Could Phil Coulson and Melinda May actually turn into something romantic?
From early in Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.’s run, fans have rooted for the longtime colleagues to get together, but it seemed like a fleeting possibility. However, as the duo find new common ground, it seems like their relationship could go to the next level, especially after May (Ming-Na Wen) revealed that the one thing she saw when she died was Coulson (Clark Gregg).
When asked whether Coulson may ever open himself up to love after his last two relationships ended in heartbreak — R.I.P., Price — Gregg, unprompted, seemed to reveal that the show will finally explore that dynamic. “There seems like there might be some long gestating sparks happening a little closer to home,” he tells EW. “I’m just going on what I’ve been reading [in the scripts]. Something is different between them. I don’t know, something’s going on. They’re just a little different with each other and I can’t quite figure out what it is. They’re either becoming even better friends after all they’ve been through or, I don’t know, I keep feeling like some of these lines are a little flirtatious.”
The move comes as May was affected by the apparitions, forcing Simmons (Elizabeth Henstridge) and Radcliffe (John Hannah) to basically kill her and restart her brain. After perishing in Marvel’s The Avengers, Coulson knows all too well what it’s like to die. “It certainly has had some kind of impact on Agent May,” Gregg says. “Coulson’s very curious about her experience because now one of the people he cares most about in the world is one of the very few people in the world who has had a similar been dead for a while, come back to life scenario. That becomes something that he’s very curious about with her.”
Pressed further on whether Coulson and May really will become an item, Gregg teases, “There are things happening in the coming episodes that give each of them deeper awareness of how much they mean to each other.”
Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. airs Tuesdays at 10 p.m. ET on ABC.