After Agents of SHIELD began to raise conflicts with the MCU in its fifth season, many started to question whether these projects being produced by Marvel TV were canon with the larger story. This tired old debate has continued for years since and saw a significant resurgence last year after the Darkhold, Daredevil, and Kingpin all returned with big differences from their TV iterations.
Various evidence has swung the conversation back and forth countless times, and Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige still avoids offering a definitive answer. Given Feige himself had no influence over these productions, most assume them not to be canon to the MCU, perhaps taking place in another corner of the Multiverse.
Across almost every season of Agents of SHIELD, the Inhumans proved pivotal to the story as it utilized many characters from the mythos. Marvel Studios has demonstrated a reluctance to integrate the Inhumans into the MCU, especially after Kamala Khan had her origin story changed from her Inhuman roots.
Now, the actress behind Kamala, Iman Vellani, has offered her own thoughts on the Agents of SHIELD canon debate - something she is more than qualified to give as a Marvel super-fan herself.
Ms. Marvel Actress Comments on Agents of SHIELD Canon
During a recent Reddit Q&A, Ms. Marvel star Iman Vellani responded to the debate regarding Agents of SHIELD's canon status in the MCU.
Reddit user u/imanvellanistan asked a number of questions, including calling for Vellani's thoughts on whether the Marvel TV series is canon to the MCU, on top of asking for a response from Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige. Vellani delivered a simple response, as she questioned "isn't everything canon now?"
Having later been asked whether she has watched Agents of SHIELD, Vellani confirmed she has watched the show and believes "it certainly has merit:"
"Hi!, I have seen AoS and I personally love the earlier seasons, it's not my favorite show, but it certainly has merit!!"
Guardians of the Galaxy director James Gunn has previously offered his own comments to call the canon status of Agents of SHIELD into question. Meanwhile, WandaVision director Matt Shakman confirmed they ignored Marvel TV's interpretation of the Darkhold while designing their own for Disney+.
Will Marvel Ever Confirm If Agents of SHIELD is Canon?
Agents of SHIELD and Marvel TV's other series were originally marketed under the MCU motto of "it's all connected." But the lack of acknowledgment of their events in the MCU movies and TV shows, combined with several timeline conflicts in the series themselves, has led many to question their canon status.
With Marvel TV's Netflix characters like Daredevil, Kingpin, and (likely) Jessica Jones now entering the MCU, it's becoming increasingly important to determine whether the series are canon. Unfortunately, that remains an answer Marvel Studios and Kevin Feige are reluctant to provide - probably to avoid angering a sect of diehards.
Specifically referring to Agents of SHIELD, there are currently no signs of the cast returning to the MCU at any point in the near future. The only probable contender up until now was Chloe Bennet's Daisy Johnson, aka Quake, but her Inhuman connections could cross off any chances of her coming back, for now.
No matter the ultimate answer on Agents of SHIELD's canon status, it'll be exciting for fans to hear Iman Vellani has seen the ABC series. The young actress has quickly proven herself to be among the most diehard Marvel fans in the MCU today, so her opinion on its canon status is an intriguing one.
Zoning in on her particular comment, Vellani is right in suggesting everything is now canon to the MCU, with the Multiverse opening the doors to every possibility existing somewhere out there. But obviously, that isn't the answer Marvel TV enthusiasts are searching for, as the real question comes down to whether they take place in the main MCU timeline.
Whatever the case may be, Agents of SHIELD is streaming now on Disney+, as are all six episodes of Ms. Marvel.
