You know how they say “there are no small parts, only small actors”? I used to think that was so much BS, too. I mean, it is the kind of thing you say to make someone feel good about a non-speaking part in a school production. But you know what? I was so wrong! Case in point: Clark Gregg and the role of Phil Coulson. Allow me to elaborate. 

The character was intended to be a one off. Just a SHIELD agent who serves as a place holder to introduce the presence of SHIELD in the MCU. And, unless you watched The New Adventures of Old Christine, you only knew him as Mr. Jennifer Grey. But when it came to Phil Coulson, he had a presence, a certain everyman quality. It was that quality that expanded the character from Iron Man to Iron Man 2, Thor, The Avengers and Captain Marvel. There was also some of the DVD extras and a main character presence in Ultimate Spider-Man. Let’s not forget Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. and then, the ultimate in legitimacy, becoming a character in the 616 universe!

Now, here we are, talking about what was supposed to be a throw off character. A character that grew to become the right hand of the MCU’s Nick Fury (his hand… get it… because he lost one… you see it’s funny because…). A character that served as our connection to this pantheon of heroes, for a time. Now, I’m not saying that this can happen in every instance of what could be considered a “small role”, but imagine how different the MCU could be had Clark Gregg decided to phone it in.