The Marvel chessboard has been set for phase two in excoriating ways. Branching from the big and into the small-screen, ABC’s S.H.I.E.L.D. spin-off series has left fans eagerly anticipating with exclaims of excelsior. Yet still many plot-points remain shadowed. With Agent Coulson’s demise being the catalyst of what bonded the super-team…the series was safely assumed to be placed chronologically before the events of The Avengers considering Clark Gregg’s confirmed involvement with the show. While the rumors of his supposed resurrection to even re-editing into the Vision seemed no more than fan-boy delusions of grandeur…today brought forth some validity to the hopes. ABC president Paul Lee, when asked how Marvel’s S.H.I.E.L.D. would tie into the Marvel Cinematic Universe, has this to say: “There is no question that it is part of the Marvel Universe. In fact, the story takes place after the battle for New York.”

There go the assumptions of prequel territory.

“This is S.H.I.E.L.D. They’re following their own particular stories. There are characters in it, Coulson, who clearly comes from Avengers. So it’s part of the world, but we’re going to be very, very careful that we don’t tread on the toes of the features and build a whole new world. And that’s what Joss Whedon does better than anybody else. He’s built a world for us.”

Elaborating on how the series will be very stand-alone and focus predominately on the less super-heroic and more realism of the now Whedon helmed properties, he does remain optimistic that at least some references or even cameos will occur.

“I think if we’re lucky enough to have a great series, we’re obviously having fun with that. At this point though, we have a number of characters at the heart of the script who are real characters, who are the Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., and the first task is to make those guys great and relatable and everything that a great show needs. Beyond that, fingers crossed!”

So what does this mean for the cinematic universe? More importantly…what about the enigma of Agent Coulson and what can only be a pseudo-revival at this point? He’s joined by Brett Dalton as Agent Grant Ward, Iain De Caestecker as Agent Leo Fitz, Elizabeth Henstridge as Agent Gemma Simmons, Ming-Na Wen as Agent Melinda May, and Chloe Bennet as Skye. Filming on the Marvel’s S.H.I.E.L.D. pilot will begin next week, with hopes to air on ABC this Fall.