Although Agents of SHIELD was created by Marvel Studios, some people see it as a Joss Whedon production because he is one of the executive producers, his brother Jed and his wife Maurissa Tanchareon wrote some of the early scripts, and we see Mr. Mutant Enemy (Grr Arrgh) in the closing credits.

After six shows, some fans are comparing the crew to familiar characters from Joss’ other shows. However, we don’t know a lot about the SHIELD crew. This is what we know so far, and how they may remind us of someone.

PHIL COULSON

He’s the best known character because of his appearances in the Marvel movies from Iron Man to The Avengers. He’s the company man, a capable field agent. When he was stabbed (apparently) fatally, in The Avengers, and showed up on the TV show, he became something more.

His backstory was also slowly revealed. He’s an agent who followed the company line. He mentored an agent named Akela that went rogue. However, after he was brought back from the dead, people noticed that he’s different. Akela pointed that out to May, while Agent Blake mentioned it when Coulson was reluctant to “dump infected cargo,” namely Agent Simmons, in the last episode. Even Coulson thinks he has changed, which is why he had those physical tests. At least he knows he’s human, but others wonder why when someone mentions Tahiti, he calls it a “magical place.”

If he resembles anyone in the Whedonverse, it’s Rupert Giles. He was also a company man in the Watchers’ Council, despite having a dark past. Being Buffy Summers’ Watcher changed him, or gave him reason to reconsider the traditions. If Coulson’s search for the truth about why he’s not dead leads to SHIELD seriously stonewalling him, that may lead him to wondering who or what he’s working for.
 

GRANT WARD

He’s the by-the-book SHIELD agent who is serious about his job. Aside from that, he’s not that interesting. He’s somewhere between Riley Finn and Paul Ballard. However, the producers must have noticed this, especially when he lets Simmons know he’s aware of her mocking him. It’ll take a lot more. Learning about his family, and why he joined SHIELD, would be a step forward.

MELINDA MAY

She was first seen in an office, filing paperwork. She didn’t want to be involved in combat until Coulson convinced her to join his crew. It wasn’t long before fans found out how good she is in combat. Also, if she offers you a cookie, take it. She may remind people of Zoe from Firefly. However, we still don’t know about her past as a SHIELD agent.

LEO FITZ/JEMMA SIMMONS

When it looked like Simmons was about to die from a Chitauri virus last week, fans found out a lot about his dynamic duo. Apparently they studied in the the academy together, and she talked him into joining Coulson’s group. She seems to be a bit more excited about the missions than he is, but she has more courage than you think. Fitz, meanwhile, is the tech genius who’s also particular about what goes into the lab. When it came to Simmons, though, that’s a different story. They may be what you get if Willow and Topher joined forces. They should be more popular than they are now.

 SKYE

She came in as the wild card of the group, but she actually has a back story. She’s looking for her parents, and the only clue she has is a document redacted by SHIELD. That led to her becoming a computer expert and joining the Rising Tide before SHIELD found her. It also led to her wearing the Bracelet of Limited Trust, which she complains about. She wonders how many manuals she’ll have to memorize before she can take it off. Some have compared her to Faith, and that might be close. It appears her relationship with Coulson will be similar to Buffy and Giles.

SO WHAT SHOULD HAPPEN NEXT?

Agent Blake’s observation that Coulson has changed may lead to Coulson getting an immediate supervisor keeping tabs on him. It seems that way in “The Hub” tomorrow (Nov. 12 in the US), as fans get their first look at Victoria Hand. If she’s determined to make sure Coulson never finds out what brought him back, that will add some spice to the show. He might find out on his own, with Skye’s help. When he finds out why, whether it’s Extremis or super-science, what then? How much rebellion does he think SHIELD will tolerate from him?

Then, let’s get more details about the crew, including why they joined SHIELD. Firefly’s seventh episode, “Out of Gas,” gave us info on the crew of Serenity. The original pilot, “Serenity” would have, too, but that came too late.

Agent May’s story might be the most interesting, because something unspeakable must have happened to her that convinced her to all but retire.

As far as budding romance is concerned, having Skye and Agent Ward get together wouldn’t be a good idea. Make him more interesting first. A great way to stall the idea of a Skye-Ward pairing is to have her slowly become a better agent than him, and see how he reacts. As for who her parents are, maybe her origins could be traced back to the Shadowy Council from The Avengers.

Of course, we shouldn’t forget about the Big Bad, and how it is emerging. Right now, the enemy is called Centipede, and is trying to make super-soldiers with Extremis. Is it possible that they may be former SHIELD agents, too? It would be good to have villains that are just as interesting as the heroes. The only one so far is Raina, aka “The Girl In The Flower Dress.”

Using the show to promote the Marvel movies is also a good idea. That’s why “The Well” (airs on Nov. 19 in the US) may be the unofficial epilogue to Thor: The Lost World. It’s not known if there will be an episode connected to Captain America: The Winter Soldier, but it may be better to have that episode before the movie, rather than afterwards.

If the Agents of SHIELD do become the new version of the Browncoats or Scooby Gang, maybe that will draw more fans.  That includes those who think that it’s a Joss Whedon show as much as a Marvel TV show.