Clark Gregg hopes Agent Coulson and Avengers can film a ‘poignant and hilarious’ reunion 

In the early days of the Marvel movies, Clark Gregg was the lynchpin. His warm smile, disarming comic relief and no-nonsense attitude recruited Iron-Man, Captain America, Thor and the other Avengers. Then, just as the team got going in Joss Whedon’s 2012 blockbuster, Gregg’s Agent Phil Coulson was gone.

His “death” at the hands of Loki inspired the Avengers to work together, saving New York and perhaps the world. But as fans of ABC’s “Agents of SHIELD” know, Coulson is alive and well and coming back Tuesday for the second half of the show’s third season (March 8 at 9 p.m. ET/PT).

In the mind of Gregg, the lack of closure between Coulson and the superheroes who still think he’s dead informs his character’s inner conflict — and he hopes someday he’ll be able to film a scene with Chris Evans, Robert Downey, Scarlett Johansson and the others where his character can break the news: Coulson lives.

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“I think Coulson is a moral person, and I think he feels really bad about it,” explains Gregg. “He had great, obvious admiration for Captain America and fanboyed to the point where he almost burst into flames; despite all the snarky weariness he has about Tony Stark, he has a huge amount of admiration for him.”

Gregg also thinks Coulson feels bad about keeping other characters in mourning. “Pepper Potts, they seemed to be developing into friends,” he says of Stark’s secretary/CEO played by Gwyneth Paltrow. “And there was also some connection between Coulson and Thor — he called him ‘Son of Coul,’ he gave him his name.”

“I think it hurts him that they don’t know,” says the actor. “He hopes at some point he can make it clear to them that this was not a choice he made, but one that was made for him — and he can repair those relationships.”

But as Gregg is quick to point out, the deception (and Coulson’s fidelity to it) speaks volumes about the character, and as an actor it’s a valuable tool to wield. “On the other hand, deceit, betrayal, this is part of what it means to be a SHIELD agent; it’s about protecting a greater good.”

Ultimately, Gregg says, he would like to see Coulson reunited with the Avengers again — whether on “Agents of SHIELD” or in a future Marvel movie — so he can film a scene he thinks would be funny, powerful, and in keeping with the tone of the Marvel universe.

“While I hope that scene happens someday, I think Coulson is really clear that he was given a job by Nick Fury that’s very specifically focused on re-building SHIELD with the people he has,” explains the 53-year-old actor. “And that has already proven necessary within this world to defeat a bubbling, underground, strong counter-attack from HYDRA and now an outbreak of Inhumans.”

“That’s his focus,” Gregg says of the Coulson’s mindset as the show returns. “He’s not biding his time, waiting for this [closure] to happen. He’s doing his thing, [The Avengers] are doing their thing.”

Thinking about the possibility, he adds: “When the time is right — if it’s done right — I’m sure that would be a terribly poignant and hilarious scene.”

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