Ok, this is a bit of a cheat because it isn’t so much a scene but a short film – but I challenge anyone to think of a better scene to cap off AVENGERS MONTH here at the House of Geekery! I am talking, of course, about A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to Thor’s Hammer.
Agent Coulson has been a part of the Avengers film series longer than Nick Fury, first appearing at Tony Stark’s press conference to investigate the details behind his escape from being held hostage by terrorists. Played with a cool detachment by Clark Gregg he left an impression. Unflappable in the face of Pepper’s and Tony’s rebuffs he just kept popping up and then starts bringing the goods towards the end of the movie. Blowing open a door with the same quiet demeanor as he addressed Stark’s assistant. It was damn cool.
Having been signed on to reprise the role Clark Gregg then popped up in Iron Man 2, Thor and Captain America. When he then appeared outside of the Avengers Series canon in theUltimate Spider-Man animated series (working undercover as Peter Parker’s school principle) he’d become a Marvel institution. He was instantly familiar to fans not just as a character who linked the films but as someone who was about to take the scene up a few notches in terms of awesome.
Pictured: Awesome.
When The Avengers rolled around fans demanded that Coulson be given his own character poster, being such a fan favourite. For casual viewers they may not know why he’s become such a hit and that’s because they haven’t watched the Marvel One-Shots. In A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to Thor’s Hammer Agent Coulson takes centre stage. On a long car trip to Phoenix Agent Coulson pulls into a service station to refill the gas tank. While trying to decide which flavour of doughnut to buy a pair of robbers charge in and…well, see for yourself:
Awesome, right?
The frantic action of the robbery is perfectly juxtaposed by Coulson’s interruption, especially when he offers up the gun. If you didn’t laugh when he said he had a gun you are dead inside. We know he’s got a plan, we just don’t know what it is. His plan is as simple as it is mind-shatteringly fantastic. Just BAM POW FLY-KICK! It a second he’s gotten the situation under control and goes back to buying doughnuts like disarming and taking out two robbers was on par with having dropped his keys. It almost feels like he’s toying with the poor girl, but he’s just making her feel better.
**This next paragraph has Avengers spoilers. If you haven’t seen the movie yet what the hell is wrong with you?!**
This short cemented Coulson as one of the most interesting characters in the Marvel cinema mythos. When his cool demeanor finally breaks in The Avengers it isn’t when he’s facing death at the hands of Loki – he remains chilled enough to deliver a witty quip as he gets one last hit in – it’s when he geeks out over meeting his hero and wanting to get his mint condition collectors cards signed. You gotta love this guy! Is it any wonder he’s made the jump into the comics?
Filed under: Classic Scene Tagged: avengers month, geek, the avengers
