The season five finale of Marvel's Agents of SHIELD made the pretty ballsy move in killing off Agent Phil Coulson, the very heart of the show.
It's something that has changed the entire dynamic of the series going forward, but that wasn't why the decision was made. It was because they thought they weren't going forward at all.
Speaking to io9, actor Clark Gregg stated that: "Coulson goes off to Tahiti with Agent May at the end of season five without much time left and it was a very moving, sad thing the show did. We thought we were maybe done.
"Then they picked us up for two seasons, and at a certain point they asked me to direct an episode, and sat me down to explain some of this season."
Speaking about his new role on the show, Gregg added: "These humanoid people show up and one of them looks a lot like Coulson. He’s bad, he’s dangerous, and terrifying.
"He’s a different person and it’s difficult for everyone to cope with, but especially Agent May and Daisy."
What to Read Next
While he may not be playing the character we all know and love in SHIELD any more, Gregg did reprise the role of Coulson in Captain Marvel, which was set in the 1990s.
Agents of SHIELD returns for season 6 later this year on ABC and E4, while a seventh is already filming.
Want up-to-the-minute entertainment news and features? Just hit 'Like' on our Digital Spy Facebook page and 'Follow' on our @digitalspy Instagram and Twitter account.
Joe Anderton is a freelance news writer at Digital Spy, having worked there since 2016. In his time, he's covered a host of live events and interviewed celebrities big and small. A big fan of TV and movies both mainstream and obscure, Joe also enjoys video games and in particular PlayStation. Joe currently does not use Twitter, but he only ever used it to tell people to watch the film Help! I'm a Fish.
