As part of the TCA Press Tour, we were invited out to the super-secret filming location for Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., to discuss new characters, exciting upcoming storylines, and possibilities for the remainder of the season, which returns to ABC with new episodes on February 4^th.  While there, we got to preview the already announced Stan Lee cameo and get glimpses of Lady Sif (Jaimie Alexander) battling Asgard villain Lorelei (played by Elena Satine), Mike Peterson’s (J. August Richards) transformation to Deathlok, and the introduction of Agent John Garret (Bill Paxton).  If those clips were any indication, things are about to get bigger, more explosive and even more connected to the Marvel universe.

While onboard the CXD 23 Airborne Mobile Command Station, executive producers Jeph Loeb and Jeffrey Bell talked about the velocity of their storytelling and why the show has been a slower burn, how they view the first half of the season as the first hour of a movie, that they wanted to make viewers care about these characters above everything else, how they approached developing Deathlok, whether something from the show could cross over to the films, how they put the storytelling first, and that they try to get something funny, sad, wondrous and beautiful into every episode.  Check out what they had to say after the jump, and be aware that there are some spoilers. 

One of the most highly anticipated shows of the upcoming fall TV season is Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.  Clark Gregg reprises his role as Agent Phil Coulson from Marvel’s feature films, as he assembles a small, highly select group of Agents, who together will investigate the new, the strange and the unknown, across the globe, in order to protect the ordinary from the extraordinary.  The show also stars Ming-Na Wen, Brett Dalton, Iain De Caestecker, Elizabeth Henstridge and Chloe Bennet.  While at Comic-Con to debut the show’s pilot for fans, executive producers Jeph Loeb and Jeffrey Bell talked about how familiar audiences of the show will have to be with the Marvel universe, in order to enjoy it, how important it was to have a diverse cast to represent the diverse world that they’re representing, how and when Agent Coulson’s existence will be explained, and how the show will continue to entwine not only with the Marvel movies, but also all of the various Marvel mediums.  Check out what they had to say after the jump.

You may have already heard the exciting news out of New York Comic-Con, but Marvel’s head of television, Jeph Loeb announced today that Clark Gregg will reprise his role as Agent Phil Coulson in the S.H.I.E.L.D. series.  We don’t know much about how he’ll fit into the plot, other than Gregg will appear in the pilot at least.  Those of you who have seen The Avengers know the fate of Coulson’s character, so it will be interesting to see how he’s featured in the television show.  Hit the jump for more regarding Gregg’s addition to the S.H.I.E.L.D. series. 

Let me hip you to something about roundtables: you rarely get the chance to ask the questions you want and hear the answers you need.  Thankfully, that was not the case when I got the chance to sit down with Executive Producers Jeffrey Bell and then Scott Peters and Jace Hall and learn their thoughts on the upcoming series.  While I didn’t walk into the room as skeptical as some others, after speaking with the trio, I felt like V is in very capable hands. More after the jump -