Marvel Studios used New York Comic-Con 2026 to announce a new live-action Disney+ series, and it’s a concept no one saw coming. While we don’t have any official story details or casting for Marvel’s Zodiac, the show’s logo, buzz around it, and some possible cast reveals on social media have all invited speculation that this show will (at least in part) deal with the remnants of the SHIELD organization, possibly to restart it. The series title references a Marvel Comics storyline that revealed how many prominent members of Marvel espionage or terrorist organizations (SHIELD, Hydra, the Red Room) came together to seek out and obtain artifacts of power.
Many fans have already jumped to the conclusion that the MCU Zodiac will be a way for the Marvel Cinematic Universe to integrate a cult-favorite team into its canon: Suddenly, Agents of SHIELD has become a major talking point again. And we have to use that opportunity to push for the series to finally get the recognition it deserves, where it deserves it: in the MCU.
Marvel Studios has already set a precedent for importing Marvel franchises that once ran semi-adjacent to the MCU: Just look at the entire “Defenders universe” that existed on Netflix in the 2010s. Daredevil (Charlie Cox), Wilson Fisk (Vincent D’Onofrio), Jessica Jones (Krysten Ritter), Luke Cage (Mike Colter), and Danny Rand/Iron Fist (Finn Jones) have all been brought over to the MCU, and will all be featured in Daredevil: Born Again Season 3, which premieres next year. Continuity wasn’t a major issue: Born Again and other MCU projects with imported Defenders universe characters highlight the aspects of the Netflix canon and characters that they want, and don’t worry about making all of the previous shows sync perfectly with the Avengers universe.
If the entire Defenders universe can make it into the MCU, Agents of SHIELD shouldn’t be a tall order. Especially since the lead character was one of the first to ever appear in the MCU. Agent Phil Coulson (Clark Gregg) was the man who recruited Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) into the Avengers Initiative and scouted other Avengers like Thor (Chris Hemsworth) and Hulk (Mark Ruffalo) to bring the original team together for Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson). Coulson died in Avengers while defending the Helicarrier against Loki, but was brought back for Agents of SHIELD. The show ended with Coulson retiring to live (in an android body, or “Life Model Decoy”), while his squad of elite agents carried on the good work of defending against the kind of threats SHIELD was created for.
The SHIELD logo is prominently featured in the title design for Zodiac, and Coulson actor Clark Gregg is already signal-boosting the new show. This is the perfect time to utilize select members of the AoS cast who are still active in the industry. It was a pretty big ensemble by the end (FitzSimmons, Daisy Johnson/Quake, Coulson, Mack, Melinda May, Yo-Yo Rodriguez – even a few time-displaced agents), so there’s a wide list of characters to pick from. Even one of them (Coulson) appearing in Zodiac opens the door for the rest to follow, down the line.
After the events of Avengers: Secret Wars, the MCU has a chance at a new start. There have already been corrective measures taken to get the Defenders, X-Men, and Fantastic Four into the MCU; appeasing the Agents of SHIELD fandom by making those characters part of the next era feels like a no-brainer.
Do you want to see Agents of SHIELD‘s characters fully made part of the MCU? Let us know in the comments! Zodiac is currently in development at Marvel TV.
