The Marvel Cinematic Universe is finally answering fans’ biggest requests in 2025 as it begins to incorporate iconic television shows into the larger franchise. After making appearances in previous projects like Spider-Man: No Way Home, She-Hulk: Attorney at Law, and Echo, Charlie Cox’s Daredevil will star in his own MCU Disney+ series, Daredevil: Born Again, which is set to premiere in March. The new series will serve as a straight revival of the fan-favorite Netflix series Daredevil, which ran for three seasons. Daredevil‘s incorporation into the MCU opens the door for the rest of the Defenders Saga to become established canon, allowing for characters like Jessica Jones, Luke Cage, and Iron Fist to return in future projects.

While Daredevil: Born Again is the only show set for a revival in the MCU, this doesn’t mean that audiences won’t see more of their favorite Marvel Entertainment series returning in years to come. There are many MCU-adjacent series that deserve to return after Born Again, but the best choice doesn’t come from Netflix’s Defenders Saga. Years after the series went off the air, fans still want ABC’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. to be incorporated into the MCU proper. The show ran for seven seasons and depicted the epic adventures of Phil Coulson (Clark Gregg) and his crew of S.H.I.E.L.D. agents as they navigated the more dangerous corners of the Marvel Universe. An Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. revival would not only appease longtime fans of the series, but it could also help fix several issues that audiences have with recent MCU projects.

Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Deserves a Revival

This 7-season ABC Show Was One of the MCU’s Best Installments

For years, fans have been asking Marvel executives if Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. is canon in the MCU, with mixed responses ranging from “it’s possible” to “probably not.” The series introduced a compelling group of S.H.I.E.L.D. agents including Melinda May (Ming-na Wen), Daisy Johnson (Chloe Bennett), Leo Fitz (Iain de Caestecker), Jemma Simmons (Elizabeth Henstridge), Grant Ward (Brett Dalton), Al “Mack” MacKenzie (Henry Simmons), and more as they embarked on numerous adventures set in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. However, the series’ canonicity came into question over the years as the MCU continued to make big swings that didn’t seem to involve its ancillary television shows. The biggest disparity between the two storylines came in 2018 when Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. did not refer to Thanos’ snap at the end of Avengers: Infinity War, which erased half of all life in the universe. The final few seasons of the series took place in what later became known as “The Blip,” but still did not refer to the events of Infinity War or Endgame. By the time Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. ended in 2020, it seems unlikely that its events took place in the MCU’s Sacred Timeline. However, the return of Daredevil and other characters from non-Disney+ Marvel shows could change everything for Agents of S.H.I.E.l.D.

Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.‘s return is at the top of fans’ wishlists after Daredevil: Born Again. Amidst rumors that Marvel is looking to revive several old television series from before the franchise’s Disney+ era, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. is by far the best choice. Despite containing limited connections to the larger franchise, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. was still by far the closest Marvel Entertainment ever came to a true link to the MCU. The series even included appearances from several major MCU characters, Lady Sif (Jaimie Alexander), Peggy Carter (Hayley Atwell), Dr. List (Henry Goodman), and Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson). Though plot holes like the Blip would need to be addressed, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. would slip seamlessly into the MCU’s timeline while forging a path forward for more seasons that contain greater connections to the events of the franchise.

What Would an Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Revival Look Like?

Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Could Tie Into the MCU More In a Revival

An MCU revival of the iconic ABC series would need to see cast members from Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. return to reprise their roles. Fans simply wouldn’t be happy with a revival “in name only” that leaves out the beloved characters who starred in the original seven seasons. Most or all of the original team would have to return for more adventures to facilitate a true Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. revival. Already, there are rumors that Chloe Bennett will reprise her role as Agent Daisy Johnson, a.k.a. Quake, in other MCU projects. While these rumors have yet to be confirmed, her appearance could be the first of many cameos from other cast members, all leading up to their long-awaited reunion. While the new series can introduce new S.H.I.E.L.D. agents who can take on prominent roles in the agency moving forward, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. wouldn’t feel complete without a large chunk of the original cast.

Upcoming MCU Films

Film
Release Date

Captain America: Brave New World
February 14, 2025

Thunderbolts*
May 2, 2025

The Fantastic Four: First Steps
July 25, 2025

Avengers: Doomsday
May 1, 2026

Spider-Man 4
July 24, 2026

Avengers: Secret Wars
May 7, 2027

Armor Wars
TBA

Blade
TBA

Black Panther 3
TBA

An Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. revival would also need to contain more overt connections with the MCU. While fans loved the original series, one of their biggest gripes was that it so rarely felt like a true MCU spinoff, especially in its later seasons. This was largely due to the disconnect between Marvel Studios, which produced the MCU films, and Marvel Entertainment, which produced the television series. Now that these two parts of Marvel have been consolidated, there is no reason for an Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. revival not to connect more directly with the MCU. New episodes could feature build-up to the next film or series in the MCU, or deal with the aftermath of a major event in the franchise. The first two seasons of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. did this well, tying into the events of films like Captain America: The Winter Soldier and Avengers: Age of Ultron. A revival of the series could do so in greater depth, weaving a more complete story between installments of the larger MCU. In so doing, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. could become the connective glue that Marvel is desperately missing between series.

How Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Can Help Fix the MCU

The MCU Needs More Long-Form TV Series

A revival of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. could help reshape the MCU, which has received a greater degree of criticism since the end of the Infinity Saga in 2019. After Marvel Entertainment was consolidated into Marvel Studios, audiences began seeing many more interconnected MCU series on Disney+. While many of these shows have been acclaimed, most notably Loki and WandaVision, others have been less well-received, particularly Secret Invasion and She-Hulk: Attorney at Law. While Marvel can still make great use of limited series, audiences crave more long-form storytelling that was present in the days of Marvel Entertainment. Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. would be just the show to save Marvel’s television problems, introducing a multi-season platform that can be used to tell many interconnected stories set in the MCU.

Upcoming MCU Series

Title
Release Date

Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man
January 29, 2025

Daredevil: Born Again

Ironheart
June 24, 2025

Eyes of Wakanda
August 6, 2025

Marvel Zombies
October 2025

Wonder Man
December 2025

Vision Quest
2026

A multi-season arc would give Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. more time to grow on audiences, getting them to fall in love with its characters all over again. This is something sorely lacking in Marvel’s Disney+ limited series, which rarely get enough time to explore their characters and storylines. Moreover, a long-running show that continues for many seasons also allows for the series to acknowledge major MCU events over time, showing the fallout of each film from a ground-level perspective. This would help flesh out the MCU in greater depth without overwhelming audiences with dozens of new shows every few years.

The Marvel Cinematic Universe needs to return to the era of television that spawned some of its most popular series. Marvel Studios may be doing just that with the release of Daredevil: Born Again later this year. A perfect next step for the franchise would be to bring back Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. for a revival series that has all the same elements that fans loved in its original run while paving the way for a higher-quality MCU moving forward.