The Do’s And Don’ts Of A SHIELD TV Show

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By Guest Contributor Kendra James

All right…as critical fans, our issues with Joss Whedon are well documented, so you can understand why ABC’s announcement that they’ve greenlit a primetime S.H.I.E.L.D. pilot written and directed by the man himself inspires more of a cautious excitement rather than all out jumping for joy.

We don’t know much, aside from it having been described as a “high-concept cop show,” that presumably takes place in the SHIELD of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (shown, so far, in Iron Man, Thor, Captain America, The Incredible Hulk, and Whedon’s Avengers). Unfortunately, the following character descriptions released this week seem to harken back to tropes and characters he’s already written. And written again.

• Skye: This late-20s woman sounds like a dream: fun, smart, caring and confident–with an ability to get the upper hand by using her wit and charm.
• Agent Grant Ward: Quite the physical specimen and “cool under fire,” he sometimes botches interpersonal relations. He’s a quiet one with a bit of a temper, but he’s the kind of guy that grows on you.
• Agent Althea Rice: Also known as “The Calvary,” this hardcore soldier has crazy skills when it comes to weapons and being a pilot. But her experiences have left her very quiet and a little damaged.
• Agent Leo Fitz and Agent Jemma Simmons: These two came through training together and still choose to spend most of their time in each other’s company. Their sibling-like relationship is reinforced by their shared nerd tendencies–she deals with biology and chemistry, he’s a whiz at the technical side of weaponry.

Maybe I’m too familiar with Whedon’s work, but this reads as a potential recasting of Firefly. And while the roles are all listed as open ethnicity and nationality, I’m willing to bet the “fun, smart, caring, and confident” Skye is cast as white while the “damaged, hardcore soldier” goes to a woman of color.

If Michelle Rodriguez’s agent isn’t all over this, they’re not doing their job.

Avengers was a personal favorite film of mine this year, but it wasn’t without its flaws. Which is why I’ve taken it upon myself to come up with a simple list of Dos and Don’ts for Joss Whedon as he starts expanding the MCU for a television audience.

DO: Use a diverse city and setting. Whedon is actually good at doing this. Angel and Dollhouse were set in Los Angeles, and Buffy the Vampire Slayer took place about two hours from there. Firefly was set in a future heavily influenced by a few aspects of Chinese culture. Avengers was based mostly in New York City. These settings offered plenty of opportunity for diverse, multicultural interactions. The problem is knowing (or wanting) to take advantage of the landscape at your fingertips, leading us to …

DON’T: Whitewash that setting. S.H.I.E.L.D headquarters in New York City with secret phone booth entrances in Chinatown or Harlem and nary a POC to be seen. Maybe a white character obsessed with a knock-off version of Japanese culture this time (for variety and pop culture relatability). Given the lack of diversity in Buffy and just about everything that happened with Firefly, I wouldn’t put any of this past Whedon. It’s easy enough to avoid if he would only make the effort.

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