Marvel resurrected its most formidable S.H.I.E.L.D. agent Phil Coulson to front the ABC series "Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D." in 2013, a year after his death in "The Avengers." The character connected the Marvel TV universe to the cinematic universe -- the two will cross paths again with the upcoming "Avengers: Age of Ultron."
"You should expect something," executive producer Jed Whedon told Entertainment Weekly about a potential tie-in. "'The Avengers' is the big tent that all the franchises play under. Obviously, we're included in that."
Although the movie and TV show will have a connection, the ramifications may not prove as significant as they did after the premiere of "Captain America: The Winter Soldier." The "Captain America" sequel left S.H.I.E.L.D. in tatters thanks to the HYDRA uprising.
"I don't think any movie has the potential to impact us in the way that 'Captain America 2' did," executive producer Maurissa Tancharoen told EW, "but there will be connections."
As more and more people in the Marvel universe learned that Coulson was alive, it seemed only a matter of time before Earth's Mightiest Heroes found out as well. Jeph Loeb, head of Marvel TV, told HNGN earlier this fall that "people will be satisfied in a very good way" when the Avengers do learn the news of Coulson's rebirth.
"When it happens, and where that happens is such a large event that we need to make sure it's in the right place and at the right time," Loeb said. "Keep in mind, [S.H.I.E.L.D. is] a secret organization, so they've been keeping an awful lot of secrets from the Avengers for a long time."
"Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D." airs its fall finale tonight at 9 p.m. on ABC. "Avengers: Age of Ultron" will hit theaters on May 1.
