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"HYDRA just released the entire population of the Fridge into the wild. There's going to be violence. People will die, and I still consider it to be my duty to be the shield that protects them."
Phillip J. "Phil" Coulson is the Director of S.H.I.E.L.D.. Prior to his appointment, he was one of the organization's best operatives. He served as Former Director Nick Fury's right-hand man for his most important missions. He was put in charge of surveillance and served as the primary operative in Fury's Avengers Initiative. Agent Coulson also ran ground interference and tactical operations in Puente Antiguo, New Mexico as part of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s investigation surrounding the incident with Thor and the Destroyer. Coulson was also the primary S.H.I.E.L.D. operative in the investigation into Stark Industries: Sector 16 and the incident on the Howard Stark Memorial Freeway.
During the Attack on the Helicarrier, Agent Coulson was killed by Loki. His death gave the Avengers the push they needed to band together and stop the Chitauri invasion. On the orders of Director Fury, Coulson was brought to the Guest House, a secret facility where he was brought back to life using treatments developed by Project T.A.H.I.T.I., a project which he had formerly presided over. To preserve his sanity after he was healed, all memory of these events were removed from his mind.
Coulson returned to S.H.I.E.L.D. to lead a new team to investigate the cases S.H.I.E.L.D. had not yet classified. While on this team, Coulson discovered the truth about the events after his death. During the S.H.I.E.L.D. Civil War, despite the dissolution of S.H.I.E.L.D. and the betrayal of a member of his team, he led his team against the forces of HYDRA, attempting to stop his former colleague John Garrett, winning the final battle in which Garrett was ultimately defeated. After the battle, Nick Fury appointed him the new Director of S.H.I.E.L.D., ordering him to rebuild the organization from scratch.
Coulson's first mission was with Melinda May. He was sent on a retrieval operation to a coffee shop in Sausalito. Unfortunately, there was not an exit strategy. May was in the bay for five hours until Coulson eventually fished her out.[9]
Over the years, Coulson and May developed a good friendship. The two often spoke being able to pick their own ops and call their own shots.[1]
Coulson later went on to become Fury's trusted right-hand man.
In 2002, Coulson was sent to Cusco, Peru. During the mission, he met and befriended Camilla Reyes, an officer of the Peruvian Military. It is also possible that their relationship was greater than just a friendship.[10]
Coulson also recruited a talented woman named Akela Amador into S.H.I.E.L.D. Amador was not a team player and did not see the value of teamwork, but Coulson felt that he could nurture these qualities in her. In 2006, Amador led a raid into one of the gulags run by the notorious criminal Vanchat that had a disastrous outcome. Fearing the worst, Coulson sent a second team in to verify the loss of Amador's team. While the second team found evidence of carnage, there was no evidence that Amador was one of the victims, leading Coulson to believe she was still alive. Coulson followed up an rumors that Amador was being held in Shanxi Province, but she had already been moved by her captors.[11]
On an Index Asset Evaluation and Intake report to Manama, Bahrain, Coulson and May encountered the followers of the "Gifted" individual they had come to investigate, who took several members of their team hostage. May went in without weapons and crossed off the enemy force single-handedly, rescuing the agents. The episode earned May the nickname of "The Cavalry".[12]
When Nick Fury encountered Bruce Banner in a bar and saw his transformation into Hulk, he called a meeting for some of his S.H.I.E.L.D. operatives. Coulson tried to tell him that he and the others would be better prepared the next time Hulk attacks, but Fury said that Hulk was now just a secondary matter.[13]
"Good morning, Director Fury. I regret to inform you that I’m handing in my resignation. I know you brought me on to Project T.A.H.I.T.I. because you trusted my judgment, and it’s that judgment that’s telling me I can no longer, in my good conscious, let the testing continue."
In coordination with the Avengers Initiative, Nick Fury started Project T.A.H.I.T.I., and put Coulson as its director. The goal of the project was to create a medicine that could save a mortally wounded Avenger.[14] Located within the Guest House, the scientists assigned to the project used a decaying alien corpse so they could drain it of its bodily fluids and turn them into powerful drugs. A drug called the GH.325 had the capability to repair the injured tissue and cure deadly diseases.[15] Coulson then chose 6 agents who were dying of terminal illnesses. At first, the patients were doing fine. Unfortunately, the patients started to speak gibberish and started to write strange symbols on anything including their bodies.[16] Coulson seeing how the side effects on test subjects were too extreme, resigned from his position, recommended the project's shutdown[14] and that the alien corpse be destroyed. He also had the patients memories erased and gave them new identities, giving them a chance of a normal life.[16]
"I can be in Afghanistan by sunrise, Director Fury." "You can. But you won't. We're the Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement and Logistics Division. Note the word "Homeland". We're not currently authorized for foreign ops."
After wealthy industrialist Tony Stark was kidnapped in Afghanistan by the terrorist group called the Ten Rings, Coulson and Nick Fury feared that Stark, being just a wealthy civilian and not a trained soldier, could tell his kidnappers everything he knows about the American national security, since Stark was involved in making many weapons for the United States Armed Forces. Coulson immediately offered to go searching for Stark himself, but Fury stopped him, because the agency wasn't authorized for foreign operations in Afghanistan. Instead, he sent him to Stark's business partner Obadiah Stane, to see if Stark is a man who could sell his country to save his own skin.
When he arrived at the Stark Industriesheadquarters, Stane told Coulson that Stark couldn't tell the Ten Rings much about the American defense systems. Back at the agency, Fury again refused Coulson's offer to search for Stark himself.[17]
Chasing Tony Stark
Coulson tries to arrange a meeting with Tony Stark about S.H.I.E.L.D.
"I'm Agent Phil Coulson with the Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement and Logistics Division." "That's quite a mouthful." "I know. We're working on it."
Three months later, Tony Stark was found by the Army in the desert. Nick Fury didn't believe Stark's story that the terrorists' ammo dump accidentally exploded. He thought that Stark was actually recruited by the Ten Rings and sent to the only place where he could have all the necessary equipment to make more weapons for them―his home.[17]
When Coulson met Stark's secretary Pepper Potts, he attempted to set up a meeting with Tony Stark regarding his abduction and subsequent "rescue" in Afghanistan. However, Stark was busy, as he organized a press conference where he announced that he was shutting down the weapon's manufacturing division of his company.[18]
A few days later, the agency's satellites detected something that looked like an unmanned aerial vehicle. But when Fury and Coulson saw the footage of the "vehicle's" flight through the streets of Los Angeles, they realized the "vehicle" was actually Stark in a flying armored suit. To be sure, they hacked Stark's computers and found confirmation that Stark was working on the development of the armored suit.[17]
"Mr. Stark." "Yeah?" "Agent Coulson." "Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah, the guy from the..." "Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement and Logistics Division." "Whew! God, you really need a new name for that." "Yeah, I hear that a lot."
Later, Coulson finally met Tony Stark at the Third Annual Firefighters' Fund gala. Stark was too busy to talk with Coulson, but he agreed to a meeting at some other time.[18]
A few days later, both Coulson and Nick Fury were in Afghanistan, where they visited the village of Gulmira. When one agent found an abandoned camera, they saw footage of Stark in a repainted armor attacking the Ten Rings and destroying their piles of weapons. Back at S.H.I.E.L.D. Headquarters, Coulson and Fury saw that Stark was being chased by two F-22 Raptors. When one plane went down and Stark risked his life to save the pilot, Fury finally realized that he was wrong. He then ordered Coulson to check Obadiah Stane's activities with Stark's financials.[17]
Coulson and other S.H.I.E.L.D. agents attempt to arrest Obadiah Stane
Coulson immediately went to Stark Industries Headquarters where he encountered Pepper Potts who informed him about Stane's involvement in Stark's kidnapping and attempted homicide. Coulson and four other agents tried to arrest Stane, but their efforts were thwarted by Stane who was now wearing his own armor. However, in the ensuing battle, Stane was defeated by Stark.[18]
I am Iron Man
Coulson, Potts, and Stark.
"Agent Coulson, I just wanted to say thank you very much for all of your help." "That's what we do. You'll be hearing from us." "From the Strategic Homeland..." "Just call us S.H.I.E.L.D."
