Official MCU Timeline Confirms What We All Suspected About Agents Of SHIELD
Despite resurrecting a dead Phil Coulson (Clark Gregg), "Agents of SHIELD" never quite felt like it had a place in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. While Marvel Studios has never officially confirmed or denied its canon, the "Agents of SHIELD" timeline seemed to skew from the MCU's, and we may have finally received a definitive answer if it lies in the MCU or not.
According to "Marvel Studios' The Marvel Cinematic Universe: An Official Timeline," the official reference book detailing all the events of the MCU, "Agents of SHIELD" is not canon to the cinematic universe. Using Amazon's preview function, fans can get an in-depth look at the book's contents by searching its vast pages for specific keywords. Unfortunately for "SHIELD" fans, typing Coulson's name reveals only a few appearances, not nearly enough to detail the agent's many adventures across the show's seven seasons. Searching for other characters, like Melinda May (Ming-Na Wen) or Daisy Johnson (Chloe Bennet), brings up zero results.
The book's index reveals a similar, severe lack of "Agents of SHIELD" references, with no information regarding Life-Model Decoys, Ghost Rider, or the Terrigen Mist, which all played significant roles in "Agents of SHIELD," solidifying the series' non-canon status with the MCU timeline.
Was Agents of SHIELD ever canon?
From the beginning, "Agents of SHIELD" seemed to be set within the Marvel Cinematic Universe despite not being a Marvel Studios production. Although the studio never technically acknowledged the series, fans got "confirmation" on its canon status through other avenues. Prominent MCU characters like Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson), Maria Hill (Cobbie Smulders), and Sif (Jaimie Alexander) appear across the show's first two seasons. It crossovers with multiple MCU movies, with "Captain America: The Winter Soldier" drastically changing the course of "Agents of SHIELD." However, as the series continued, it seemed to stray further from MCU canon, with universe-altering events like the Snap never appearing.
By the end of its run, "Agents of SHIELD" seemingly wound up within the greater Marvel multiverse, but some still held on to hope. The Darkhold appearing in "WandaVision" seemingly de-canonizes "Agents of SHIELD," as the dark magic spellbook that appeared on the series differs from the one on Disney+. However, even then, Clark Gregg came to the show's defense, reflecting on the "Marvel Movie Minute" podcast about reaching out to Kevin Feige after hearing about the "WandaVision" confusion. "I read this comment the other day where someone said that about, 'Did this diminish Agents of SHIELD?'" he said. "And [Feige] said, 'Ya know, I think you're really underestimating how powerful and passionate the fans of that show and the Netflix shows are and were,'" seemingly giving "SHIELD" fans hope, but "Marvel Studios' The Marvel Cinematic Universe: An Official Timeline" all but confirms the series isn't canon, even if it started within the MCU.