I'm Jordan and this is the life and misadventures of me, your average 32-year-old Wisconsinite. As I get older and still remain on this fucking site, I just bitch about how annoyed I am. Have fun!
*manifesting that at least some of the powered people in She-Hulk are linked to the Inhuman Outbreak from AoS because they need to throw us a fucking bone here*
Honestly, I’m torn on the whole mutant vs Inhuman thing…on one hand, I love Inhumans and wanted that connection. But on the other hand, I’m kind of relieved that they didn’t do Inhumans and risk fucking over Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. because I continue to hope against hope that they will acknowledge the show lol
a review for thor: love and thunder rolling through at work: “the MCU struggles to make Thor/Jane seem as epic, passionate, and necessary as the love between Steve Rogers and Peggy Carter”
me, trying to figure out how to lede this review: …did someone rewrite the entire MCU overnight?
I don’t believe we’ll ever see Agents of SHIELD acknowledged in the larger MCU, but I wish people would stop stating as undisputable facts things that are really not. Therefore, venting FAQ incoming 😁 (spoilers for AoS and the movies):
The snap never happened in AoS
The snap was never mentioned in AoS.Nothing the agents do or say negate the snap. Out of universe reasons made any mention, let alone narrative follow-through, impossible, as the showrunners had limited info and couldn’t spoil the 5 years gap in Endgame, even with the season eventually scheduled to air from late spring 2019. In-universe, S6 takes place a year after Infinity War, the agents are all extremely focused on their new crisis and very little time and effort is spent on grounding the season in its own world anyway. In S7, the team travels through the past, making the snap even less relevant to their mission. Still, the series finale reportedly contained a mention that however ended on the cutting floor - alongside a meatier Quake-off and goodbyes to Deke - to trim the episode down to its regular running time (network TV gonna network TV).
Ok, but it’s too unlikely none of the team was snapped!
None of the OG Avengers were snapped. Peter’s entire circle of friends and classmates was.
Time travel in AoS doesn’t match Endgame’s
Yes, it does. Travelling to the past branches a new timeline - the whole point of S7 - and they used the Quantum Realm to travel back to their original timeline. S5 is a causal loop, with 3 timelines weaved through it. The show fully acknowledges the existence of a Multiverse of alternate/branching timelines (and did so before the movies did). “Time is fixed” was a theory the team itself proved wrong.
The show doesn’t connect to the movies
The show very much connects to the movies, through many references, at least one direct prologue, aftermath clean-ups, narrative consequences (like the impact of the Sokovia Accords) and several movie characters appearances. In addition, the show shares the movies aesthetics (especially those pertaining to SHIELD, ofc), SFX and in-universe technology. It’s the movies that don’t connect to the show, bare a couple of obscure references that only work as such if you’ve watched AoS. This was by design, as moviegoers were not expected to watch the show while the show’s audience was always expected to be at least familiar with the movies. Shared in-universe tech, if not shared visuals of said tech, has however gone both ways, given the common source material. For instance, the Kree tech and science in Captain Marvel - powers inhibitor, interstellar conscious projection/mental prison and Kree blood to heal humans - were all introduced by AoS.
The show was never in the MCU
The show was marketed as part of the same universe as the movies. The same is true the Netflix shows. Both TV and movies divisions were overseen by Marvel Entertainment when the show was first pitched and during its first two seasons. One of the creators was an important figure in Phase 1 & 2 (Joss Whedon, writer and director of both The Avengers and Age of Ultron). In 2015 Marvel Studios (movies) was put under Disney’s direct supervision (they had acquired Marvel in 2009), while Marvel TV remained under ME’s umbrella until 2019 when it was folded into Marvel Studios. Which is when this whole not MCU! not canon! hoopla started, btw.
Feige has decanonized it
Feige has done nothing of the sort. And - personal opinion here - he never will. There is no need to say anything explicit one way or the other. The MCU can ignore continuity with AoS without saying a word about it and has every incentive to keep mum, as any official stance to the contrary would devalue the show now that it lives on streaming. It’s also completely unnecessary since the Multiverse can easily encompass all Marvel properties regardless of continuity issues (real or otherwise). And if they were planning on reusing the characters, they wouldn’t telegraph it nor would they tie their narrative hands with an official acknowledgement when the best course of action is pick and choose what fits their vision and leave the rest vague. Notably, Feige’s most recent mention of AoS was countering a reporter’s dismissal of the show’s success with its audience.
AoS isn’t cannon
The show isn’t an artillery piece, that is very true.