A few minutes after Tony Stark's battle with Obadiah Stane, Stark and James Rhodes were taken to a secret base where they encountered Agent Coulson. Coulson told them that Stark's fight against Stane was good, but that he needs to learn how to become a real fighter, and that his colleagues will teach him.[19]
The next morning, Coulson came to Stark Industries Headquarters where the journalists expected to hear from Stark about the incident that happened, and who the mysterious "Iron Man" really is. Coulson gave Stark a cover story for the incident, even procuring fifty people to all say that Stark was in Avalon. As Pepper Potts thanked him for all he did for them, he said they'll hear from his agency again. When she tried to say the whole name of the agency, he interrupted her and spoke the acronym "S.H.I.E.L.D." instead.[18]
When Coulson returned to the S.H.I.E.L.D. Headquarters, both he and Nick Fury watched the press conference. When Coulson asked for Fury's opinion on Stark's possible future work with S.H.I.E.L.D., Fury liked the acronym so much that he decided to make it official. A few seconds later, both Coulson and Fury were shocked when Stark publicly revealed that he was Iron Man.[17]
New Tasks
"...He didn't spill a drop of blood this time." "That's true. Perhaps he's finally figured out the role he could play here."
―A S.H.I.E.L.D. agent and Phil Coulson about Tony Stark[src]
Later, after Stark rejected the offer to join the Avengers Initiative, S.H.I.E.L.D. started to watch him. After watching how Stark saved a pilot from an enemy area, Coulson wondered if Stark finally figured how to play the role he may play at S.H.I.E.L.D. He asked Fury his thoughts on this, but Fury told him to not mistake Stark's actions as any kind of new found maturity and that they will keep watching him.[21]
"We keep doing what we're doing and tell them that we're doing what they want us to be doing." "How?" "Hell, I dunno. Get creative. Cook the books. Whatever it takes to let us do this job right."
A few months later, Coulson and Nick Fury led an expedition to Greenland in hopes of finding Steve Rogers, the American war hero from World War II. They didn't find Rogers, but they found one of the disabled flying bombs from HYDRA's super bomber, the Valkyrie. Though Fury wanted to continue the search, the World Security Council ordered them to shut down the operation and return to New York City. Twelve hours later, the Council ordered Fury to stop wasting time on what they called "wasteful programs" and focus on reigniting the Tesseract, naming that operation "Project P.E.G.A.S.U.S.". Despite the direct order, Fury decided to continue with his usual activities, and he told Coulson to do the same.[22]
Watching Over Stark
Coulson in Tony Stark's workshop.
"If you try to escape, or play any sort of games with me, I will taze you and watch Supernanny while you drool into the carpet."
When Tony Stark got drunk and had a battle with James Rhodes at his own birthday party, Nick Fury put Coulson in charge of guarding Stark, making sure he doesn't leave his house. Later, when Coulson went down to Stark's workshop and found one of the early prototypes of Captain America's shield in Howard Stark's casket, Stark took the shield and used it to balance the Particle Accelerator he was building.[23]
Later, Coulson informed Fury about the appearance of a wormhole over New Mexico, and Fury agreed to send an expedition led by Coulson himself. When Coulson asked his colleague Natasha Romanoff, the famous Black Widow, if she could handle things at Stark's house, she said yes.[24]
While going to New Mexico, Coulson stopped at a Roxxon service station to buy some snacks and fill his car with gas. While he was in the shop, two robbers threatened the clerk with shotguns. Coulson intervened, passing them his car keys, but showing them his gun. When he gave the gun to them, he quickly knocked both of them unconscious. He returned to the counter and bought two snacks, payed, told the clerk to keep the change and then left the scene.[25]
Coulson finds Thor's hammer
Upon arriving in the deserts of New Mexico, Coulson and his team discovered the crater site with the mysterious hammer at the center.[26] They labeled the object an 0-8-4, and called in a team to analyze it. Though the locals have discovered the hammer before Coulson's team, no one was able to lift it or move it, not even with the help of their vehicles. Coulson and his men quickly set up a perimeter and a base of operations around the crater.[27] A professor who specialized in the fields of Norse mythology named Elliot Randolph helped Coulson and his group with discovering what the hammer was.[28]
Coulson's next mission was to confiscate all of the research about the mysterious wormhole that Jane Foster and her scientific team had collected. They traveled to Puente Antiguo, and despite Foster's protests, Coulson and his men took all of their equipment.[27]
The same night, an unknown man infiltrated Coulson's base and managed to single-highhandedly take out a dozen of S.H.I.E.L.D. agents with various fighting styles. Coulson observed from a distance but not before asking Clint Barton to prepare to take action if necessary. When the attacker tried and failed to lift the hammer, Coulson's men easily captured him.[27]
Shortly after, Coulson interrogated the stranger about his identity and his training believing him to be a warrior of some type. However, the stranger refused to answer his questions. The interrogation was interrupted when Foster's colleague Erik Selvig arrived and informed Coulson that the stranger is Donald Blake, a member of his scientific staff. An agent confirmed Selving's story by running a background check in the computer database and finding a falsified document created by Jane Foster. Though Coulson knew that Selvig was lying, he agreed to free "Donald", only to secretly assign agents to follow Selvig and "his friend".[27]
Attacked by the Destroyer
Thor and Phil Coulson.
"Is that one of Stark's?" "I don't know. Guy never tells me anything."
A few days later, Agent Jasper Sitwell discovered the coordinates of another potential crater site that appeared to have an exact signature match to the mysterious hammer. When Coulson and a unit of S.H.I.E.L.D. agents went to investigate, they found a gigantic armor of unknown origin. As the armor slowly approached them, Sitwell asked Coulson if the armor was one of Tony Stark's. Coulson replied that Stark doesn't tell him anything, and tried to speak with the armor, but the iron giant attacked them.[27]
Coulson managed to survive the attack from the armor. When the armor attackedPuente Antiguo, Coulson saw "Donald" gaining mysterious supernatural powers. When "Donald" summoned the hammer and defeated the armor, Coulson realized that "Donald" is actually Thor, the Norse God of Thunder and Prince of Asgard. Coulson confronted Thor who offered his services in protecting Earth under the sole condition that Coulson returns all of Foster's research and material back to her. Coulson agreed to Thor's terms and requested that they be debriefed just before Thor flew upwards with Jane in his arms.[27]
Later, Coulson and Clint Barton supervised the transport of the armor to a secret S.H.I.E.L.D. facility.[29]
New Missions
The Big Problem
Sitwell and Coulson.
"They want Blonsky in the team." "The Abomination?" "They really don't like when you call him that."
Both Coulson and Sitwell agreed that releasing Blonsky from the Army's custody would be foolish, and they decided to send a consultant to talk to Ross and convince him not to free Blonsky, someone so irritating and annoying that Ross would simply refuse to free Blonksy. Unwillingly, Coulson decided to send Tony Stark.[30]
A few days later, Coulson and Sitwell met at the same cafe. Their plan worked as they expected because Stark's annoying behavior made Ross so angry that he refused to free Blonsky.[30]
Russia
Coulson talks with Black Widow.
"Nat! Stay with me, Nat!" "Damn you, Coulson... Never call me "Nat"..."
―Phil Coulson and Natasha Romanoff[src]
Some time later, when Natasha Romanoff was sent to Moscow to interrogate the arms dealer Mikhail Fjodorov, Coulson acted as control for her mission. After Fjodorov was killed, Romanoff cut off her contact with S.H.I.E.L.D. and started chasing Sofia, a woman who wanted to eliminate her and become the new Black Widow.[31]
Coulson then followed a pair of goons working for the arms dealer General Starodoub. Two of Coulson's men were killed by Sofia, but Coulson came just in time to save Natasha's life. He gave her the necessary equipment to infiltrate the yacht belonging to Yuri Klementiev, one of General Starodoub's business partners, where she met Sofia again, an encounter which cost them the life of agent Gennady Markov.[32]
When Coulson discovered that Sofia's employer was the billionaire Richard Frampton, Natasha infiltrated his headquarters in Vladivostok. She discovered that Frampton works for the Ten Rings terrorist organization and that he has made a Jericho missile that would explode near the border between Russia and North Korea, greatly destabilizing the world peace. When Romanoff destroyed the missile, Coulson led a team of agents to the launching area where they captured all surviving members of the Ten Rings.[33]
Finding Captain America
Coulson looks at the Destroyer.
"Wasn't expecting you here." "I was woken up by a call this morning... a call from up north with big news. We've found Steve Rogers."
A year after the battle of Puente Antiguo, a group of scientists successfully reactivated the giant armor that attacked the city. When Coulson saw this, he told the chief scientist to make the armor a hundred times smaller and put a trigger on it.[34]
A few minutes later, Coulson was called by Fury, who informed him that Steve Rogers was finally found. When Coulson arrived at the place of the discovery, he saw his colleagues excavating Rogers' completely frozen, but still living body from the wreck of HYDRA's giant plane, the Valkyrie. However, there was no time for celebrating, as Fury immediately sent Coulson on another mission.[34]
"Dr. Selvig read an energy surge from the Tesseract four hours ago." "NASA didn't authorize Selvig to go to test phase." "He wasn't testing it, he wasn't even in the room. Spontaneous event."
