Marvel One-Shot: The Consultant

The Consultant is the first in a series of Marvel One-Shots, released on the Thor Blu-ray on September 13, 2011. It was leaked on September 1, 2011. It is set after the main events of Thor and during the final events of The Incredible Hulk.

Synopsis
Agents Phil Coulson and Jasper Sitwell conspire to keep Emil Blonsky out of the Avengers Initiative.

Plot
Agent Phil Coulson walks into a restaurant where Agent Jasper Sitwell is eating breakfast, and informs him that the World Security Council wishes Emil Blonsky released from prison to join the Avengers Initiative. As they see him as a "war hero", and blame his fight in New York City with Bruce Banner on Banner himself. They order S.H.I.E.L.D. to send an agent to ask General Thaddeus Ross to release Blonsky into their custody. The two agents decide to send a patsy to sabotage the meeting, so Ross will refuse to release Blonsky. At Sitwell's urging, Coulson reluctantly sends the consultant: Tony Stark.

A disgraced Ross sits drinking in a bar, when he is approached by Stark, who ends up annoying Ross so much that Ross tries to have him removed from the bar. In reply, Stark buys the bar, and schedules it for demolition. The next day at the restaurant, Sitwell arrives to Coulson eating breakfast. Coulson informs him that their plan worked, and that Blonsky will remain in prison.

Cast
The appearances of Robert Downey, Jr. as Tony Stark, William Hurt as Thaddeus Ross and Tim Roth as The Abomination came from footage in the film The Incredible Hulk.
 * Clark Gregg as Phil Coulson
 * Maximiliano Hernández as Jasper Sitwell
 * Deborah Knox as the waitress

Locations

 * New Mexico
 * New York City (mentioned & archive footage)

Events

 * Duel of Harlem (mentioned)

Items

 * Iron Man Armor (mentioned)

Organizations

 * S.H.I.E.L.D.
 * World Security Council (mentioned)

Mentioned

 * Abomination (mentioned & archive footage)
 * Tony Stark (mentioned & archive footage)
 * Thaddeus Ross (mentioned a Archive footage)
 * Bruce Banner
 * Avengers Initiative
 * Clearance Level
 * Super Soldier Program

Trivia

 * According to Eric Pearson in an interview for Marvel Studios: Assembling a Universe, the action scene in A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to Thor's Hammer took up 80% of the budget for the first two One-Shots leaving only enough money for two people talking, forcing Pearson to come up with the idea for The Consultant.

Music

 * Music was composed by Paul Oakenfold