Marvel TV series Agents of SHIELD has been picked up for another season by American network ABC, which is great news for anyone who prefers their superhero stories with fewer heroes and more espionage.
Starring Clark Gregg (who played Agent Phil Coulson in several Marvel movies before spinning off to head the series), Agents of SHIELD follows the adventures of a group of spies existing in the superhero-stuffed Marvel world as they try to redeem the name of their corrupted former government organisation.
But it's the return of Agents of SHIELD's fellow spy-based Marvel series Agent Carter for a second series that will have superhero fans rejoicing even harder (the series' fate was a little wobbly).
Starring Hayley Atwell as special agent Peggy Carter, the show takes place in postwar America as Carter attempts to overcome workplace sexism and be taken seriously as a spy while simultaneously running secret missions off the books.
Atwell first starred as Carter in 2011’s Captain America: The First Avenger, reprising her role in sequel The Winter Soldier and appearing in a small cameo for Avengers: Age of Ultron this summer.
Agent Carter also stars James D’Arcy as Carter’s reluctant partner Jarvis, and Dominic Cooper as womanising industrialist Howard Stark (the father of Robert Downey Jr’s Tony Stark). Basically, it’s stuffed with Brits – even though some of them are pretending to be American.
Atwell’s series has so far been denied a UK airing, though the confidence indicated by a second series might encourage broadcasters to get involved. After all, Channel 4 does air Agents of SHIELD already…