A few months later, Coulson, Nick Fury, and Fury's second in command Maria Hill were at the secret S.H.I.E.L.D. facility where a group of scientists studied the Tesseract, an object of seemingly unlimited power. When the Tesseract suddenly activated, with no apparent reason, a man suddenly appeared, holding a scepter of alien origin. The stranger displayed powers similar to those of Thor, and he made it clear that he wants to take possession of the Tesseract and conquer the Earth. The stranger introduced himself as Loki, and with the power of the scepter, took control over Dr. Erik Selvig, Agent Clint Barton, and several other agents. In the ensuing battle, Loki and his men escaped with the Tesseract, and the entire base was destroyed.[5]
Coulson secretly sends Jane Foster to Tromsø.
Fearing for the safety of Jane Foster, Coulson told a fellow agent to contact her and giver her a lucrative job offer at a S.H.I.E.L.D. observatory in Tromsø, Norway which she took.[35]
Contacting the Black Widow
"I'll brief you on everything when you get back. But first, we need you to talk to the big guy." "Coulson, you know that Stark trusts me about as far as he can throw me." "Oh, I've got Stark. You get the big guy."
With the Tesseract in the hands of a hostile demigod, Nick Fury decided to form the Avengers, a group of extraordinary people who could protect the planet better than he and his men. The first candidate was Dr. Bruce Banner, Hulk, but they needed Natasha Romanoff to convince him to join them. Coulson called Natasha on the phone, and when he told her that Clint Barton had gone rogue, she easily defeated her captors, the Russian General Georgi Luchkov and his men, and went to Kolkata, India. Natasha was able to find Banner and convince him to join S.H.I.E.L.D.[5]
"Mr. Stark, we need to talk." "You have reached the life model decoy of Tony Stark, please leave a message." "This is urgent." "Then leave it urgently."
A few days later, Coulson visited Tony Stark in his completely finished Stark Tower, where Tony and his girlfriend Pepper Potts were having a small party. Though Tony was reluctant to join the team, he agreed when Pepper convinced him, and after Coulson gave him all the available data about the Avengers Initiative and the Tesseract.[5]
Meeting Captain America
Coulson meets Captain America.
"I gotta say, it's an honor to meet you, officially. I sort of met you, I mean, I watched you while you were sleeping. I mean, I was... I was present while you were unconscious from the ice. You know, it's really, it's just a... just a huge honor to have you on board." "Well, I hope I'm the man for the job." "Oh, you are. Absolutely."
Coulson's next assignment was to escort Steve Rogers, the hero better known as Captain America, to the Helicarrier. Onboard the Quinjet, Coulson was more than happy to meet his all-time hero, who has joined the Avengers Initiative on Fury's invitation. When Coulson asked Rogers to sign his vintage Captain America Card Collection which he gathered in around two years, he revealed the fact that Rogers has always been a model for him.[5]
Death
Coulson on the Helicarrier.
"I'm sorry, boss. The god rabbited." "Just stay awake. Eyes on me." "No, I'm clockin' out here." "Not an option." "It's okay, boss. This was never gonna work... if they didn't have something... to..."
Once onboard the Helicarrier, Coulson took up other duties. After the first mission of the team, Coulson said to Nick Fury that the team is not prepared to face the common menace, and that they need to be motivated someway. When Stark managed to capture Loki in Stuttgart, Germany, Thor suddenly appeared, and tried to take Loki back to Asgard. However, the whole group assembled on the Helicarrier, where Thor informed them about Loki's plan to conquer the planet with the army of the Chitauri. During the meeting, Coulson informed Thor that he has moved Jane Foster to a safe place.[5]
When a brainwashed Clint Bartonattacked the Helicarrier with the group of mercenaries, Loki managed to escape from his prison cell. When Coulson reached Loki's cell, he found the Asgardian free, and Thor trapped in his place. Coulson threatened Loki with a weapon created from the Destroyer, but he was aiming the weapon at an illusion; the real Loki snuck up behind Coulson and stabbed him in the back.[5]
Phil saying his "last words".
Severely wounded, Coulson could do nothing to prevent Thor's expulsion from the Helicarrier, but he managed to land a blow on Loki with his gun. Later, when the battle was over and lost, Fury reached his agent, just in time to hear him suggesting to use his death to motivate the divided Avengers into working together as a team.[5]
Aftermath
"And there's one other person you pissed off. His name was Phil."
Coulson's death was the trigger which finally united the Avengers. A few hours later, when Loki led an army of the Chitauri against New York City, the Avengers fought a bloody battle against the alien invaders, showing that they will avenge Coulson. In the end, the Avengers were victorious, and Loki was captured and transported to Asgard.[5]
Coulson suffers a near mental breakdown due to side-effects from the GH.325 drug that saved his life
"Let me die, please. Please. Please, I'm begging you let me die. Please! Please, let me die! Let me die, please! Please! Let me die! Please! Let me die!"
After at least seven operations, Fury's doctors were actually able to bring Coulson back to life days after he had been killed. The process was extremely, inhumanly agonizing for Coulson, who begged the doctors to let him die.[6]
Not long after he was brought back to life, Coulson began to experience the same mental breakdowns suffered by other patients of Project T.A.H.I.T.I.. He began craving alien symbols and screaming at his doctors that he needed to know what they meant. Fearing that he could suffer a horrible death the doctors choose to erase his memory.
Coulson's recollection of the events after his fatal wounds.
Nick Fury and Doctor Streiten ordered that altered some of his memories with a robotic-assisted neural micro-surgery, to make him believe that he was revived in Tahiti, in order to cope with the pain he felt and to make him less suicidal, as he wanted to die due to the intense agony he was experiencing. S.H.I.E.L.D. Doctor Streiten maintained that the methods used to restore Coulson to life were unethical and felt that they should have let him die.[6] Coulson also forgot everything about Project T.A.H.I.T.I., including the fact he was the leader of the project.[14] The details of his revival are only available for agents with Clearance Level 10 or above.
Recovery
Coulson had no memory of the time immediately following the incident. He was told that he was "dead" for only eight seconds, but Coulson knew that it was more than that. He remembered being somewhere else, in a beautiful afterlife.[36]
Coulson and Maria Hill.
All he remembered was being attacked by Loki and recovering in a grass shack in Tahiti reading Travis McGee novels and having a physical therapist whose command of English was "relevant". Dr. Streiten was reluctant to release him back into active duty given the horrific nature of his recovery and was astonished to realize that Coulson was unaware of the truth of his survival. Agent Maria Hill told Streiten that Coulson could never know the truth.[1]
After his recovery, Coulson was re-inserted into duty and assembled a small, highly trained team of agents to tackle the cases that haven’t been classified yet, the new, the strange and the unknown. Among the recruited agents was also his old colleague Melinda May, one of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s best field operatives.[1]
Coulson talks to Mike Peterson
In the team's first mission, they investigated the case of Michael Peterson, a man who had been given powers from an unknown benefactor using the Centipede Device. During this mission, Coulson and his team of scientists saved Peterson's life and he recruited the Rising Tide hacker Skye onto the team, whose impressive computer skills had given them leads into a new dangerous organisation called Centipede. Coulson also felt that her compassion and street smarts could be of great value to the team.[1]
New Actions
"You used to have 100 men at your disposal, and now...?" "A hand-picked team. And yes, they're that good."
Soon after, the team headed to Peru to investigate the appearance of an 0-8-4, where Coulson was reunited with―and betrayed by―his old flame Commandante Camilla Reyes.[10]
Hall was determined to destroy the supply of Gravitonium procured by Quinn. In the actions that followed, Hall was seemingly lost, enveloped by the Gravitonium. Coulson, believing that it was what Hall would have wanted, ordered the Gravitonium be stored in an unmarked vault in The Fridge without any record of its existence, keeping it out of the hands of any who would abuse it, even S.H.I.E.L.D.[37]
Soon after, Coulson became aware of a number of jewelry heists that he suspected were being committed by his old protégé, Akela Amador. After confirming Amador's involvement, Coulson and the team tracked her from Stockholm, Sweden, to Zloda, Belarus, where they discovered that she was, in fact, being controlled by an unknown handler through a bionic implant in her eye. The eye was of a technology more advanced than anything at S.H.I.E.L.D.'s disposal and spoke to the resources of Amador's mysterious captors.[11]
Coulson and Akela Amador.
