After a slow start, Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. has grown into a very exciting television series worthy of being part of the same continuity as the big budget movies in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

Season two of the show came to an end earlier this year and, on May the 7th, it was renewed for a third season that will premiere on September the 29th.

The show has followed Phil Coulson and his team of agents as they deal with unusual and super-powered threats around the world. They have survived the disintegration of the very organisation they work for and have reformed it with a new structure, with Coulson himself in charge of the whole thing.

S.H.I.E.L.D. were first introduced to the world of comic books way back in 1965, so there are a huge number of related characters who are yet to be adapted on the show. With that in mind, this article will look at five characters we want to see in season three.

Clay Quartermain

Clay Quartermain is a really cool character who was first seen on panel way back in 1967 – just two years after S.H.I.E.L.D. itself was first introduced.

He is a high-ranking agent in the espionage organisation who is expertly trained in espionage, firearms and hand-to-hand combat.

What makes him particularly interesting is that he has worked as part of both the American military’s Hulkbuster operation and, perhaps even more intriguingly, as the leader of S.H.I.E.L.D.’s Paranormal Containment Unit.

Not only could his introduction potentially lead to S.H.I.E.L.D. hunting the Hulk (or even the likes of related characters like the Abomination or Red Hulk, should either of those characters reappear/appear in the MCU), his paranormal connection could lead to the television series delving into the supernatural and/or mystical.

With Doctor Strange heading to the MCU in his own movie in 2016, a whole new realm of paranormal concepts and characters could enter the franchise. Clay Quartermain could be the man to investigate and combat it on the small screen.

Agent Crimson

Like Clay Quartermain, Agent Crimson’s introduction in Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. would be interesting because it would potentially open up a whole new concept to the show – in Crimson’s case, the concept of magic.

Agent Crimson first appeared on panel very recently – in 2007 – and is the head of S.H.I.E.L.D.’s Magic-Ops division. He was introduced as a devout follower of the powerful demonic entity Cyttorak, but somehow ended up in charge of all things magical at S.H.I.E.L.D.

With the imminent arrival of Doctor Strange comes the inevitable arrival of magic on a worldwide scale in the Marvel Cinematic Universe and, with that in mind, Phil Coulson and his team are going to want to investigate it – cue the arrival of Agent Crimson.

It would be really cool to see Coulson recruit him and form the Magic-Ops division (or even reveal it as something that has secretly existed for a while). It would keep the show fresh and have it readily prepared for the arrival of Strange and his fellow magical beings in the near future.

Wendell Vaughn

Wendell Vaughn first appeared on panel in 1978 as a graduate of the S.H.I.E.L.D. Academy. Although he was deemed capable and looked upon in a favourable light by higher-ranking members of S.H.I.E.L.D., he failed in the organisation as a field operative because he lacked the killer instinct required to work for them.

However, as a researcher for S.H.I.E.L.D., he found himself collecting data from scientists studying the Quantum Bands when the facility he was in was attacked by A.I.M. and became a hero in his own right on that day.

After already having witnessed a test pilot die trying too hard to use the Quantum Bands, Vaughn opted to put them on anyway in an attempt to fend off A.I.M. It worked, as he decided to just “go with the flow” – his lack of conviction, which had previously proved his undoing, worked for him in this case.

He became Quasar – a cosmic hero and protector of the universe. Introducing Vaughn to the Marvel Cinematic Universe in this way could potentially connect the Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. television series to movies like Guardians of the Galaxy – and that would be very exciting.

Abigail Brand

Abigail Brand – notably a Joss Whedon creation – first appeared on panel as recently as 2004. She is the head of S.W.O.R.D. (Sentient World Observation and Response Department) – an organisation much like S.H.I.E.L.D. and one with direct links to the espionage organisation – who focus on cosmic and extraterrestrial threats to the world’s security.

With that in mind, her introduction in Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. would indicate the potential introduction of S.W.O.R.D. into the Marvel Cinematic Universe – and that would be really cool (and could potentially lead to a spin-off show, which would be awesome).

Brand is half alien and half mutant – but don’t let that make you think Marvel Studios wouldn’t have the rights to her, as she’s not that strongly associated with the X-Men – and would be a very interesting character to see in live action.

Giving the MCU’s television shows more of a direct link to the cosmos would be a good idea, as they could then connect to movies like Guardians of the Galaxy and so forth. Brand could be a great way to strengthen that link.

N.B. S.W.O.R.D. were actually mentioned in a deleted scene from Thor, when Erik Selvig namedropped them during his studies, so there’s every chance that Marvel have genuine plans to introduce them.

Jessica Drew

Jessica Drew first appeared in Marvel comic books back in 1977. She is the original Spider-Woman and, with Spider-Man coming to the Marvel Cinematic Universe imminently, wouldn’t it be cool to have a female counterpart as well?

The origins of Drew’s power differ from story to story (for instance, in one case, her mother was struck with a beam of radiation containing the DNA of several different types of spiders while she was pregnant and, in another case, her father injected her with an experimental serum based on irradiated spiders’ blood to save her from uranium poisoning) but, in each case, she always has connections to S.H.I.E.L.D.

Spider-Woman doesn’t necessarily have the fan-base to make a movie worthwhile at the moment, but putting her on television is definitely plausible.

In the comics, she was recruited and brainwashed by HYDRA before S.H.I.E.L.D. rehabilitated her and utilised her as an agent.

While she doesn’t have the same powers as Spider-Man, she can cling to walls like he can, but she can also fire electricity-like blasts and emit poisons and fear-inducing pheromones. She’d be a valuable asset to Phil Coulson’s organisation.

What do you think? Would you like to see these characters in the next season of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.? Which other characters would you like to see? Have your say below.