Daredevil, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., and Strengthening the MCU

Before I delve into the substance of this opinion piece, it's important to provide a layer of honesty.  I grew up reading comic books, particularly Spider-Man (which I got in the mail every month) and X-Men, but I would not have considered myself a "fanboy" or expert in comic book lore then, and the same holds true today, although I do now know quite a bit of lore (or more than enough to get by, I suppose).  I am an avid fan of the Marvel movies and I deeply enjoy the cinematic universe they have created.  That being said, this article, and most of my opinions about the MCU, need to be viewed through a cinematic lens and not a comic book lens, as there is a distinct different between the two.  Subsequently, the following is an interpretation of how Daredevil and Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. fit into the MCU, with an analysis of Daredevil and a suggestions for giving AoS the relevance it deserves.

Daredevil: A Much Needed Break from the Fantastic

I was excited for the release of Daredevil and I watched the entire series in one day.  I didn't intend to do that, but I was so taken by the show that I couldn't stop myself.  When I finished and took in everything I had seen, I was incredibly impressed.  Daredevil was a win from top to bottom.  The writing and directing were superb and the actors and actresses were just right.  The greatest accomplishment of the show in my opinion, though, was how little it tried to showcase it's role in the MCU.  It was made clear early on that Daredevil was going to be a "stand alone" type of series, but I was pleasantly surprised at just how true that declaration was.  To my knowledge, and I am certainly open to being corrected on this, the word "alien" was not used one time in the entire series.  The invasion of New York was alluded to, of course, but it was never explicitly stated that aliens invaded Earth and destroyed a large swath of New York City.  That was a huge omission, and one that I have continued to applaud.  Daredevil didn't need to reference aliens or superheroes or S.H.I.E.L.D. for this show to be relevant.  It just needed to tell a compelling story and give justice to the characters used to tell it.

In the same vein as not mentioning aliens, there was also very little mention of the established MCU superheroes.  I believe Foggy name dropped Captain America, but other than Wesley's passing remark about a "suit of armor and a magic hammer," the big guns were left alone, which was also a huge plus for the show.  As fans of the MCU, we are already very much aware of who everybody is and where things have happened throughout the world.  What has not been discussed, until now, however, is the imprint left by the superheroes and supervillains at the micro level.  I thought Daredevil did a masterful job at describing what happens when the fight is over.  The good guys may have won, but at what cost?  Typically, that question is never answered.  In all of the MCU films, the aftermath of the destruction and the impact it has on the people and their communities was never addressed.  Until now.  Kudos to Daredevil for casting a light on the dark side of the superhero moon.  There is a cost to victory and it is passed onto the regular people who don't get to ride into the sunset on their super powered pedestal.  Also, sometimes those who pick up the tab are not those who should be doing it.  Enter Wilson Fisk.  What a fantastic character and the best villain in the MCU not named Loki.  I thought the portrayal of him by the Daredevil team was exactly what was needed.  Fisk is certainly profiting off of the rebuilding of Hell's Kitchen, but he's not doing it merely for the sake of profiting.  He's not trying to blindly grab power and fortune just because he is a "bad guy".  He has a genuine, vested interest in his neighborhood, but his methods lend himself to villainy.  His intentions do not make him a villain--his methods do, and that was the perfect way to portray Wilson Fisk.

I could continue to applaud the way Daredevil was incorporated into the MCU, but let's turn our attention, instead, on how AoS should be incorporated.

Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.: Give the Team Relevance or Get Rid of Them

For all of the brilliance of Daredevil, Marvel's second foray into television, AoS, it's first foray, has been, bluntly, a huge dud.  From the start, AoS was never given a proper foundation and I'm not even entirely sure Marvel knew what to do with it once it was created.  Marvel always prides themselves on their foresight, but AoS has never been properly handled.  Initially, the show attempted to be a stand alone series, providing insight into the operations of S.H.I.E.L.D. when they weren't playing second fiddle to a "suit of armor and a magic hammer".  It stumbled at doing that, instead giving us cheesy writing and a computer nerd with a name that parents who try to be cool give their children, complete with an even cooler spelling.  It was silly, boring, and wasted the talents of a fan-favorite actor.  Admittedly, it did gain its footing down the road, but it was too little too late, in my opinion, and it has been riding on the coattails of the MCU ever since.  My suggestion: give AoS proper relevance within the MCU or cancel it.

The biggest missed opportunity of AoS has been how related-but-unrelated it has been with the rest of MCU.  Really, the show has just been one giant fanboy to the greater universe.  They mention Captain America or Iron Man like a person who once met them at a party and talked to them for a few minutes and now consider them lifelong friends.  It's so hokey at times, but it never had to be.  I understand that Agent Coulson was/is supposed to be dead and that would be a huge reveal if the Avengers found this out, but how long can that charade play out?  AoS should have used that plot point to their advantage during the events of Captain America: The Winter Soldier, but left it on the table.  That brings me to another point: with all of the S.H.I.E.L.D. secrets being leaked by Black Widow in TWS, how did the fact that Coulson was still alive somehow not get revealed?  I think Marvel could have capitalized on that element of TWS by making that one of the secrets that gets revealed to Captain America in the aftermath of the collapse of S.H.I.E.L.D.  Instead, Coulson and his team continue to jet set around the world and the Avengers have absolutely no clue; not even Black Widow, who is as close to Nick Fury as Coulson is.  It just doesn't do AoS any justice and it waters down the value Coulson had to the Avengers, both tactically and emotionally.

Additionally, where has Coulson been in the MCU films?  He had key roles in all of the films up to The Avengers, then he vanished.  Again, I understand that he is supposed to be dead, but the missed opportunity I mentioned above could have played out in some fashion in Iron Man 3 or TWS, which is ideally where it should have been included.  In the back of my mind, I am holding out some useless hope that Coulson and the AoS team get a reference in Age of Ultron.  From what I have gathered from this wonderful website and the trailers, the Avengers are rooting out Hydra strongholds.  Whether it happens or not (it won't), that element of AoU is the perfect way to give relevance to AoS.  Coulson and his team could provide support and intel to the Avengers and while Captain America and the team go after the big dogs on the big screen, Coulson and his team could continue to take out the fringe elements on TV.  The AoS team would need to be given less than a minute of film time to provide the intel to the Avengers, but that would be a huge boost of relevancy to the team and to the place of the show in the greater MCU, something that has been lacking post-The Avengers.  Whether or not that happens (again, it won't) remains to be seen.  But it needs to happen.

It's been a while since I have posted anything, so I had a lot to say.  Apologies for the length of this article and also for the lack of images to break it up.  None of the images I tried to upload would show up in the images list, for whatever reason (they were the correct size, too).  Nonetheless, share your thoughts with me below.  All opinions are always welcome.