Being the small screen spin off of one of the biggest films of all time, Marvel’s Agents of SHIELD had a lot to live up to. And with god of nerds and fans, Joss Whedon at the helm, this show looked set to surpass all expectations; but Agents of SHIELD might just be the most underwhelming hour of TV since Torchwood began its last series. Pitching itself somewhere between firm Whedon favourite Buffy the Vampire Slayer and mysterious procedural drama The X-Files, Agents of SHIELD brings Agent Phil Coulson back from the dead (or was it Tahiti?) to spearhead a new taskforce aimed at tackling 0-8-4s (objects of unknown origin) and superhuman related events. Sadly, the trademark witty quips that are expected from Whedon do little to cover up the heavily clichéd script.

The use of stock characters makes the program feel stale, a stark contrast to the fresher feeling of Marvel films; almost all of these characters tropes have been done time and time again and Agents of SHIELD feels like it is treading very familiar ground. The sheer wealth of comic material at their disposal gives hope to the idea that things can get better. The introduction of Samuel L. Jackson’s Nick Fury during a post credit sting in episode two suggests that Marvel has a healthy desire for this show to sit alongside the films, and not be the tag along that it currently is. At the moment, however, Agents of SHIELD has not lived up to the heavy expectations placed upon it and I for one did not marvel.

Frank Jackman

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