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In talking about Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.
and its connections with other media (particularly the movies), it has occurred
to me that I use the words “tie-in” and “crossover” without really defining
them. And considering how frequently we
talk about “tie-ins” and “crossovers” between Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. and
the movies, it’s a pretty good bet that I’m not the only one who uses them in a
number of different ways. This can be
confusing!
So partly to help myself out—and
partly to help everyone else out—let’s take some time to define some terms when
it comes to “tie-ins” and “crossovers.” Next
week I will apply these terms in talking about possible tie-ins/crossovers with
the movies coming out during season 4 of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.: Doctor Strange and Guardians of the
Galaxy Vol. 2.
Before we get started, remember
that these are the definitions I’m using; I’m not saying this is what we
have to use. Though you’re
welcome to adopt them for yourself!
Tie-In
In my usage, a “Tie-in” is any
connection which “ties” two different properties together. So, for example, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.
has a “tie-in” with Thor: The Dark World in the episode following Thor:
The Dark World’s release—meaning that there is something in that episode
which connects with the movie.
There are a number of different types
of tie-ins:
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Direct Tie-In
A “Direct Tie-In” means that the
plot and events of the one property are specifically mentioned by, or have an
explicit impact on, the second property.
The most obvious example of this would come in the Captain America: The
Winter Soldier tie-in on Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. when the events of
the movie effectively demolished the organization on which the TV show was
based. During the episode following the Winter
Soldier premiere, the events of the movie were referred to explicitly as
happening concurrent with the events of the episode, and actual clips from the
movie were shown as news footage.
Another example is the Agents
of S.H.I.E.L.D. episode “The Well” (1x08), which provided a Direct Tie-In
to Thor: The Dark World by showing the S.H.I.E.L.D. team cleaning up the
wreckage left behind by the movie’s climactic battle. Avengers: Age of Ultron also has a
Direct Tie-In in the episodes “The Dirty Half Dozen” (2x19) and “Scars” (2x20),
the first of which shows the S.H.I.E.L.D. team recovering the intelligence that
sends the Avengers into Sokovia (directly affecting the movie), and the second
of which reveals that Fury’s helicarrier was actually refurbished by Coulson
off the books.
Indirect Tie-In
An “Indirect Tie-In” means that
while there is a connection between the two media, it is not explicitly
connected to the one medium’s plot. This
is a little harder to nail down because it’s not the most obvious of tie-ins. However, there are at least two examples that
come to mind.
The first is in the
previously-mentioned “The Well” (1x08), following the Direct Tie-In mentioned
above. The rest of the episode focuses
on the revelation of an Asgardian warrior who stayed behind on “Midgard” (Earth)
after the Jotunheim War mentioned in Thor and hid his Berserker Staff in
pieces around Europe. This is not
directly connected to the plot of either Thor or Thor: The Dark World
(though there’s a greater connection with Thor), but rather builds off
of minor details and races from those movies.
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The second is in “Who You Really
Are” (2x12), which offers an Indirect Tie-In to Guardians of the Galaxy
by introducing a Kree scientist. The
Kree actually appear or are mentioned several times on Agents of
S.H.I.E.L.D., starting with “T.A.H.I.T.I.” (1x14), which shows a blue alien
later identified as Kree. Because none
of these Kree appearances have anything to do with the plot of Guardians of
the Galaxy, they are not a Direct Tie-In with that movie. Instead, they build off of what we know about
the Kree from that movie and expand the lore of the Kree in the MCU through
reference to “Ancient Wars” (we know this from the comics to be a reference to
the MCU version of the Kree/Skrull War) and the “Tale of Terrigenesis.”
An Indirect Tie-In actually offers
an excellent opportunity for expanding and deepening the lore associated with
ancillary elements of the movies.
Thematic Tie-In
“Thematic Tie-In” is a term that
I am applying in a broader sense to any Tie-In which expands on themes and
power sources which are first introduced in the movies before appearing on the
small screen.
A good example of a “Thematic
Tie-In” on Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. is the focus on Hydra throughout the
final quarter of season 1 and all of season 2.
The themes of betrayal and loyalty are extremely important parts of
these S.H.I.E.L.D. episodes. This
also helps to deepen the “lore” of Hydra and specifically the Hydra
infiltration of and rising up against S.H.I.E.L.D., concepts which were only
alluded to briefly in the movie.
