Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. is one of the few rare shows in the Marvel Cinematic Universe that does not get the spotlight it truly deserves. Seeing the rise of streaming content even within the franchise, there were many shows that came before an era and died just the same. Ming-Na Wen, best known for playing the one and only Cavalry, had quite a bit to say about the rise of streaming giants.
The help of Disney+ has given the MCU its way by tying into both movies and television shows. Linking two different types of media to form one big narrative. It may seem both grand and ambitious at first, but there are always unfortunate possibilities for some projects to be overlooked.
The actress had her own outlook towards her series not making it into MCU canon.
Ming-Na Wen Blames Streaming for Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Being Overlooked
Ming-Na Wen, during an interview with Katee Sackhoff, opened up about whether or not she has gotten a call back from the MCU regarding her role as Melinda (Cavalry) May in Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. While the actress addressed the question with a negative confirmation, she had more to say that might catch many fans’ eyes.
“Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. sort of became a separate entity for whatever reason because it was on the network as opposed to streaming,” she added. “I think there’s some – and this is where my obliviousness also helps because I don’t understand it, so you’re asking the wrong person, I just know that there’s some sort of division.”
She stated that it felt as if her series existed in an entirely different realm as compared to all the shows that were being canonized by the franchise left and right. According to her, a lot of that had to do with the fact that streaming shows got more recognition and audience as compared to those that were aired on network platforms.
Wen thinks of it as a separation between the two that makes them stand apart even though their origins may be of the same accord.
Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Laid a Foundation
While speaking with Katee Sackhoff, Ming-Na Wen also pointed out the fact that for the MCU to now dive into successful shows, there had to be one that laid the foundation for such a probability to become a possibility.
“Yeah, but we were the first, so you think we should get some accolade for helping launch Marvel in what the TV [department] that it is now.”
Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. came before Netflix introduced the Defenders through Daredevil. It brought about the idea that the franchise can further be expanded beyond the limitation of movies. Shows make it easier to stretch out stories and explore characters at the same time.
It would, however, seem that despite it all; the show took a backseat when everything else got a chance to move forward. Even the fact that the series branched from The Avengers couldn’t link it back to them again.
