- "It was a 'break glass in case of emergency' situation."
"Yes, but that emergency was supposed to be the fall of an Avenger."
"Exactly. And I'm damn glad I did it, too. When you want to build something, you need a strong foundation." - ―Nick Fury and Phil Coulson[src]
The Resurrection of Phil Coulson was an operation ordered by Nick Fury to bring Phil Coulson back to life after his death prior to the Battle of New York, as part of Project T.A.H.I.T.I. Using GH.325, a drug created from the blood of a deceased Kree, Coulson was successfully brought back to life. However, due to severe mental trauma, his memories were rewritten to forget about the operation.
Background[]
- "I'm clockin' out here."
"Not an option."
"It's okay, boss. This was never gonna work... if they didn't have something... to..." - ―Phil Coulson and Nick Fury[src]
Phil Coulson dies from his severe wounds
During the Attack on the Helicarrier, Phil Coulson attempted to stop Loki from jettisoning Thor out of the aircraft. Coulson approached Loki wielding a weapon reverse-engineered from the wreckage of the Destroyer, and demanded that Loki stand down.[4] However, Loki tricked him with a holographic illusion and impaled him with the Scepter.
Coulson died trying to say that the Avengers would never be able to assemble without something to motivate them. Nick Fury took this advice to heart, and manipulated Tony Stark and Steve Rogers into working together, using Coulson's heroic sacrifice to put aside their differences.[5] Unwilling to let Coulson die, Fury returned to Project T.A.H.I.T.I., a defunct S.H.I.E.L.D. project directed by Coulson that was designed to save a fatally wounded Avenger.[6]
Resurrection[]
Phil Coulson comes back to life as an agent
- "Let me die, please. Please. Please, I'm begging you let me die."
- ―Phil Coulson[src]
Phil Coulson was dead for days after the Battle of New York. The doctors sent Coulson's corpse to the Guest House for procedures ordered by Nick Fury. Doctors used a serum capable of healing wounds and restoring life. The serum was derived from an alien corpse and had been used for Project T.A.H.I.T.I. During the procedures, Coulson begged the doctors to let him die.
In order to restore his will to live, the doctors used a brain stimulating machine to alter the memories of the procedures so Coulson would think he was recovering in Tahiti. A side effect of the memory alteration was that, when asked how his trip to Tahiti was, Coulson would say it was a "magical place."[7]
Aftermath[]
Raina helping Phil Coulson remember his past
- "Why bring me back to life in the first place? Clearly, I didn't think it was the best idea. I warned you about people losing their minds."
"Agent May was on top of the situation. She says you're fine." - ―Phil Coulson and Nick Fury[src]
The file of Phil Coulson's revival was restricted to Clearance Level 10 or above. Coulson learned the truth from the Theta Brain-Wave Frequency Machine and J. Streiten. When Coulson arrived at the Guest House, he was shocked that the serum that revived him was from an alien.[7] John Garrett was interested in how he had been restored, so he had Ian Quinn fatally shoot Skye, in hopes that she would be given the same procedure.[8]
Melinda May revealed to Coulson that she was the true builder of Coulson's Team, by order of Nick Fury, in order to observe Coulson after his resurrection. Each team member had a specific purpose to that end: May reported directly to Fury; Leo Fitz could erase his memories if necessary; Jemma Simmons could revive him if his resurrection proved temporary; and Grant Ward could kill him if he became a liability.[9]
Phil Coulson carving for the first time
Coulson succumbed to the side effects of the procedures used to resurrect him, and he started to wake up in the middle of the night and begin writing on the walls of the Playground in a symbolic language.[10]
As time went on, Coulson's compulsion to carve the symbols became more frequent, beginning with three times a month, increasing to twice a week, and culminating in drawing every day. He was under the supervision of Melinda May and Skye, who researched the symbols to try to find their meaning. During the Attack on Hank Thompson, Coulson learned that the need to render the symbols was shared by all the participants of Project T.A.H.I.T.I.. Once he discovered the symbols were actually blueprints to a city, the urges ceased.[11]
Appearances[]
| Appearances for Resurrection of Phil Coulson |
|---|
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In chronological order:
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References[]
- ↑ Phil Coulson's obituary in Hot Potato Soup.
- ↑ Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.: 2.06: A Fractured House
- ↑ Stuttgart exhibition opens "4.MAI" in The Avengers.
- ↑ The Avengers Prelude: Fury's Big Week
- ↑ The Avengers
- ↑ Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.: 1.20: Nothing Personal
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.: 1.14: T.A.H.I.T.I.
- ↑ Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.: 1.13: T.R.A.C.K.S.
- ↑ Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.: 1.17: Turn, Turn, Turn
- ↑ Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.: 1.22: Beginning of the End
- ↑ Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.: 2.07: The Writing on the Wall
