Joss Whedon developing Marvel SHIELD series for ABC

[TheCorpulent1]

If he were emotionally detached, I'm sure it'd just be temporary. Coulson's personality is definitely what made him stick with people.

I personally am hoping for my second suggestion. Fury's "the spy," as Iron Man said, and spies love their secrets. Plus, it'd give Coulson-bot a nice character arc for season 1. "Why the hell are people kinda weird around me now?"

 

[The Question]

LMD seems highly unlikely to me. I'd have to see it play out, but it seems like it would take way too much explaining to be in a show this early on that wasn't laser focused on the concept.

The idea that Fury faked Coulson's death to manipulate the team seems more likely to me.

 

[TheCorpulent1]

LMDs apparently exist already. Iron Man name-dropped them in Avengers. But even if they didn't, what's to explain? Robots that look and act exactly like normal people. Done. The name may be new to movie and TV audiences, but the concept certainly isn't.

Although I guess I'd be fine with Fury faking Coulson's death too. Even though it would make that poignant conversation Fury and Coulson had with nobody else around just before Coulson died very... odd. But who knows? Maybe Fury and Coulson both believe really strongly in method-acting.

 

[Drz]

Let's keep the awful recycling of being alive and dead of comic book characters in bad comics, not have them in the movies and cartoons for goodness sake!

 

[The Question]

LMDs apparently exist already. Iron Man name-dropped them in Avengers. But even if they didn't, what's to explain? Robots that look and act exactly like normal people. Done. The name may be new to movie and TV audiences, but the concept certainly isn't.

The name drop really isn't an explanation, it's basically an easter egg.

The existence of LMDs in a way that the audience would really understand hasn't been foreshadowed, so you can't just drop it on people without an explanation. It raises too many questions and would take people out of it. If they straight up didn't explain how Coulson was alive and slowly hinted at LMDs until a big reveal later in season one, it'd work. But just bringing it up and moving on would leave people confused.

Although I guess I'd be fine with Fury faking Coulson's death too. Even though it would make that poignant conversation Fury and Coulson had with nobody else around just before Coulson died very... odd. But who knows? Maybe Fury and Coulson both believe really strongly in method-acting.

I don't see what makes it odd. Coulson got stabbed, thought he was dying, had a heart to heart with Fury, passed out from blood loss, and then the doctors patched him up. Fury lying about Couslon's death doesn't mean he knew anything about it until after he woke up in the infirmary.

 

[TheCorpulent1]

He was impaled right through his midsection. Personally, I'd find "that's not Coulson, it's a new gadget we're calling a Life-Model Decoy" a lot more plausible than "oh yeah, getting chunks of his heart and a good percentage of his other major organs torn to shreds barely slowed him down; we patched him up and he's fine now." Forget Captain America, they should just breed an army of Coulsons if he can recover from the wound Loki inflicted in the movie.

 

[Donut]

He was impaled right through his midsection. Personally, I'd find "that's not Coulson, it's a new gadget we're calling a Life-Model Decoy" a lot more plausible than "oh yeah, getting chunks of his heart and a good percentage of his other major organs torn to shreds barely slowed him down; we patched him up and he's fine now." Forget Captain America, they should just breed an army of Coulsons if he can recover from the wound Loki inflicted in the movie.

Why can't it be the LMD that died ? Anyone on that Carrier that has a LMD. Probably had theirs activated. Before Loki came on board. Or everyone on that carrier that are human & part of S.H.I.E.L.D. are LMD's

 

[TheCorpulent1]

That's possible, I guess. Also kind of weird, though. And also even harder to explain. "Hey, remember the stuff that happened in the movie that this show is kinda related to but actively trying to distance itself from so it can establish its own identity? Yeah, all of the SHIELD agents you see there? ROBOTS! Because... ROBOTS! Shut up!"

 

[The Question]

He was impaled right through his midsection. Personally, I'd find "that's not Coulson, it's a new gadget we're calling a Life-Model Decoy" a lot more plausible than "oh yeah, getting chunks of his heart and a good percentage of his other major organs torn to shreds barely slowed him down; we patched him up and he's fine now." Forget Captain America, they should just breed an army of Coulsons if he can recover from the wound Loki inflicted in the movie.

More plausible, maybe. But also more weird and requiring a detailed explanation of something that doesn't exist that hasn't been established for the audience yet.

Also, in the time between the movie and the show, "barely slowed him down" could mean "has been in the hospital on life support and in physical therapy for the better part of a year."

 

[The Question]

Also I just wouldn't really like robot Coulson. So yeah I do have a bias.

