10 Popular Comics Characters Imported From Other Media
3. Phil Coulson
First appearance: Basically introduced as a plot mechanic to give the largely faceless bureaucracy of S.H.I.E.L.D. an actual face, Phil "his first name is Agent" Coulson rapidly became a surprising audience favourite in the Marvel Cinematic Universe as his character developed from his first appearance in 2008's Iron Man to become a sort of audience surrogate fanboy. Even death couldn't hold him back from getting to headline his own TV series in 2013.
In the comics: As the Marvel Comics world has attempted to capitalise on the popularity of the screen universe, Coulson has become an increasingly common presence on the page (alongside the Samuel L. Jackson-alike Nick Fury Jr.).
From 2012's Battle Scars #6, Coulson was revealed to exist as a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent in the mainstream Marvel continuity, resulting in a leading role in Secret Avengers from 2013. The latest S.H.I.E.L.D. comic series began in December with Coulson as the main character and also served to introduce other agents from the TV series into the Marvel comics world.
And back again?: Actor Clark Gregg's performance is a lot of the reason why fans like Coulson so much, so it's not surprising to see him continue to voice the role as it has spun off being part of the MCU onto the page and beyond. Gregg voiced Coulson in the 2013 Lego Marvel Superheroes game as well as "Principal" Phil Coulson in the Ultimate Spider-Man animated series.