4 major ways Agents of SHIELD set the standard for future Marvel television series

By Shaun Stacy | Aug 15, 2020

MARVEL AGENTS OF S.H.I.E.L.D. - ABC's "Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D." stars Chloe Bennet as Daisy Johnson, Elizabeth Henstridge as Jemma Simmons, Clark Gregg as Phil Coulson, Jeff Ward as Deke Shaw, Iain De Caestecker as Leo Fitz, Ming-Na Wen as Melinda May, Henry Simmons as Alphonso "Mack" MacKenzie, and Natalia Cordova-Buckley as Elena "Yo-Yo" Rodriguez. (ABC/Mitchell Haaseth) /

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Groundbreaking Female Characters

A lot of emphasis is put on “firsts” in the MCU. Black Panther is the first MCU movie with a Black hero in the lead. Captain Marvel is the first MCU movie with a female superhero as the sole lead. However, Agents of SHIELD doesn’t get enough credit when it comes to it’s groundbreaking firsts.

Agents of SHIELD features the first Asian-American superheroes in both Chloe Bennet’s Daisy Johnson and (eventually) Ming-Na Wen‘s Melinda May. It also features the MCU’s first Latina superhero with the introduction of Yo-Yo Rodriguez, played by Natalia Cordova-Buckley, in season four. And let’s be honest, the female characters were the best part of this show.

Agents of SHIELD has always been a series that embraced diversity, which is something that the greater MCU movies have struggled with up until fairly recently. While it’s important to note the races of these characters, it’s just as important to note that they do not play stereotypes. Each of these ladies has had tremendous character development throughout the series, even becoming the most powerful members of the team by the finale.

Here’s hoping to see more of these lovely ladies in the future MCU.

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