Audrey Nathan

"You ever seen a beautiful woman play the cello? It's something else."

- Phil Coulson

Audrey Nathan, commonly referred to as the Cellist, is the second chair of the Portland Symphony Orchestra. She dated Phil Coulson before his death at the hands of Loki.

Biography
"I wake up, feeling like he's watching over me."

- Audrey Nathan

Audrey Nathan was a resident of Portland, Oregon and gifted cellist who found herself being stalked by Marcus Daniels, a mentally unstable man who gained energy absorbing abilities through exposure to the Darkforce, and developed an attraction to her and her music. When Daniels' obsession with her put her life in danger, Audrey was rescued by S.H.I.E.L.D., in particular, Agent Phil Coulson. Coulson defeated Daniels by subjecting him to numerous lights, overloading his senses and allowing S.H.I.E.L.D. to take him into custody. Afterward, Audrey and Coulson started dating and fell in love.

Before the battle of New York, Pepper Potts inquired about Audrey, and Coulson informed her that she had moved back to Portland following a tour.

In Portland, she obtained a position as a second chair in Portland Symphony Orchestra. Whenever Coulson was in town, he saw her play and he often invited her to dinner at the Richmond.

Tony Stark offered to fly Coulson out to Portland on a weekend of his choice in order to "keep love alive".

After Coulson's death, Steve Rogers asked Tony if Coulson was married, to which Tony replied: "No. There was a...cellist."

When S.H.I.E.L.D. informed Audrey of Coulson's death at the hands of Loki, she was devastated, and cried for days. Unknown to her, however, Coulson had been revived by S.H.I.E.L.D., and after months of laying low, Coulson had to keep S.H.I.E.L.D. protocol, and, even knowing her current whereabouts, thought it would be best to leave Audrey alone.

During the S.H.I.E.L.D. Civil War, HYDRA operative John Garrett had uncovered vital information regarding Audrey and Coulson's relationship thanks to Grant Ward, his HYDRA mole on Coulson's team, and used that information as Coulson's weakness. He released Daniels from the Fridge, allowing him to resume his pursuit of Audrey.

Daniels traveled to Portland, where he approached Audrey while she was out on an evening jog. Audrey was then saved by Jemma Simmons, pretending to be a CIA agent. While under their protection, Audrey told Simmons and Agent Antoine Triplett that she knew they were actually with S.H.I.E.L.D. She explained her relationship with Coulson and how she still felt about him, and assured them that she still believed in S.H.I.E.L.D. Later, Simmons and Triplett used Audrey as bait to lure in Daniels and used the same method Coulson used on him years prior; this time, the lights, modified with the Gamma Power Reserve by Leo Fitz, overloaded Daniels' senses to the point where he spontaneously combusted.

What Audrey didn't realize was that Coulson had been directly involved with the case, but Audrey was barely conscious when he was in her presence.

When they returned from Portland, those who went questioned if seeing Audrey had adversely affected Coulson's judgements.

Relationships

 * S.H.I.E.L.D. - Allies
 * Coulson's Team
 * Phil Coulson - Former Love Interest
 * Leo Fitz
 * Jemma Simmons
 * Antoine Triplett
 * Marcus Daniels/Blackout † - Stalker

Appearances

 * The Avengers (mentioned)
 * Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.
 * The Bridge (mentioned)
 * The Magical Place (mentioned)
 * Providence (mentioned)
 * The Only Light in the Darkness
 * Nothing Personal (mentioned)