10 Ways The Marvel Cinematic Universe Almost Turned Out Completely Different

5. Agent Coulson Was Originally A Minor Character

After an extended cameo in Iron Man that introduced the concept of S.H.I.E.L.D. to audiences, Clark Gregg's Agent Coulson quickly became a fan favorite character in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Appearing in multiple movies in an effort to provide connective tissue across the studio's shared mythology, Coulson established himself as an increasingly important part of the ever-expanding franchise. However, Agent Coulson was initially only slated to have a small number of lines in Iron Man, with no designs on turning the character into a recurring part of the MCU. In fact, in early drafts of the script the character didn't even have a last name and was simply referred to as 'Agent'. Gregg only took the bit-part due to his friendship with Iron Man director (and former neighbor) Jon Favreau and the opportunity to work with the movie's talented cast. Generating plenty of chemistry with his co-stars and giving the character a personality and dry wit, Coulson quickly turned into a role that Gregg described as 'the gift that keeps on giving'. Positive reception to Gregg's portrayal of the S.H.I.E.L.D. agent led to the actor signing a multi-picture contract with the studio, and Agent Coulson soon became an almost ubiquitous part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The character was given increased screentime in Iron Man 2 and Thor, starred in two Marvel One-Shots and was killed off to the horror of many fans in The Avengers, only to mysteriously return to lead the cast of television's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Not a bad return for what was initially intended to be little more than a background role in Iron Man.