Coulson and his team managed to track down and subdue Amador, hijack the signal that was controlling her, and ultimately remove the implant, freeing her. Coulson, with May's help, tracked down Amador's handler, but when confronted, the man dropped dead from his own implant, deepening the mystery.[11]
Coulson again investigated the Centipede Project in Hong Kong, where he led an unsuccessful mission to rescue the Index-registered individual Chan Ho Yin, who had been kidnapped by the mysterious agency.[38]
Skye's Mystery
"Why are you here? You've been keeping something from us this whole time. And it wasn't just a boyfriend. You have a secret, Skye, and one chance to come out with it. That's now, or I'm done with you."
While tracking Rising Tide hacker Miles Lydon, Coulson and the team were seemingly betrayed by Skye, who warned Lydon that S.H.I.E.L.D. was on his trail, choosing loyalty to her boyfriend over S.H.I.E.L.D. After the incident, Coulson chose to give Skye another chance, but only if she came completely clean with him and agreed to wear a Tracking Bracelet at all times.[38]
Coulson with Skye.
Skye agreed and told Coulson of her life-long quest to find the truth about her parents, who disappeared mysteriously when she was an infant. The only evidence about them that Skye had ever found was a single document from the orphanage that she grew up in with all of the pertinent data redacted by S.H.I.E.L.D. Coulson agreed to help Skye and find out what he could about her parents, but warned her that she might not like what she finds.[38]
Later, after a visit to The Hub, Coulson was true to his word and looked up the un-redacted file. Coulson told Skye that the document was actually about the woman who dropped her off at the orphanage, an un-identified S.H.I.E.L.D. agent. Coulson discovered more than that however, but chose to keep the rest of the information from Skye until he knew more. To this end, he recruited Melinda May to help him uncover the truth.[39]
Soon after, Coulson and May tracked down Richard Lumley, the only surviving agent from the old case involving Skye's parents in Mexico City, Mexico. Lumley revealed to Coulson that S.H.I.E.L.D. had designated the infant Skye as an 0-8-4, an object on unknown origin. He then revealed to Coulson how the agents involved in the case were systematically killed afterward and how agent Linda Avery hid Skye in the foster care system before being murdered herself. Tiring of secrets, Coulson chose to reveal this classified information to Skye.[40]
Coulson soon began to realize that the circumstances of his recovery didn't quite add up. He began having troubles with simple actions that should be performed through muscle memory, something that he originally wrote-off as his simply being "rusty".[37] Also, every time his recovery in Tahiti was mentioned, Coulson would automatically reply, "It's a magical place" as if it were a programmed response,[1][10] something Coulson himself eventually noticed.[39]Akela Amador noticed something different about Coulson and was certain that something had been done to him.[11]
Coulson eventually decided to investigate the matter himself and requested access to his "Death and Recovery" report, only to be told that he didn't have access to the file despite having the appropriate authorization to see it. Coulson declined to put in a formal request to Nick Fury to see the file.[39]
Soon after, Coulson began to have nightmares about Tahiti.[28]
"Whatever this is, whatever you think you’re doing, it won’t work. I won’t give you what you want." "You will. And what we want is simple: we want you to tell us about the day after you died."
The truth finally came out after Coulson was kidnapped by the Centipede Project, who sought the secret of Coulson's resurrection as the Clairvoyant foresaw that this information was the key to "Stage Three" of their super-soldier project.[41]
Group operative Raina treated Coulson with a device that utilized Theta-waves to stimulate hidden memories. Coulson remembered the horrific, catastrophic pain that he endured in the process of bringing him back and the bizarre machine that worked on his exposed brain.[6]
Coulson was rescued by his team before he could reveal any of this to Raina, and soon after he confronted one of the doctors involved, Dr. Streiten. Streiten confirmed that the process had been ordered by Director Nick Fury himself and that Fury had brought Streiten in with the seventh procedure to restore Coulson.[6]
Streiten informed Coulson that the process to restore him had robbed him of his will to live and that they had implanted the false memory of Tahiti to help restore the man he had been.[6]
Soon after, Coulson was allowed to see the full report on his death and recovery.[40]
Skye's Story
Agent May and Coulson in Mexico City.
"When we started this, I told you that you might not like what you learn." "And I told you... That it can't be worse than what I've imagined." "It is."
Lumley told Coulson the story of that long-ago op. Soon after returning home, the other agents involved in the op began to be eliminated until only he and Linda Avery remained. Avery took steps to hide Skye in the foster care system, making sure she would never be in one place for too long, before being murdered herself.[40]
Coulson, tiring of secrets, revealed this to Skye but feared that learning of all of the lives lost on her behalf would shatter her spirit. However, in the end, Skye's resilience surprised him. She was grateful that S.H.I.E.L.D. had protected her all of these years and now considered them to be the family that she never had.[40]
The Mysterious Weapon
Coulson and his teammates.
"Uh, Coulson? Should I set some extra place settings for dinner? Looks like you made some friends." "Skye. We're coming in hot."
After learning of Ian Quinn's ties to the Clairvoyant, Coulson focused his team's efforts on finding and apprehending Quinn.[40] After the mission at S.H.I.E.L.D. Academy of Science and Technology, the team was informed by John Garrett about some mysterious weapon in Jamaica. The team went to the town of Negril and found the weapon. After some skirmish with the guards they managed to get the weapon onboard the Bus and fly off. Once they examined the weapon, Skye was able to hack the weapon's code and track its origin to the remote town of Limoux, France. During the flight, Coulson had a video conversation with Garrett about the weapon and Garrett's former protege, Agent Ward.[42]
Tracking the Clairvoyant
Cybertek
"The world is full of evil, lies, pain, and death and you can’t hide from it. You can only face it. The question is when you do, how do you respond, who do you become?"
Upon finding records of Quinn making a ten-million dollar purchase from Cybertek, and Coulson's belief that Cybertek would deliver this purchase to Quinn personally, Coulson made arrangements for his team to go undercover.
Coulson made arrangements with the Italian authorities to allow S.H.I.E.L.D. to take over the investigations on Cybertek, and placed his team on the train which Cybertek security chief Carlo Mancini was traveling to make the delivery to Quinn.
Coulson tracking Cybertek in Italy.
Unfortunately, Coulson and his team were betrayed by local officer Luca Russo, who was working with Cybertek, and was being paid large amounts of money to ensure that Cybertek's deliveries went unhindered. Coulson, and Agents Grant Ward and Melinda May, were separated from the train, leaving only Agents Leo Fitz, Jemma Simmons and Skye to track the delivery.[43]
Coulson managed to track down his team, Cybertek and Quinn at a mansion on the Italian countryside, but not before Cybertek delivered Quinn's purchase-- a Cybertek Prosthetic Leg -- made for captured former S.H.I.E.L.D. trainee Michael Peterson in the Clairvoyant's efforts to transform Peterson into the cybernetic assassin called "Deathlok", nor before Quinn shot Skye twice in the stomach at the behest of the Clairvoyant.[43]
After taking Quinn into custody, Coulson found the wounded Skye and called for Simmons. Simmons managed to temporarily prevented Skye from dying by placing her into a Hyperbaric Chamber, which lowered her core body temperature for the two-hour transport to the S.H.I.E.L.D. Trauma Zentrum in Switzerland.[43]
The Guest House
Coulson discovers the alien corpse which saved his life
"I trust them, but we need to protect them from this. Fury went to dangerous lengths to keep this under wraps, lied to me, lied to S.H.I.E.L.D. This is a powerful secret – a secret men died for. Until we know why, we can't share this with anyone, for their safety and ours."
At the Guest House, Coulson found a shocking secret, the serum that saved his life was derived from an alien corpse. However, the drug was injected into Skye.[15] After Skye recovered, Coulson told her his concerns about the side effects and banned Jemma Simmons from trying to reuse the blood samples with the drug. Meanwhile, Melinda May called a secret phone line and told Nick Fury that "Coulson knows" the truth.[44]
Coulson's team teamed up with Lady Sif of Asgard when an Asgardian sorceress escaped and began using an army of mind controlled men to take over earth. Sif and Coulson's team located her and tried to capture her, but she was able to take over the mind of Grant Ward. With his help she took over the Bus and managed to also control the mind of Leo Fitz. Coulson was able to take back the Bus and Sif was able to capture Lorelei.
"Think about it. The Clairvoyant only knew you'd be at Quinn's villa..." "After I dropped a tracker. And the only thing he's had trouble seeing is what happened to you after you died." "Because Director Fury wouldn't release that file to anyone." "No..." "The Clairvoyant doesn't have abilities. He has security clearance. He's an agent of S.H.I.E.L.D.!"
