It says a lot that when the mystery behind the Clairvoyant's identity was in full swing during season one, the Leader's name kept coming up time and again. As the Hulk's biggest nemesis, the character's potential was set up during The Incredible Hulk, when some of Bruce Banner's blood entered a head wound suffered by Sterns, immediately beginning to mutate his skull. And that was it. Sterns hasn't been seen or mentioned in the films since, despite more than just a handful of fans continuing to wonder when - or if - they'll see him again. With the Clairvoyant revealed to be John Garrett, the theories surrounding the Leader died and the character seemed destined to fade into MCU obscurity. Fortunately, with the endless potential of Agents of SHIELD, this dangling thread could be picked up at any time. Like the real Mandarin, Sterns is out there; his power could be at any level the creative team feels necessary. He could be a shadowy threat or a very present menace. Either way, his abilities would prove quite a test for the new SHIELD in a future season and even a team-up with the real Mandarin could kill two birds with one stone in the fan wishlist department. Though actor Tim Blake Nelson has a lucrative film career, he's shown he isn't against making a television appearance time and again, having even starred alongside Ty Burrell in an episode of Modern Family. Should he be unwilling to appear for a long arc, the character is one whose post-Sterns physical appearance doesn't need to require Nelson in the role. Ideally, if that's the route the show were to take, Nelson could appear in flashbacks to help fill the time gap between The Incredible Hulk and his evolution into the Leader, effectively freeing the actor from a future of being asked about when/if he'll ever return to the MCU, while giving fans a long-needed payoff to the 2008 tease in the process. Which other MCU characters do you want to see appear on Agents of SHIELD? Let us know in the comments below.
Writer, film enthusiast, part-time gamer and watcher of (mostly) good television located on the fringe of Los Angeles, who now has his own website at www.highdefgeoff.com!
