Marvel Studios has been having its cake and eating it, too, on the Disney+ front. Earlier this year, Wonder Man, an Emmy-nominated show, got the axe after initially being renewed for a second season. Daredevil: Born Again also received the bad news that its third season will be its last, prompting star Charlie Cox to push for the return of the #SaveDaredevil campaign. But Marvel Studios is already moving on, officially announcing a new series for the platform, Zodiac.
Producer Brad Winderbaum revealed next to nothing about the show when he took the stage at New York Comic-Con. He let the title and logo speak for themselves, and so far, they have. Fans quickly pointed out that a piece of the iconic SHIELD emblem appears in Zodiac's logo, sparking a social media stir. Insiders had to field questions about a potential return for Phil Coulson and Co. And while most of them were vague with their responses, one cut right to the chase.
After being asked whether Zodiac is a full-blown reboot of Agents of SHIELD on X, Alex Perez from The Cosmic Circus shot the idea down. However, he did mention that some of the characters from that show will have a future in the MCU.
No. Nothing of the sort. AoS fans should be happy because it will feature the continuation of some of these characters, but this show is still its own thing.
The flames from Perez's report were quickly fanned when Coulson actor Clark Gregg posted the Zodiac logo on his Instagram story. Of course, Gregg may just be excited about another Marvel Studios spy series and wants to show some love. But the timing of his post is interesting, to say the least, as his name has quickly jumped to the top of fan pages and subreddits.
Coulson needs to get in line, though, because plenty of Agents of SHIELD characters haven't even sniffed a big-screen appearance. Daisy Johnson and Melinda May are the first two names that come to mind because of their impressive feats, and Mack isn't far behind, given he became SHIELD's director after Coulson. But none of them were treated as unfairly as Bobbi Morse and Lance Hunter, who could provide Zodiac with a major boost and secure at least one fascinating storyline.
Zodiac Should Worry More About Rebooting Marvel's Most Wanted Than Agents of SHIELD
Agents of SHIELD came at the perfect time for the MCU. Fans couldn't get enough of the world Marvel Studios built, so they tuned in every week to learn more. Amid all the Easter eggs and references, a worthwhile story began to form about a group of spies cleaning up the mess superheroes left behind. By the end of Season 1, Agents of SHIELD was firing on all cylinders, mostly due to the shocking HYDRA twist.
Subsequent outings upped the ante by bringing new characters into the fold, including Bobbi Morse, aka Mockingbird, and Lance Hunter, two veterans of the spy game who proved to be great assets to the titular organization. They did their jobs so well, in fact, that ABC developed a spinoff about the characters called Marvel's Most Wanted and wrote them off Agents of SHIELD. However, ABC decided not to pick up the show, leaving Morse and Hunter without a home.
Hunter returned for one episode in Season 5, while Morse was gone for good. The whole situation was a major blunder by ABC. And all these years later, Marvel Studios can make things right in Zodiac.
While it would be easy for Zodiac to have Hunter and Morse show up for a quick cameo to confirm its connection to Agents of SHIELD, that's thinking too small. Hawkeye revealed that Clint Barton's wife, Laura, once traveled the world as a member of Nick Fury's crew with the codename Agent 19. In the comics, that designation belongs to Mockingbird, linking Morse and Laura.
A flashback episode in Zodiac showing Laura and Morse working together and passing the torch sounds like a worthwhile endeavor. Then the show can jump to the present day and explore how the agents navigate a world that deals with an Avengers-level threat every other week.
If Zodiac is really going to be a who's who of the MCU spy scene, it can't leave out characters that got their hands dirty knowing they wouldn't be properly recognized for it. There may never be an oppurtunity this good again, since Disney+ shows are dropping like flies and Marvel Studios is focusing on quality over quantity on the big screen.