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Crossover
Up until now I used “Crossover”
and “Tie-In” largely interchangeably.
However, in thinking about the term more, I’ve come to realize that a
“Crossover” is actually a much more specific form of “Tie-In.” Specifically, a “Crossover” is when a character
from one medium “crosses over” to another one, continuing his or her story on
that other medium. As such, a TV show
doesn’t really “crossover” with a movie unless its entire cast appears in the
movie (or vice versa). Instead, the most
common example is a character “crossing over” between movies and TV
shows as a background/secondary character in one or both.
There are numerous examples of
this, particularly in Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. season 1. The most obvious examples are Maria Hill and
Nick Fury, both of whom “Cross Over” from The Avengers to Agents of
S.H.I.E.L.D. before appearing in Captain America: The Winter Soldier,
and then returning to Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. before appearing again in Avengers:
Age of Ultron. They are not focal
characters on Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., but their appearances on the show
offer a continuation of their character arcs from the movies.
Another good example of a
Crossover is Lady Sif, who “crosses over” with Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. in
2 episodes, “Yes Men” (1x15) and “Who You Really Are” (2x12). Both of these episodes give some additional
insight into Sif’s character and background, as well as the aftermath of Thor:
The Dark World on Asgard.
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Major/Minor Spectrum
In thinking about degrees of
Tie-Ins and Crossovers, I realized that there really isn’t a way to determine
what makes a “Major Tie-In” and what makes a “Minor Tie-In” beyond a few
general observations. As such, I am now
thinking of these things as being on something of a “spectrum.”
The most “Minor” Tie-In possible
is a simple Easter egg: a quick, passing
reference to the events of another medium, something which has very little
effect on what’s actually happening on either medium. The passing mention of Ant-Man in
“Laws of Nature” (3x01) on Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. would be a good
example of this.
Moving up the spectrum, “Minor”
Tie-Ins generally have very little lasting impact on either medium being “Tied”
together. This can be something like
S.H.I.E.L.D. cleaning up the wreckage in London after Thor: The Dark World,
or it can be the use of technologies on Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. which
were first used in Captain America: The Winter Soldier (Fury’s cutting
tool which Fitz revealed that he originally designed and the mask which
Romanoff used in the movie and which then was bonded to Kara’s face in Agents
of S.H.I.E.L.D. season 2). The
distinguishing factor is that the connection is either not very
important or does not have a lasting impact.
A “Major” Tie-In is one which does
have a significant, lasting impact on the second medium. The perfect example of this is the Tie-In
between Captain America: The Winter Soldier and Agents of
S.H.I.E.L.D., in which the movie effectively destroyed the organization on
which the TV show was based. This event
was the single greatest defining moment in the show’s first season—and the
argument can be made that it’s the greatest defining moment of the show
to-date.
To give an example, here’s how I
would rank the Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Tie-Ins from Major to Minor:
- Captain America: The Winter Soldier, with “End of the Beginning” (1x16) through “Beginning of the End” (1x22)
- Avengers: Age of Ultron, with “The Dirty Half Dozen” (2x19) and “Scars” (2x20)
- Thor: The Dark World (and perhaps Thor: Ragnarok), with “Yes Men” (1x15)—the Sif Crossover bumps this one up more
- Captain America: Civil War, with “Emancipation” (3x20)
- Guardians of the Galaxy and Thor: The Dark World, with “Who You Really Are” (2x12)
- Thor: The Dark World, with “The Well” (1x08)
- Ant-Man, with “Laws of Nature” (3x01)
This is all kind of subjective,
and I left out a lot of “Minor, Indirect Tie-Ins,” so let me know if you would
rate things differently.
Conclusion
I hope that this guide is helpful
in understanding different types of Tie-Ins that are possible between movies
and TV shows. For the most part I
focused on Tie-Ins by Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. with Marvel movies, but the
same categories also work when talking about Tie-Ins between movies and between
TV shows. If you have other examples of
Tie-Ins or different categories of Tie-Ins that should be included, be sure to
put them in the comments!
What is your favorite movie Tie-In from Agents
of S.H.I.E.L.D.? How do you want to
see it Tie-In with the upcoming movies?
Let me know in the comments!
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