While I dont watch as much TV as I used to, I do find myself in front of the tube a least a couple nights a week. While Im really looking forward to the return of my favorite show, HBOs The Newsroom, there are a few others Im more than curious about. Chief among them in this falls lineup is Marvels Agents of SHIELD which is a new spin on the big screen to small screen transition that was made famous by shows like MASH and Highlander years earlier. Unlike those other shows, Agents of SHIELD is more of a spin-off, sending the show hurtling into uncharted territory. At best it will allow Marvel to expand their cinematic universe (possibly bringing more of that universe to the small screen?) to support their films efforts, at worst it will be total super hero overkill. My money is on the former, especially if they paid close attention to the show Heroes successes and failures, a show that might draw comparisons from wary critics. The big question is how is a show that is based in a super hero filled world supposed to tell stories that divert the focus away from the guys and gals in tights? The trailer makes it clear that, while that idea is in the mission statement, the immediate inclusion of what appears to be Luke Cage right out of the starting gate says otherwise. While DC Comics tends to specialize in beating readers over the head with a plethora of regular people who should have no business fighting super villains, Marvel has a less spotlighted cast of under powered yet heroic personnel. My best guess is that these characters will be on top of the pile of cameo worthy heroes. Featuring any marquee villains would be a colossal mistake, so Im going hope that the show sticks with AIM and other villainous organizations. So, now that our parameters are set, who would make the short list of characters wed like to see make an appearance on the show? How about these 5?
5. Dum Dum Dugan
If Sam Jackson cant find the time to do a guest spot due to being in every frikkin movie being filmed in the next five years, then the show should focus on supporting characters from his world. Who better than Dum Dum Dugan, one the most inexplicable and therefore funny characters to still be breathing? Im a bit of a comic book historian but even Im not sure how Dum Dum Dugan is still alive in modern day comics, my best guess is the Infinity Formula but I cant exactly prove it. This is an opportunity in disguise as the show could actually come up with a plausible explanation that could alleviate a similar issue in future films. Because Dum Dum is more related to Captain America in the cinematic universe, there would be ample opportunity to go to places that the Cap films dont quite cover and further cement the connection between Cap, Fury and SHIELD. I cant be the only one who is dying to know who this new Nick Fury is really, maybe Dum Dum can tell us. Of course the great Neal McDonough played Dum Dum Dugan in Captain America: The First Avenger so the two generations passage of time would need to be worked out... but it may very well be worth it to get Dugan back on our screens.