Summary
Warning: Spoilers for The Immortal Thor Annual #1!Phil Coulson’s return from death is the perfect nod to hisMarvel Cinematic Universeorigins. An agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. who originated in the MCU rather than the comics, Coulson essentially brought the Avengers together as a unit through his death at the hands of Loki. He would return for the show,Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., butthe show is not considered canonto the MCU.
Whatiscanon to the Marvel Comics universe, though, is the return of Phil Coulson inThe Immortal Thor Annual#1 for the backup story, “The Death Stone Saga Chapter Three” by Derek Landy, Sara Pichelli, Mattia Iacono, and VC’s Travis Lanham. Previously, Phil Coulson was revived asthe bearer of the Death Stone.
Now, it’s revealed thatwhen he was buried following his funeral, he was gifted with a pager from Nick Fury on the off-chance that he would be resurrected. The gift is seemingly a nod to Coulson’s most recent big screen appearance in the ’90s-setCaptain Marvel, where Nick Fury is gifted with a special page that he can use to contact Carol Danvers in an emergency.
Captain Marvel Confirms Two Other Heroes Have Her Cosmic Pager
Marvel Comics reveals that MCU’s Nick Fury isn’t the only hero who has Captain Marvel’s cosmic pager as there are two other heroes with that honor.
Phil Coulson is Back with a Pager
Courtesy of Commander Nick Fury
Audiences first met Phil Coulson inIron Man, the first movie in the MCU, and continued to follow his journey until his demise inThe Avengers.Coulson officially joined the Marvel Comics canon in 2011’sBattle Scars#1 by Chris Yost, Matt Fraction, Cullen Bunn, and Scot Eaton. Like his MCU counterpart, he would continue on as a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent until his owndeath at the hands of Deadpool. There was also an instance where Coulson was revived as a villain during the “Heroes Reborn” storyline, where he uses the Pandemonium Cube to erase the Avengers from existence and make himself President.
Coulson’s evil time as President of the United States is referenced in “Chapter Two” of “The Death Stone Saga,” but Coulson doesn’t remember. “The Death Stone Saga” storyline - previously seen in theThanos 2024 Annualand theAmazing Spider-Man 2024 Annual- sees Coulson rise from his grave nursing the Death Stone. This doesn’t sit well withNighthawk, who is determined to restore the universe to what it was before Mephisto’s meddling, even if it means killing Coulson again for his Death Stone. Nick Fury may stop him first, as Coulson’s pager alerts the commander at the story’s end.
Even Marvel Characters Know No One Dies in Marvel
A Self Aware Anecdote
It’s no secret that death is never a permanent thing in the art of comic books. Everyone returns from the dead eventually,even Uncle Ben and Gwen Stacy, two characters who readers would consider their deaths too significant to undo.If readers are aware no one stays dead forever at Marvel, the characters within Marvel should naturally be just as self-aware,and now that self-awareness is being used as a storytelling tool.It seems as if Nick Fury is aware that there’s such a chance forPhil Coulson, and has prepared for the inevitable return of the fan-favoriteMCUhero.