Coulson and his team came to an abandoned race track where they found Deathlok and Thomas Nash. Nash was later killed by Grant Ward who believed he was the Clairvoyant. Coulson got concerned because he believed that the case was solved too simply. When Skye found S.H.I.E.L.D. psychological files had the same information the Clairvoyant knew, Coulson realized that the Clairvoyant was a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent, not a psychic. Believing that Ward killed Nash to cover up his tracks, Coulson interrogated Ward only for Ward to deny having any association with the Centipede Project. Skye quickly entered to tell Coulson that Melinda May had a secret phoneline on the plane. Coulson now believing that May was the Clairvoyant held May at gunpoint, when suddenly, Victoria Hand took over the Bus and ordered her men to kill everyone on board but to take Coulson alive.[45]
After Captain America exposed to the public that HYDRA had been growing inside of S.H.I.E.L.D.,[46] HYDRA agents sent out a secret message to other agents that it was time to reveal themselves. Coulson and his team along with Agent John Garrett received the message and concluded that Victoria Hand must be the Clairvoyant. Knowing that Hand was leading them to the Hub to be killed but also knowing that Jemma Simmons was there, Coulson's Team and Garrett decided to fight their way through to rescue Simmons and capture Hand. Coulson argued with Garrett about whether they should kill Hand or capture her, only for Garrett to reveal that he was the Clairvoyant when he accidentally revealed that Raina and Coulson were both in the Theta Brain-Wave Frequency Machine: something he did not include in his report. Coulson then realized that Garrett masterminded everything including his torture and Skye's being shot. Angered, Coulson rejected Garrett's offer to join HYDRA. As Garrett prepared to execute all of them, the group was rescued when Skye and Grant Ward successfully blew up the main generator.
Coulson and the team then subdued Garrett and his men as Hand arrived having heard Garrett's confession. As true S.H.I.E.L.D. agents took all HYDRA agents into custody, Hand told Coulson to stay in contact as, with Nick Fury dead, they were highest ranking agents that were not HYDRA or dead.[8]
How to Survive
Coulson's breakdown.
"The world needs us. HYDRA is out there. We cannot let them win. We cannot let them define us. Do you understand that? We are not agents of nothing. We are agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., and that still carries weight. It has to carry weight. After everything we've been through, that carries weight."
After the attack on the Hub, Colonel Glenn Talbot contacted Coulson and told him that he would be sending a peace keeping force to establish order. Coulson seeing through Talbot's lie quickly left the Hub with his team and Agent Antoine Triplett. Once in the air, Coulson, knowing that every government agency was going to be after them, had Skye collect everyone's badges and delete all of their information; before he could dispose of them, Coulson received some coordinates. Believing that only Nick Fury could have sent them, Coulson took a leap of faith and followed the coordinates to discover a secret base called Providence where Agent Eric Koenig revealed to Coulson that Fury was indeed still alive but threatened him not to inform the rest of his team as only he, Captain America, and Maria Hill were the few allowed to know of his status.[7]
The Cellist
Coulson reunited with the Cellist.
"You're safe. I'm still here. I promise. I'm still here with you."
Grant Ward soon arrived to Providence where he told the group that HYDRA had raided the Fridge, took all of the weapons S.H.I.E.L.D. had recovered, and released the entire criminal population, including Marcus Daniels, a man Coulson put away after he began stalking his former lover Audrey Nathan. Coulson took a team out which consisted of Leo Fitz, Jemma Simmons, and Antoine Triplett. When Coulson and his team encountered Daniels in the park, he revealed to them that S.H.I.E.L.D had made him stronger. Realizing that Daniels would not stop until he got Audrey, the team convinced a reluctant Coulson to use her to draw him out so that they could subdue him with concentrated light powered by the Gamma Power Reserve. The plan was successful and Daniels was killed. On their way back from Portland, Coulson decided to forgive Melinda May for keeping secrets, realizing that he would not be able to accept forgiveness from Audrey for hiding from her unless he was willing to do the same. However, when the team returned to Providence, they found the base empty with May, Eric Koenig, Skye, and Grant Ward gone.[47]
The Shield That Protects
Coulson informs Maria Hill of Ward's betrayal
"If I come out, will you shoot me? 'Cause then I won't come out." "Hold your fire, soldiers."
As the others who went to Portland tried to get their bearings, Coulson continuously watched Providence's camera footage in hopes of learning what happened to his missing teammates. When Jemma Simmons found Eric Koenig's body and Leo Fitz found a message from Skye saying "Ward is HYDRA," he knew Skye was in trouble and needed their help. Colonel Glenn Talbot found them with help from Maria Hill.
Coulson and Skye fall out of the sky sitting in Lola
After Coulson explained to her the situation, Hill assisted Coulson's Team in escaping from Providence to Los Angeles and acted as a distraction so Coulson could board the Bus which contained Skye and Ward. Unknown to Coulson, Deathlok was also on board. As the Bus ascended and Deathlok and Ward attacked, Coulson retrieved Skye by using Lola and landing outside a hotel where the team, and Melinda May who returned, met to rest.[14]
Before he could rest though, Coulson was given by May the information he wanted: who led Project T.A.H.I.T.I.. Ironically, it was Coulson himself who had resigned from the project and asked Nick Fury not to use it.[14]
Hunt for Garrett
Coulson and May go undercover at Cybertek
"We have no authority to do this. We're no longer S.H.I.E.L.D. agents. We're..." "We're vigilantes." "I was gonna say, 'doing this because it's the right thing to do,' but... yeah."
The next morning, Coulson met with his team to make plans to stop John Garrett and retrieve the Bus. Since Cybertek linked most of his team's missions, Coulson decided that he and Melinda May should go undercover as unemployed S.H.I.E.L.D. scientists seeking work with them to obtain information on Deathlok to lead them to Garrett. Coulson learned that John Garrett was "patient zero," the first Deathlok. Eventually, Coulson's team found the Barbershop Headquarters in Havana, Cuba Garrett was using. Proceeding inside, they were surrounded by Centipede Soldiers and Kaminsky with the Berserker Staff.[48]
"It'll be just the four of us. We'll be outmanned and outgunned. But Fury always said... a man can accomplish anything when he realizes he's a part of something bigger. A team of people who share that conviction can change the world. So, what do you say? You ready to change the world?" "No. I'm ready to kick some ass."
After landing at the Cybertek Manufacturing Facility in New Mexico, Coulson and Antoine Triplett created a diversion and stole a heavily armed armored Humvee and stormed the facility. Coulson then confronted Garrett and Deathlok. After being thrown around by Garrett in a fight, Coulson was joined by Director Nick Fury, who gave him the Destroyer Armor Gun. Coulson and Fury then took out the other Centipede Soldiers. Coulson and Fury confronted Garrett as Deathlok targeted them. However, Deathlok turned on Garrett. Garrett then tried to convince Coulson to call off Deathlok, but Coulson and Fury decided to leave it up to Deathlok.[2]
Coulson and Fury oversaw the taking of the Centipede soldiers and Grant Ward into custody by United States Armed Forces. However, Garrett survived and tried to use the Cybertek machines to heal himself. Coulson destroyed Garrett using the Peruvian 0-8-4.[2]
Director Coulson
Coulson and his team at the Playground.
The New Beginning
"How should I proceed?" "That's up to you... Director."
Onboard the Bus, Coulson and Melinda May spoke to Nick Fury about Project T.A.H.I.T.I. and why he used it on him after Coulson's recommendation to terminate the project. Fury told him that he wanted to keep Coulson since he's one of his most trusted agents. While touched, Coulson still asked why Fury would take that risk, since the project had been designed to resurrect an Avenger; Fury responded by expressing his belief that Coulson, due to his great heroics and leadership in leading his team, was considered an Avenger.[2]
After telling Coulson that May believes him to be okay and fit for duty, Fury named Coulson as director and gave him the Toolbox with the task of rebuilding S.H.I.E.L.D. before disappearing.[2]
Within the box was a map that led Coulson and his team to the Playground and its guardian, Billy Koenig. Later that night, Coulson awoke and began writing in a symbolic language.[2]
Rebuilding the Agency
Skye and Coulson at the Playground base.
"Just 'cause you're director doesn't mean everything's on you, Phil." "Yes, it does."
