"I’m excited about the show because it’s a very hopeful show," Whedon told TV Line. "It’s not about murder, and it’s not about crime, and it’s not people looking into their own belly buttons. It’s about people who are trying to help each other, and that’s one of the things I loved about comic books. They had costumes and the villains were cool [but] they stood for something, and I like doing a show that does that. We’re trying very hard to be true to [Marvel's] ethos and also to the structure of their universe. So it is definitely a Marvel show."
S.H.I.E.L.D. sees fan favourite Agent Phil Coulson back from the dead and leading a cast of original characters that includes Ming-Na Wen (Stargate Universe) as Agent Melinda May, Elizabeth Henstridge (The Thompsons) as Agent Gemma Simmons, Iain De Caestecker (Coronation Street) as Agent Leo Fitz, Brett Dalton (Killing Lincoln) as Agent Grant Ward and Chloe Bennet (Nashville) as Skye. While Whedon's plans for the series revolves around these original characters, he's not ruling out the possibility of any guest appearances from familiar faces from the MCU, although he did state that Cobie Smulders' (Agent Maria Hill) schedule "will permit very little [involvement], but if we can get a hold of her anytime, we will."