disney, hawkeye, marvel, mockingbird

Hawkeye Finale: So How Should Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Fans Be Feeling?

Published Thu, 23 Dec 2021 10:48:12 -0600

by Ray Flook

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With the finale of Disney+ and Marvel Studios' Hailee Steinfeld (Kate Bishop) & Jeremy Renner (Clint Barton)-starring Hawkeye currently streaming away, we thought now might be a good time to address an interesting issue that's caught the attention of social media. No, we're not talking about the "big reveal" (even though Marvel spoiled that for themselves right before the finale dropped). No, we're talking about something that went down that has fans of ABC's Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. scratching their heads and feeling more than a bit concerned. Okay, so from this point on? Consider the "MAJOR SPOILERS AHEAD!" sign officially on so tread lightly.

After five episodes worth of speculation that there was a lot more going on with Clint's wife Laura (Linda Cardellini) that she has a lot more going on in her past than we've been previously led to believe, looks like that speculation turned out to be true. After Clint returns the Rolex to Laura that he snagged from the Avengers Compound, a ten-ton tease is dropped when viewers see a S.H.I.E.L.D. logo along with the number "19" engraved on the back. Why the excitement/concern? Because that "19" would seem to coincide with S.H.I.E.L.D. Agent Bobbi Morse/Mockingbird, which is great for Laura Barton fans. But why is that a problem for S.H.I.E.L.D. fans? Because that was the role played by Adrianne Palicki in their series. So does this mean S.H.I.E.L.D. is truly not a part of the new MCU?

This storyline comes after a series of question marks have arisen over whether or not the ABC series remains a part of proper MCU canon (setting aside a multiverse that now pretty much makes everything Marvel "in play" if they want). In the past, S.H.I.E.L.D. fans have questioned why Agent Phil Coulson's (Clark Gregg) return wasn't referenced in Disney+'s Loki. We've also had Guardians of the Galaxy guru James Gunn adding that he was told that no Marvel shows pre-WandaVision were considered part of the proper canon now. Backing Gunn's claim in October? Tara Bennett & Paul Terry, authors of The Story of Marvel Studios: The Making of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (an official "history book" on the founding of the MCU). Responding to a question on Twitter, Bennett said when asked about S.H.I.E.L.D. and its place in the MCU, "We wrote the book. It does not say AoS is part of the MCU."

But even if the S.H.I.E.L.D. characters are brought over from the now-defunct series, will the fans like what they're getting? Charlie Cox aka Matt Murdock/Daredevil cautioned fans that just because the actors are returning to the roles they once played that doesn't mean their canon is coming along with them. A perfect example was this week, with social media already pointing out differences between Vincent D'Onofrio's Fisk in Hawkeye as compared to his Netflix counterpart.

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