Despite all the odds against him, Coulson began slowly rebuilding S.H.I.E.L.D., with his old team serving as the core around which he assembled more agents. For three months, Coulson sat outside the cell of Grant Ward, but Ward refused to speak to him, wanting only to speak to Skye.[4] Meanwhile he recruited Isabelle Hartley, Idaho, and Lance Hunter. He also gave Skye an assignment to study the Words of Creation.[49] He sent two agents to infiltrate HYDRA, Jemma Simmons to become a scientist for HYDRA, and Bobbi Morse to watch Simmons' back. However, to maintain her cover more easily, Coulson did not tell Simmons about Agent Morse and her mission. Morse eventually became the Head of Security at HYDRA Laboratories.[50]
Coulson goes through the S.H.I.E.L.D. archive to learn about the Obelisk
A month later, Coulson sent a team consisting of Hartley and Hunter to buy an 0-8-4 from a former S.H.I.E.L.D. agent Roger Browning. However, the operation failed because Browning didn't bring an 0-8-4 but a file on it, and that file was stolen by an unknown assassin who killed Browning and escaped with the file. Later, at the Playground base, after receiving information about the assassin's identity, Coulson ordered Skye to talk to Grant Ward to get intelligence about him.[49]
Coulson then sent Hartley, Skye, and May to kidnap Glenn Talbot so they could talk. Talbot refused to cooperate, so Coulson tricked him into relinquishing his fingerprints and codes to the storage facility holding the Obelisk, the first 0-8-4.[49]
All of Coulson's field agents went undercover to the storage facility. Hartley found the artifact, but to defend herself against the Absorbing Man she touched it. Coulson was called for instructions since Hartley was fatally injured, but he ordered them to proceed. Only May knew that it was a two-pronged mission; the second part was to obtain a Quinjet with cloaking technology since Leo Fitz's brain damage made him incapable of duplicating the technology for the Bus.[49]
Tracking Creel
Coulson talks with Raina.
"I know you're the boss and you have to compartmentalize everything, but it's not healthy. You need to loosen up. Try yoga or something." "I tried it, but I'm really not flexible. But thanks."
As May went after Carl Creel, Coulson ordered her not to engage despite May pointing out he killed Hartley and Idaho. May, feeling guilty when Creel killed a waitress who accidentally touched his Obelisk-infected skin, told Coulson that she should have stopped Creel as she planned. Coulson explained that she would have died also and decided that Hartley's and Idaho's deaths were on him despite May's reassurance it wasn't.[51]
At the Playground, as Coulson and the field agents tried to find a solution for Creel's powers, the group was contacted by Raina who revealed the Obelisk had a tracker installed in it. Lance Hunter arrived, having seemingly escaped from Glenn Talbot. Coulson asked what Talbot offered him to sell him out. Hunter was honest, telling him it was two million dollars and a proper burial for Hartley. When the team finally tracked Creel down Coulson ordered Hunter to stay at the base but, after Hunter begged him, Coulson allowed him to accompany the others. As Skye, May, and Antoine Triplett got prepared, Coulson ordered the team to wait until Creel revealed his HYDRA contact before engaging. Hunter, however, wanting revenge, knocked out Skye, Triplett, and May with an I.C.E.R. and attempted to kill Creel himself. Fortunately Coulson arrived with the Overkill Device which had been modified by Fitz and Alphonso Mackenzie and stabbed Creel in the back causing the Obelisk to fully take over his body, incapacitating him.[51]
Coulson gave Hartley a proper burial service, receiving Hunter's gratitude. Coulson then convinced him to join S.H.I.E.L.D. full time claiming he needed agents to do the right thing for the wrong reasons. Hunter agreed and Coulson ordered him to rat him out to Talbot. At the Playground May berated Coulson for going into the field like he did and told him she knew that he was resisting his urges to write the Words of Creation. Coulson tired of fighting it and began writing it while May recorded.[51]
Coulson attempts to negotiate with General Glenn Talbot.
Later Coulson met Talbot and dropped Creel off to him telling him to lock him up more securely this time. He promised to drop "gifts" like that from time to time so Talbot could get new promotions and then asked for a favor in return: for Talbot to give S.H.I.E.L.D. breathing room. Talbot openly refused, but before he could order his men to capture Coulson, the team arrived with the now cloaked Bus, warning him to not get any ideas. Secretly, Coulson told them to hurry up before their artillery ran out of fuel.[51]
The Race Against Time
Coulson debriefs his agents about Donnie Gill and the threat he represents.
"At least tell me that Agent 33 retired." "Nope. They got to her first. It's gone from being a land grab to a talent grab. And I'm getting damn tired of losing our best and brightest to HYDRA."
As Coulson attempted to make contact with Agent 33, he discovered that she was kidnapped by HYDRA. After his return to the base, he informed Agent May about the situation. Coulson then went to have dinner with Jemma Simmons, his mole in HYDRA. As they ate they discussed Donnie Gill and the fact that HYDRA has a file on him. When Simmons asked about Leo Fitz, Coulson told her that he was fine. Coulson took the intel Simmons gave and prepped his field agents for their mission without revealing Simmons' part.[52]
When Gill revealed himself in Casablanca on the Maribel del Mar, Coulson accompanied the others in the cloaked Bus, desiring that Gill become an asset for S.H.I.E.L.D. When he learned that Gill was brainwashed into taking the Sandbox for HYDRA, Coulson ordered that no HYDRA agent to communicate with him. This order caused Lance Hunter to almost kill Simmons, but she was saved by Melinda May, who was ordered to maintain Simmons' cover.[52]
After the mission in Morocco, Coulson confronted Fitz torturing Ward, about his being director and the secrets he keeps, including keeping Grant Ward in the basement.[52]
Later Coulson and the team investigated the retrieval of a painting which had mysteriously survived a fire unharmed and also had the Words of Creation carved on its back. Thanks to the assistance of Hunter and Skye, Coulson and May were able to infiltrate the party where the painting was the main attraction. During their mission the team discovered Glenn Talbot was also there and had taken the painting. Strangely, Talbot made a deal with them to examine the painting as long as they were in a secure location.[9]
May wanting to make sure Talbot was telling the truth tailed him only to be subdued by Agent 33 and Sunil Bakshi. The former took May's place and lied to Coulson claiming Talbot was telling the truth. As the two arrived at the location, Coulson managed to reveal 33's deception when he mentioned them going to get a cup of coffee, a drink May hated. As May battled Agent 33, Coulson pursued and knocked out Bakshi and retrieved the painting.[9]
Afterwards, Coulson told May that he wanted her to kill him if he were to go insane because of the GH.325.[9]
Search for Skye's Father
Coulson talks with Skye about his mental state.
"I believe Garrett and I had a negative reaction to the alien DNA in our system. Maybe you didn't because it was already there." "Yeah, right, like I'm an alien. Hold on. Are you saying that I am an alien?" "It's a theory."
Later the team was contacted by Raina who wanted to meet up with Coulson. At a restaurant, Coulson met Raina while Hunter, May, and Skye watched from a distance. During the conversation, Raina admitted she knew Calvin Zabo, Skye's father, and threatened to blow Simmons' cover if Coulson did not release Skye to her custody. Coulson, having a back-up plan, refused the deal. Turning the tables on Raina, Coulson got her to admit where Skye's father was and had her agree to draw out Daniel Whitehall in exchange for protection. Skye beat the team there only to find the location empty with two dead bodies, having been killed by her father. Skye horrified called him a monster. Back at the Playground, Hunter met his ex-wife again Bobbi Morse. Shocked and surprised to see her and her dyed hair, he asked Coulson what she was doing here. Coulson told Hunter to "play nice".[50]
In Coulson's office, Coulson tried to apologize to Skye. He revealed that he is writing the Words of Creation and that May was monitoring him. Coulson was upset that the symbols are incomprehensible to him. Skye said that it is a map.[50]
Cleaning S.H.I.E.L.D.'s Reputation
Coulson and Skye watching the debate.
"What do you want?" "An opportunity to clear the air. The attack on the U.N. wasn't S.H.I.E.L.D., it was HYDRA. Specifically, a man named Daniel Whitehall." "You didn't come here to clear the air. You need something from me. And all this swaggering simply tells me you have nothing to offer in return."
He watched Senator Christian Ward, brother of Grant Ward, have a televised debate with Julien Beckers, where the Senator denounced S.H.I.E.L.D. and proposed the eradication of the organization. Understanding the long term implications this would have on agents around the world, Coulson asked Skye to postpone researching the Words of Creation and to talk to Grant about his brother. He was forced to activate the Inertial Confinement Laser Barrier to interrupt their conversation when it strayed into discussing her father.[4]
Coulson in Senator Ward's office.
Coulson went and talked to the Senator personally to ask him to recant his position. He agreed to do so if Grant was relinquished to him. Coulson then allowed Skye to learn all Grant knew about her mother and father before having him exported. Senator Ward then kept his word and told the world that S.H.I.E.L.D. and HYDRA were separate organizations, one dedicated to law enforcement, the other towards world domination.[4]
The Director learned that Scarlotti was seeking Beckers, so he told Walters' team to find and protect him. Coulson did not know that Beckers was a HYDRA agent; she and her team were slaughtered. When May called Coulson to inform him that the HYDRA agents were in custody, he was more concerned about the loss of his agents. Later, Coulson and a team of agents delivered Grant Ward to the FBI. However, Ward escaped shortly after.[4]
Solving the Mystery
Coulson looks at the carvings he made.
