It was not common for the Marvel Cinematic Universe to dive into television-based content before Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. and Joss Whedon had a part to play in it. Stemming from the first Avengers movie, the show was an idea no one had explored before. It laid the foundation of what the franchise could do outside of just the big screen and its success was the hope that no one knew they really needed.
Whedon may not be getting much attention as of late, but there is a lot that he contributed to the making of the series. He may be given most of the credit for the show, but his brother and his sister-in-law had a part to play in it too, bigger than him even.
A show trying to survive in the shadow of the MCU had its own series of problems, one that the director did everything for.
Joss Whedon Worked Extensively Hard for Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.
In an interview with Buzzfeed News, Joss Whedon elaborated on the idea of how Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. came to be. Following the footsteps of The Avengers, the series had a lot of limitations and factors to take into consideration. Who to bring, how to remain in the canon, and what to do so that the series doesn’t go without purpose.
“There was a period where it got … complicated. A lot of people who aren’t connected with the show were like, ‘Oh, yeah, you have to have this guest star, and you have to work around this.’ Sometimes, it makes your head spin. I mean, it’s hard enough when they’re like, ‘And by the way, in ‘Iron Man 4,’ he’s going to be played by Linda Hunt as a human spider.’ And you’re like, ‘Oh, OK! I guess I’ll have to work that in.'”
First starting a show with S.H.I.E.L.D. as its main focus only for the agency to then be disbanded in Captain America: The Winter Soldier to further change factors that were making it impossible to stay in the canon and work on the show without messing it up.
The demands were endless and the complications grew without a second thought. Whedon was having a hard time trying to keep up with the mess that was creating while making a successful show.
Joss Whedon Took a Backseat
Joss Whedon, when cooperating with the studios was taken aback by the brutal honesty of where they actually wanted him. They wanted his presence to be more focused on the theatrical releases as compared to those that were being televised.
“They didn’t actually want me to make it,” Whedon added. “It’s like, ‘Uh, Joss, we really wanted you to do [‘Avengers: Age of Ultron’]. Instead, you created a TV show, you moron.’ ‘I thought you wanted me to!’ ‘No, we just wanted you to make a movie.’ ‘Oh. My bad.'”
Once he took up that role once again, there was a tonal shift in Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. This benefitted the series greatly. The other characters were able to shine brighter and it created a bubble of its own.
Unfortunately though, this bubble was too difficult to pop, seeing that the series is yet to be canonized by the MCU while every other show gets its moment.
