Joss Whedon Still Considers Coulson Dead

Coulson Lives!

Well, not according to director Joss Whedon who was responsible for killing off Agent Phil Coulson in The Avengers movie. Speaking with the UK’s mentalfloss.com, Whedon lets it be known that Marvel TV was responsible for bringing back Coulson, but almost seems to say that the movies and TV have different continuity, and that he still considers Coulson as being dead.

Whedon says Marvel TV brought Coulson back.

A lot of people come back in The Winter Soldier. It’s a grand Marvel tradition. Bucky was supposed to die. And the Coulson thing was, I think, a little anomalous just because that really came from the television division, which is sort of considered to be its own subsection of the Marvel universe.

Whedon says for the continuity of the movies, Coulson is still considered dead:

As far as the fiction of the movies, Coulson is dead.

Says he wasn’t happy that Coulson came back as it takes away from The Avengers movie:

But I have to say, watching the first one with my kids—I had not watched the first one since it came out—and then watching it with my kids and watching Coulson die but [thinking], “Yeah, but I know that he kind of isn’t,” it did take some of the punch out of it for me. Of course, I spent a lot of time making sure he didn’t.

Whedon offers there is no reference to Coulson’s death in Avengers 2:

And at the time it seemed inoffensive, as long as it wasn’t referenced in the second movie, which it isn’t.

Whedon feels that without death or loss during these great conflicts, they don’t come off as being real or sincere:

There’s a thing where you can do that so many times and there’s nothing at stake. But it’s difficult because you’re living in franchise world—not just Marvel, but in most big films—where you can’t kill anyone, or anybody significant. And now I find myself with a huge crew of people and, although I’m not as bloodthirsty as some people like to pretend, I think it’s disingenuous to say we’re going to fight this great battle, but there’s not going to be any loss.

Whedon does offer he is fine with it and is happy to leave it up to the fans:

So my feeling in these situations with Marvel is that if somebody has to be placed on the altar and sacrificed, I’ll let you guys decide if they stay there.

“The Avengers: Age Of Ultron” has a May 1st release.