"The writing's coming more and more frequently. Used to be two, three times a month. Then once a week. Now it's every day, every night. I can't turn it off." "How do you function? When do you sleep?" "That's why we need answers."
Coulson was once again writing the symbols when Skye walked in and told him that despite all her leads, she could still not find out where the supposed map led. Coulson replied that his urges to write it were increasing more and more to the point that he couldn't stop. When Skye asked him what to do if they could not find the answer, Coulson said nothing and instead changed the subject to Melinda May's and the other agents' progress on finding Grant Ward and contacted them. When Agent Antoine Triplett informed Coulson about finding Ward at a Philadelphia bus station with a large number of explosives attached to him, Coulson told him to continue following Ward but not to engage him.[16]
Later, Skye told Coulson that a contact of hers, who was a "crime scene junkie", informed her of the murder of Janice Robbins, a woman who had the symbols carved into her skin. When Coulson saw her picture he said Robbins was a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent. At the crime scene, Coulson and Skye found out that Robbins was writing the symbols in her artwork. Back at the Playground, Coulson noticed that her artwork had more pieces than Coulson's carvings.[16]
Skye, Coulson, and Simmons.
Skye then found out that Coulson was right. Janice Robbins' original name was Rebecca Stevens, a level 6 agent who worked at the Triskelion but contracted cancer and apparently died from it. Wanting to find out how that was possible, Coulson had Alphonso Mackenzie and Leo Fitz retrieve Stevens' body. After the autopsy, Jemma Simmons revealed that Stevens had the same GH.325 serum in her as Coulson and Skye. Coulson blamed himself for Stevens' death as he was in charge of Project T.A.H.I.T.I. Wanting to save others like Stevens, Coulson went into the Theta Brain-Wave Frequency Machine where he found out that Stevens and numerous others suffering from deadly diseases were administered the serum. As Coulson went as deep as he could, Skye contacted May and told her of Coulson's use of the machine. May ordered them to get him out of it. After a struggle Skye managed to snap Coulson back by holding him at gun point and told that May said he should be locked up for awhile. Coulson agreed, and, as the two went down to Vault D, Coulson told her that Sebastian Derik was the murderer and he was going after Hank Thompson.[16]
Skye said she would send some agents to Thompson's location to protect him. However Coulson said that would be unnecessary and pushed Skye into the cell and trapped her, telling her he had to finish this on his own. Coulson arrived at Thompson's house and asked him at gunpoint if he was drawing the symbols in any shape or form. Thompson denied ever seeing them and indirectly revealed that Derik had beat him there, who then knocked Coulson out. Tying him up, Derik revealed to Coulson that despite having his memories erased, he managed to remember because of the pain the carvings on his skin caused and he only killed the other patients to help them remember. He soon began doing the same thing to Coulson when he revealed to him that he was trying to find out what the writing meant too. Meanwhile, Thompson, having remembered some of his S.H.I.E.L.D. training, managed to free himself and his family. Derik witnessed this and threw his knife at him only for Thompson to catch it and free Coulson.[16]
Coulson and the blueprints of the mysterious city.
Coulson and Derik dueled which ended with Coulson nearly choking Derik trying to show him the answer to the symbols. Skye and Mackenzie arrived and threatened Coulson to release Derik. Coulson eventually managed to show Mackenzie the answer to everything they had sought with Thompson's train model, revealing that the symbols were not a map but a city. Derik was then turned over to the authorties. At the Playground, Coulson asked Thompson to rejoin S.H.I.E.L.D. but he refused, choosing to live a simple life. When Thompson departed, Coulson revealed to the others that his urge to write the drawings was gone, having finally discovered what they were. Coulson gave his senior agents a new mission: find the city that matches the City Blueprints before HYDRA does.[16]
The Hunt for Ward
Meanwhile, Coulson gave Skye the assignment of downloading the phone of Sunil Bakshi, who was captured in Boston and held in Vault D.[16]
"The satellite network we need to map the Earth and find the city is controlled by the U.S. Air Force facility at Kaena Point, Oahu, And it's too heavily guarded to infiltrate. Which is why we came to Australia instead. There's a small station here that comes online whenever Kaena Point's feed goes down."
In Oahu, Coulson gave orders to his away team that seemed weird, but Triplett and the others trusted that he had a plan. They soon traveled to Australia. Coulson explained that the Kaena Point Air Force Base was too difficult for them to infiltrate, but, at Laura Creek was a satellite relaying station that was easier. The station went online as a backup for the Hawaiian one when it was down; Coulson's weird orders set up an EMP that would disable it for six minutes. When Coulson's away team went inside, they were ambushed by HYDRA.
Coulson discovers the location of the alien city
Originally pretending to be a captive, Calvin Zabo offered to help save Triplett when he was fatally shot. However, Coulson realized who he was, but he had to allow his escape in order to save the wounded agent. Coulson promised that they would finish their conversation. Coulson arrived back at the Bus, clearly shaken by the experience. Before he and Fitz could tell Skye that they had seen her father, the satellites found the Kree City.[53]
Beating HYDRA to the City
Coulson and Agent Morse in San Juan.
"There are three million people on this island, and I won't let HYDRA turn them into collateral damage."
After having located the city, Coulson and the others briefed the agents on the plan to stop HYDRA from using the the Diviner to kill hundreds of people. The plan: a survey team would enter the city through an opening in San Juan, test the integrity of it, locate the temple, and then they would blow it up. Bobbi Morse asked about the Obelisk since, even without the temple, the weapon was still dangerous. Coulson reassured her that when it got to that moment, they would deal with it. Later, when Sam and Billy Koenig saved Raina from being captured by Agent 33, Coulson talked to Billy who revealed to him that 33 was still alive and that HYDRA was trying to catch Raina rather then kill her; Coulson told him he would be sending Melinda May with an extraction team to help them safely transport Raina. Coulson came to Skye and May as they watched news on the death of Senator Christian Ward and told them they would be splitting up the teams since HYDRA had finally located Raina. Coulson told Skye that she would be aiding in the interrogation of Raina, claiming that Raina would probably respond better to her. Coulson revealed to May that he didn't want Skye on the city mission because he didn't want her to encounter her father and told May to keep an eye on her.[54]
Coulson and Morse searched for the entrance to the Kree City in Puerto Rico. While they searched, Coulson reassured Morse that he had no intention on keeping the Diviner as he was fighting for the lives of innocent ordinary people. Morse met with her contact who was unwilling to help them get down to the garrison because he was scared of the legend that the place was haunted and that those who entered did not return.[54]
Inside, Coulson watched as the D.W.A.R.F.s were sent down a hundred foot shaft leading to the hidden underground city. Leo Fitz told him when the drones lost their signal, though the tablet control still worked. Alphonso Mackenzie was sent down to investigate. When Coulson heard his screams, Mackenzie was hoisted back up. Mackenzie then slapped Coulson into a wall as his eyes turned red.[54]
As the team attempted to subdue him, Morse ended up electrocuting him with her staves causing him to fall back down into the hole. Coulson ordered them to seal the shaft, much to the others' dismay. Morse yelled that Mackenzie was still down there; Coulson told her that Mackenzie was no longer himself.[54]
Stopping HYDRA
Melinda May went to San Juan to inform Coulson, Fitz, Morse and Simmons that Grant Ward had taken Skye and Raina. Coulson surmissed that Ward was probably taking Skye to meet her father. Coulson told Bobbi Morse to make sure Diego did not reveal anything to HYDRA and told her that they would do everything they could to help Alphonso Mackenzie but they had to stop HYDRA from entering the city first. May and Coulson talked about what happened with May blaming herself for letting Ward take Skye but Coulson assured her that Skye would be fine as May her turned her into a capable agent who could handle herself. As the team prepared, Coulson told Sam Koenig to report back to the Playground claiming that if things went south, he would need him and his brother to enact the Theta Protocol much to Koenig's dismay. Coulson received a call from Morse who told him that HYDRA was in Puerto Rico in force based out in the old abandoned Ponce de León Theater. Coulson quickly figured out that they were based over the chamber. Coulson and May then left to help Morse and Hunter stop HYDRA.
