Phil Coulson
Agent Phillip J. "Phil" Coulson is a fictional character portrayed and voiced by Clark Gregg in the Marvel Cinematic Universe media franchise. Coulson is depicted as a high-ranking member of the espionage agency S.H.I.E.L.D. and longtime partner of Nick Fury.
During an attack on a S.H.I.E.L.D helicarrier, Coulson is stabbed through the heart by Loki and the Avengers form to avenge his death. Fury later has Coulson resurrected with Kree blood to continue serving S.H.I.E.L.D., putting together a small team of agents supervised by Melinda May and coming to view one agent, Daisy Johnson, as a surrogate daughter. After rebuilding S.H.I.E.L.D. following its infiltration and destruction by Hydra, saving the planet, and making a deal with a demon to briefly become Ghost Rider, Coulson retires to Tahiti with May, where he dies once again.
Following the destruction of Sarge, a biological duplicate of Coulson created by a monolith and inhabited by the Inca god Pachakutiq, a Life Model Decoy of Coulson is made from a copy of his consciousness saved to a virtual reality, and Sarge's and May's genetic memories, resurrecting him again. After preventing an alternate timeline from being conquered by Chronicoms, Coulson decides to travel the world in his flying car, Lola.
Coulson was a central figure in the "Infinity Saga", appearing in five films, two television series, one digital series, and two Marvel One-Shots, most notably in The Avengers and Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.. Several [|versions] of Coulson from within the MCU multiverse also appear, notably in the live-action series Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. and the animated series What If...?, with Gregg reprising the role.
Coulson has additionally appeared in several forms of non-MCU media, being integrated into the mainstream Marvel Universe, initially modelled after Gregg and depicted as a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent and supporting character of Deadpool, before being redeveloped as a supervillain servant of the demon Mephisto and commander of the Squadron Supreme of America following his death and resurrection, and the main antagonist of "Heroes Reborn".
Marvel Cinematic Universe
Early life at S.H.I.E.L.D.
Phillip Coulson was born to Robert and Julie Coulson, and grew up idolizing World War II heroes Captain America and Agent Peggy Carter. He joins the intelligence agency that Carter founded, S.H.I.E.L.D., working under Nick Fury and alongside fellow agents John Garrett and Melinda May.In 1995, Coulson accompanies Fury to investigate a woman who destroyed a Blockbuster Video store. While they investigate inside the store, a shape-shifting Skrull imitates Coulson and falls victim to Fury when the real Coulson calls him wondering where everyone went. Coulson later accompanies Fury and the woman to S.H.I.E.L.D., but, trusting Fury, allows them to escape. He later debriefs with Fury, who goes on to form the Avengers Initiative in response to his escapade.
Sometime after, Coulson is put in charge of Project T.A.H.I.T.I., designed to revive a fallen Avenger with the blood of a decaying blue alien. He shuts the project down after its participants begin going mad and carving mysterious symbols.
Forming the Avengers and first death
In 2008, Coulson debriefs Tony Stark on his captivity in Afghanistan. He is also one of several agents who accompany Pepper Potts in an attempt to arrest Obadiah Stane once his criminal activities are revealed. He later acts as the S.H.I.E.L.D. representative at Stark's press conference where Stark announces himself as Iron Man.In 2010, Coulson is put in charge of supervising a drunken Stark, before being informed by Fury of an unidentified item found in New Mexico. He travels to the desert and finds a hammer. He then seizes Jane Foster's equipment to study the hammer, and later meets Thor, who claims to own the hammer despite not being able to pick it up. After Thor uses the hammer to destroy the Destroyer, an automaton, Coulson befriends him and agrees to give Foster back her equipment.
Sometime later, Coulson and Jasper Sitwell attempt to stop the World Security Council from gaining access to the Abomination, sending Stark to annoy General Ross who held the Abomination in custody. Coulson also assists in reviving Steve Rogers after his body is found preserved in ice, 70 years after his presumed death.
In 2012, Thor's brother Loki wages war against S.H.I.E.L.D., with Fury assembling his team of Avengers. Coulson recruits Natasha Romanoff and Stark, and meets Rogers, his idol. Loki is later captured by the Avengers, but escapes after a brainwashed Clint Barton frees him, almost destroying S.H.I.E.L.D.'s Helicarrier in the process. During Loki's escape, Coulson threatens him with a gun, being fatally stabbed by Loki's scepter. Coulson's death unites the Avengers, which inspires them to defeat Loki and his army of Chitauri.
Resurrection through Project T.A.H.I.T.I.
After Coulson's death, Fury uses the disbanded Project T.A.H.I.T.I. to resurrect him. Coulson's brain is altered, being led to believe he was sent to Tahiti for rehabilitation. Following his resurrection, Coulson puts together a team of agents to travel the world and deal with strange missions. This team included Melinda May, Daisy Johnson, Grant Ward, Leo Fitz and Jemma Simmons.During this time, Coulson becomes aware of Project T.A.H.I.T.I., finding out that he was revived using GH-325, a drug derived from an ancient Kree corpse that Peggy Carter previously recovered. Later, the terrorist organisation Hydra is revealed to have infiltrated S.H.I.E.L.D., leading to its demise and the murder of Fury. After Ward and John Garrett are revealed as Hydra agents, Coulson and his team work to stop them, eventually defeating them with the help of Fury, who had faked his death. Fury makes Coulson the new director of S.H.I.E.L.D. and tasks him with rebuilding the agency.
Director of S.H.I.E.L.D. and second death
Coulson's involvement with alien materials leads to a faction of S.H.I.E.L.D. agents led by Robert Gonzalez, who distrust secrets and superhumans attempting to take over the fledgling organization, but Coulson convinces them to let him stay on as director after helping save hundreds of civilians. Together, they defeat a faction of Inhumans, though Coulson loses a hand in the process. Coulson later becomes romantically involved with Rosalind Price, the leader of an anti-Inhuman government task-force called the Advanced Threat Containment Unit, until her death at the hands of Grant Ward, a Hydra agent who formerly worked with Coulson. Coulson gets revenge by crushing Ward's chest with his prosthetic hand.Following the signing of the Sokovia Accords, S.H.I.E.L.D. is re-legitimized, with Coulson replaced as director by Jeffrey Mace, though he is eventually able to retake command of operations while Mace serves as the public face of S.H.I.E.L.D. After the artificial intelligence AIDA attempts to take over the world, Coulson allows himself to briefly become a Ghost Rider to defeat her. Coulson and his teammates are later abducted and sent to the future, to prevent the extinction of humanity. After their return, his team discover the Ghost Rider burned through the GH-325 that kept Coulson alive, causing him to slowly die ever since. Despite the team's best efforts to save him, Coulson ultimately chooses to leave S.H.I.E.L.D. and live the remainder of his life in Tahiti with Melinda May, with whom he developed a romantic relationship.