AGENTS OF PRIMETIME: S.H.I.E.L.D. & AGENT CARTER: Q & A, New Season Previews [ABC, NYCC 2015]

ABC’s Agent Carter & Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. NYCC 2015 Q & A, and screener. Marvel’s primetime stable of supers, spies, and super spies returned to New York Comic Con and went straight to business. Fans, at this point, should know that this does not necessarily mean serious business; but we can be serious about enjoying the cast & crew’s idea of business. I doubt anyone was disappointed. Full disclosure: I didn’t really ‘make it to the event,’ officially, and I’m sure someone else caught the ball; but, with a little persistence – and help from the Almighty Thor – I got in, anyways. Rasberries to a whole lot of personified slights & obstacles. Back to business.

Marvel’s TV honcho, Jeph Loeb, knew he had a receptive audience (to say the least), so he didn’t necessarily need his star attraction (more on that later) to get them going… but he got the assist anyway. Great way to get the ball going.

First up: Agent Carter. In a short presentation reel, Hayley Atwell & James D’Arcy made the usual best wishes & apologies-in-absentia as a set-up to a delightful fake-out sight gag, involving Dominic Cooper (in as far-removed-from-character a cameo role as you’ll likely see). This played right into Loeb’s announcement as to which fan favs will be returning for season 2. Beyond the Cooper fake-out, and news of Enver Gjokaj’s character upgrade, word of Bridget Regan’s return, as the forerunner to the Black Widow, evoked the wildest response. To seal the deal, Loeb then presented a clever clip, which – besides adding to the wonderful chemistry, between Atwell & D’Arcy – offered some insight into what we can expect from the change in scene. Well, said scene as Stark’s personal playground, anyway. That was pretty much it, for Carter; so after a playful jab, at an equally playful heckler, Loeb decided to call in his ace.

Clark Gregg brought the audience to its feet, of course, and then proceeded to work the crowd in typically understated fashion – and playing ‘good cop’ to Loeb’s bad. To his first question, on his reaction to Inhumans being added to the show’s mythology (besides asking “Am I going to be Black Bolt?”), he responded in terms of how he felt about what that would mean, for both the show, and himself, as a fan. He saw it as an opportunity for the series to explore super powered humans as something of a Civil Rights issue, while living the dream, personally; having grown up reading some of the source material. Simply, he was “stoked,” as it has provided him an opportunity to “geek out at a deeper level” and “geekier level,” all at once.

At the question of which cast member would make for the most interesting Inhuman reveal, Gregg resorted to stalling-by-complimenting-the-question, before passing the buck to Loeb. When a ‘stay tuned’ dodge becomes necessary, it’s best to have the ‘mean boss’ say it. Loeb did offer that the show would be exploring the nature of humanity, itself, which would allow for any number of sensationalized turns – superpowered, or not. So… stay tuned, I guess.

The real crowd pleaser (at least for the Q & A) was Gregg’s response to the question of whether any Mutants could ever appear. I don’t think it takes a super fan to understand what he meant, when he replied “We would like to talk some Mutants; but they’re in a terrifying realm.” The look on Loeb’s face suggested he knew he might have to inject some diplomacy into Gregg’s rabble-rousing; but Gregg smelled blood in the water, adding a name to that realm: “Copyright Zone.” Loeb would eventually put the subject to rest; but we were all glad somebody said it, for the record – and in a tastefully geeky dialect, at that.

The last question, on whether we would be getting any extensive previews, left me a little suspicious. Clark Gregg is a pro & a naturally quick wit, but Loeb’s reaction, to Gregg whispering devilish thoughts into his ear, definitely gave off a practice vibe (plant in the audience, to get the act rolling, mayhaps?). Out of this brief Penn & Teller warm up, we were treated to a 43 minute ‘preview’ of the next new episode of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.; so no complaints about showmanship – those guys definitely knew their audience.

Jeph Loeb does well, as the ‘bad cop,’ and was a good sport for it; while Clark Gregg continues to wield his geek cred with subtle humor, and a finger on our pulse. Whether fans came for information, or entertainment, between our hosts, the Agent Carter clip, and the AoS screener, I’d wager we were all left quite infotained.

Agent Carter returns to ABC’s line-up during the upcoming Winter Break, and I will be reviewing the next episode of Agents in relatively short order; so… stay tuned, I guess.

Leave your thoughts on Marvel’s Agents of Primetime presentation, at NYCC 2015, in the comments section below. For more Agent Carter photos, videos, and news, visit our Agent Carter Page. For more Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. photos, videos, and information, visit our Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Page, subscribe to us by Email, “follow” us on Twitter, Tumblr, Google+ or “like” us on Facebook.