 

[TheCorpulent1]

You keep saying it hasn't been established for the audience yet, but that's untrue. This is a general audience that the showrunners can reasonably assume is familiar with the unbelievably common idea of lifelike robots. I don't think it'd take nearly as long to introduce LMDs as you're implying. That's like saying introducing vampires into a superhero universe would require detailed explanations simply because the superhero universe didn't have them before (and yes, I remember the Blade movies; I'm just using this as a for-instance). Vampires are vampires are vampires. The only time explanations need to be given is when the people behind that particular iteration of vampire want to differentiate their vamps from the norm.

 

[The Question]

Yeah your probably right.

What it really comes down to is that I would just prefer the show to be about Coulson and not Coulson's clone who thinks he's Coulson. That doesn't interest me and seems silly.

 

[Wyrminarrd]

I really don't like the idea of a life model robot as it creates way to many questions regarding why they aren't using those kind of robots for everything.

A faked death is the simplest way to go and sets up possibilities for some interesting future conversations between Fury and Stark.

 

[mr. peasant]

Simplest/Best solution, I think, without undermining the weight of the Avengers scene would be to have Coulson really die (or at least mortally wounded) with Fury later bringing him back to life with some new, experimental technology at the cost of a few unintended/unwanted side effects that come to light early on and develop over the course of the show/season.

 

[DrDoom]

Maybe Coulson was a robot/LMD THE WHOLE TIME!!!!

 

[Donut]

Maybe Thor could ask Odin / name person here to bring Coulson back to life ?

 

[TheCorpulent1]

Wouldn't the audience just be asking why Thor doesn't do that all the time, then? Kind of eliminates the mortal danger thing if Thor can just pop people back to life with a call to daddy. I doubt they'll make things that easy in the show, especially since they never really have in the comics, where death has been a joke for decades.

 

[Whiskey Tango]

He was impaled right through his midsection.

http://www.cracked.com/article_17573_7-fatal-injuries-that-people-somehow-survived.html

Also, if not LMD, perhaps Skrull.

 

[TheCorpulent1]

True, people survive weird s*** sometimes. I'd be fine if Fury faked his death, I just personally prefer the LMD angle. I think it'd make for a more interesting story.

 

[DrDoom]

And if Fury DID fake his death then they would have to address it in the sequel to Avengers and I DONT want a large chunk of that movie to be about the group breaking up cause of it but then get back together in the end.

 

[mr. peasant]

Has anyone considered that Coulson's revival could potentially be revealed in Iron Man 3? Perhaps as the end credits stinger or some such? That would solve having to explain Coulson's reappearance in later movies and would serve as fantastic marketing/publicity for the SHIELD television series.

 

[James]

Has anyone considered that Coulson's revival could potentially be revealed in Iron Man 3? Perhaps as the end credits stinger or some such? That would solve having to explain Coulson's reappearance in later movies and would serve as fantastic marketing/publicity for the SHIELD television series.

That would work perfectly, good idea!

 

[mr. peasant]

It seemed pretty obvious to me.

Just imagine the scene:

After the credits, the scene starts with Fury in a sciencey medical facility, who has acquired the whatever-phlebotinum that will span the next story arc. The camera pans over to Coulson who is hooked up to advanced life support equipment. At which point, Fury announces, "Gentlemen, we can rebuild him... we have the technology". Then, fade to black.

 

[Xeno]

http://www.cracked.com/article_17573_7-fatal-injuries-that-people-somehow-survived.html

Also, if not LMD, perhaps Skrull.

But, they specifically said that they don't want to use Skrulls at all because of the ridiculous amount of confusion caused by shapeshifting aliens running amok. Plus they'd be too costly for a TV show FX budget.


The "LMD took the hit" option strikes me as the best way to handle Coulson's survival. They dropped the LMD reference into The Avengers, so why not use it to neatly explain things and tie it all together? Comics fans know about them and the GA can easily be clued in with just a few lines. "Coulson had a what?" "An LMD: Life Model Decoy. It's basically an android copy of him that duplicates everything from his appearance on down to fingerprints and retinal patterns. Coulson activated his when the Helicarrier was attacked." "So that's what Loki killed...." Easy to understand and a nice nod to the comics.

 

[Sawyer]

But, they specifically said that they don't want to use Skrulls at all because of the ridiculous amount of confusion caused by shapeshifting aliens running amok. Plus they'd be too costly for a TV show FX budget.


The "LMD took the hit" option strikes me as the best way to handle Coulson's survival. They dropped the LMD reference into The Avengers, so why not use it to neatly explain things and tie it all together? Comics fans know about them and the GA can easily be clued in with just a few lines. "Coulson had a what?" "An LMD: Life Model Decoy. It's basically an android copy of him that duplicates everything from his appearance on down to fingerprints and retinal patterns. Coulson activated his when the Helicarrier was attacked." "So that's what Loki killed...." Easy to understand and a nice nod to the comics.

I don't think so. I imagine it'd just be alot of instances of one actor shapeshifting into another actor.

That said, doubt Skrulls would come into play just yet. Or in the series at all. Might save them for the big screen.