Whitehall bleeding after being shot by Coulson
Together all four stormed the theater. May and Coulson then split. Coulson killed Daniel Whitehall as the latter was about to shoot Skye's father, Calvin Zabo. Angered that he lost his chance for vengeance, Zabo attacked Coulson and nearly beat him to death only to be stopped by Skye who held him at gun point and told him to leave. Skye apologized to Coulson and told him she was going destroy the Diviner and stop HYDRA's plan much to his dismay. Chasing after her, Coulson met up with May again and had her lower him down into the city so he could save Skye.
Inside, Coulson was confronted by Alphonso Mackenzie whom he briefly managed to subdue. With Skye inside the chamber and no one else around, Coulson was confronted by Mackenzie again. Fortunately the latter was cured thanks to the Diviner being activated. Helping Mackenzie to his feet, the two watched as the city began to crumble.[55]
Agent Coulson has many different aspects to his personality. He will often be serious and even threatening when a situation calls for it, shown prominently in the fight against HYDRA. He was harsh to Thomas Nash while he was still believed to be the Clairvoyant, even telling the man to go to Hell. He is also practical, calmly facing the difficult truth that he was going insane from the T.A.H.I.T.I. Project. He will put others' needs before his own, illustrated when he was determined to keep Audrey Nathan from knowing of his existence, as he wanted to allow her to heal from her grief. For the greater good, Coulson will put himself through much suffering, as he put himself back into the Theta Brain-Wave Frequency Machine to dig up necessary information.
"If you try to escape, or play any games, I will taze you and watch Supernanny while you drool into the carpet."
Coulson also has a humorous side, often displayed in the form of witty or sarcastic comments, especially when hanging around the few people he fully trusts, such as when he and Melinda May went undercover as a married couple. He can be carefree when off-duty, such as when bonding with the members of his team following a successful mission and Leo Fitz fell for a prank. He is also caring, treating his team as family, and protecting them at all costs. While sometimes he presents bad news gently, he knows when it is necessary to present it bluntly. An example of this is when he told Melinda May that she would need to put him down if he went insane. On the other side, Coulson can be quite giddy on occasion, as when he finally met Captain America after being a fan his whole life. He became nervous, and was quite awkward during the meeting.
Coulson has also displayed great interpersonal skills, being able to handle Tony Stark and make him join the Avengers Initiative when S.H.I.E.L.D. needed him most, to recruit Skye from being an anti-S.H.I.E.L.D. "hacktivist" and transform her into a loyal field agent, and calm down emotionally unstable Michael Peterson due to the effects of the Extremis in his body.
Abilities
Expert Martial Artist: Phil Coulson is highly trained in multiple martial arts and hand to hand combat styles, even claiming that he could take on a highly-trained specialist as Grant Ward, holding his own against a brainwashed Agent 33 and even fighting Calvin Zabo, a man with enhanced strength. He easily, even after being tortured, subdued Sebastian Derik, a highly trained assassin.
Expert Marksman: He is skilled in use of military assault weapons as well as edged weapons. He has wielded a variety of weapons in his missions, including experimental weapons.
Expert Spy: He is an expert at intelligence and espionage. He could tell what the man controlling Akela Amador looked like just by her description of how he typed. He has maintained very good covers on multiple occasions including when pursuing Ian Quinn on a train.
Multilingual: He is fluent in English and Spanish, though claiming he is only able to speak "vacation Spanish". Coulson used this skill in multiple missions, especially in Peru, where he had been stationed in 2002.
Master Tactician: An accomplished logistics specialist, Coulson assesses tactical situations and implements equipment and personnel as needed. He is also very proficient at designing ops. He is also a recognized expert on analysis, being able to run possible scenarios for any given information, and quickly recognize the probable one, such when deducing Clairvoyant was a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent, or the reason why Skye accompanied Grant Ward out of Providence knowing he was a HYDRA operative.
Equipment
"With all the high-tech gadgets and gizmos at our disposal, it's easy to forget about the simple tools of the past."
Smith & Wesson M&P: The Smith & Wesson M&P pistol is the standard sidearm carried by S.H.I.E.L.D. agents, and as such, Coulson uses it to threat or shoot most of his enemies.
Glock 17: The Glock 17 was the standard sidearm used by S.H.I.E.L.D. agents, before being replaced by the Smith & Wesson M&P. As such, Coulson and a team of agents carried those weapons when they tried to capture Obadiah Stane, raiding Stark Industries sector 16, and when Coulson prevented a theft in a gas station in New Mexico.
Night-Night Pistol: Sometimes, agent Coulson needs to apply non-lethal force to subdue a target without permanent harm, favoring the use of the Night-Night Pistol designed by agents Leo Fitz and Jemma Simmons. This weapon allows to render the target unconscious to be safely captured, such as when he captured Akela Amador while she was fighting against agent Melinda May.
I.C.E.R. (Pistol Version): After agent Leo Fitz improved the technology of the Night-Night Gun, Coulson changed the now obsolete weapon and favored the use of the pistol version of the I.C.E.R.s. He used one of these in a gunfight against some men enthralled by the Asgardian Lorelei, to take them out without having to kill them.
Destroyer Armor Prototype Gun: When Loki escaped confinement aboard the S.H.I.E.L.D. Helicarrier, Coulson retrieved the Destroyer Gun from secure storage. He confronted Loki, pointing the gun at him, and although he was stabbed from behind, Coulson managed to fire off one powerful shot that severely hurt Loki, did not prevented him from escaping the Helicarrier. He used the weapon again during the Battle at Cybertek, where he managed to use it to easily defeat a whole squad of enhanced Centipede Soldiers.
Bulletproof Vest: Although Coulson's role as a field agent is not focused into combat operations, whenever he feels hostilities may arise during a mission, he wears a bulletproof vest under his jacket, able to withstand ballistic impact from many calibers.
Pick-Lock Device: One of Coulson's favorite gadgets, a little explosive used whenever he has to infiltrate a compound and finds closed doors too difficult to hack immediately.
Hobbies
Only a few of Coulson's collectibles.
Coulson is an avid connoisseur and collector of antiques and memorabilia, particularly in regard to S.H.I.E.L.D. and the history of espionage, knowing in detail the original specifications of such items as Elliot Randolph's Waterfield 44 pen or Antoine Triplett's Howling Commando Gear inherited from his grandfather.
Notable items in Coulson's collection have at one point included all of the following--
Lola: The jewel of Coulson's collection, Lola is a vintage 1962 Corvette with modifications based on designs and technologies created by Howard Stark, including flight capability (VTOL).
Walkie-Talkie Wristwatch: An original walkie-talkie wristwatch made in Poland in 1936. There were fewer than 20 ever made.
Metal Storm VLE Handgun: A prototype handgun that uses two 7-round 9mm barrels and two 3-round 15mm barrels for non-lethal ammunition.
Minox Spy Camera: A subminiature camera developed before World War II and favoured by intelligence agencies due to its small size and macro focusing ability.
In the films of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Agent Coulson is generally depicted as a supporting character of the protagonists and used to represent S.H.I.E.L.D.'s presence in the plots of the films, to the point that Clark Gregg has described Coulson as "the S.H.I.E.L.D. agent". However, in the "Marvel One-Shots", Coulson is given "a chance to stand in his own spotlight for once", when the character is put in a position where there is an imminent threat and no superheroes around. The decision to give more focus to Coulson was "a natural" for "Marvel One-Shot" co-producer Brad Winderbaum.
Gregg has stated, "I think of Agent Coulson, after all these years, as a guy with a full life. I think every day he's somewhere doing something for S.H.I.E.L.D., and yet I don't always know what that is... There's always a different twist. In this one he gets to show more of his wisecracking wit, and in this one he's a little bit more of a badass."
Despite Coulson being called "the most recognizable face in the Marvel Comics movie universe", he is depicted as an "Everyman" in a universe full of superheroes – "the glue that binds" the characters together. In Thor, Coulson complains that Tony Stark "never tells [him] anything." In an interview with WNBC, Gregg explained his portrayal of the character as 'just a guy grumbling about his job "He's the guy who's tasked - a very disciplined guy in my opinion who possesses secrets that would turn your hair white - but at the same time he's tasked with handling these kind of diva superheroes, you know? Oh, really, Asgard? Dude, just get in the car."
Trivia
Clark Gregg also voices Agent Coulson in the TV series Ultimate Spider-Man, where Coulson is drawn in Clark Gregg's likeness.
Due to the popularity of the character, Phil Coulson was introduced into the main Marvel Comics universe.
During a flashback to his time in Tahiti, Coulson used the question "Did I fall asleep?" to which his masseuse replied "For a little while." This was a programmed response used in Joss Whedon's TV show Dollhouse whenever one of the characters was being brainwashed.
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