MCU: 15 most perfectly cast actors in the Marvel Cinematic Universe

MARVEL’S AGENTS OF S.H.I.E.L.D. – “The Devil Complex” – As Fitz and Simmons race to find a way to seal the Rift, they are faced with one of their greatest fears manifested, on “Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.,” FRIDAY, MARCH 23 (9:01-10:01 p.m. EDT), on The ABC Television Network. (ABC/Eric McCandless)

CLARK GREGG

14. Clark Gregg

Character: Agent Phil Coulson

You won’t have to look through that many science-fiction films before you come across the stereotypical government agent character. You know the one we’re talking about – the one that randomly shows up in a black car, wearing shades and a suit and often tends to be insufferable and a mixture between deadly and stupid.

So that leaves us wondering, what makes Marvel’s Agent Coulson any different? Well, for starters, he isn’t stupid. The second, and more important, reason is down to Clark Gregg’s masterfully subtle portrayal of the character.

Gregg plays Coulson with a refinement that few of the other characters possess, and due to this, for lack of a better word, pizzazz that he brings to the role, the agent transcended his status as a guest/recurring/supporting character in the films to become one of the most entertaining, and quite frankly, badass characters in the entire Marvel Cinematic Universe.

The character walks the fine line between committed and eccentric and, thanks to Gregg, he never ventures too far into one specific area. Even when he was fanboying over Captain America, he still looked like a badass.

It’s no surprise that Gregg’s Coulson ended up headlining his own TV series in Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., or that he holds the longest combined screen time in the Marvel Cinematic Universe as a result of that. His performance turned Coulson into one of the most endearing regulars on our screens and he, without a doubt, deserves a ton of credit for making what should have been a stereotypical character so darn compelling.