During the early part of the MCU, the producers gave us five mini-movies, which were included on home-video releases. Known as “Marvel One-Shots,” as per the comic-book terminology, these stories fleshed out elements of the overall saga – or were simply made for the sake of fun. They range from 3 to 15 minutes, and from pointless to one entry that very much has a point. Here’s a closer look:
“The Consultant”
(2011, ties in with “The Incredible Hulk,” found on home video release of “Thor”)
Agents Coulson and Sitwell sit at a diner booth discussing how they can both follow an order and make sure the objective is not achieved. The Council (S.H.I.E.L.D.’s overseers) wants Emil Blonsky (the evil Hulk) transferred from the Army to the agency’s fold, but Fury (Coulson’s immediate boss) does not. Coulson’s solution doubles as the gag of the piece: Send the acerbic Tony Stark, the “consultant,” to talk to General Ross. That way Ross is sure to reject the idea.
The episode cleverly repurposes the closing tag from “The Incredible Hulk” (where I assumed they were talking about Bruce, not Emil) and illustrates how agents can follow an order yet keep an eye on their preferred end game. In terms of continuity, it reminds us that Blonsky is still alive, but the films have never played this card.
2 stars
“A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to Thor’s Hammer”
(2011, ties in with “Thor,” found on the home video release of “Captain America: The First Avenger”)
In what is essentially a glorified deleted scene, Coulson stops for gas en route to Thor’s hammer in New Mexico and uses martial arts to subdue a pair of run-of-the-mill robbers. The sequence illustrates why Coulson always has that smirk on his face: He is confident that his training can handle almost any problem – at least of the Earthbound variety. This episode was catnip for Coulson fans prior to “Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.,” which was still two years away.
2.5 stars
“Item 47”
(2012, ties in with and is found on the home video release of “The Avengers”)
This one makes little sense. A couple (played by Lizzy Caplan and Jesse Bradford) uses an alien gun that fell through the portal at the end of “The Avengers” to go on a bank-robbing spree. Agent Sitwell catches them, of course, and then we get an inexplicable twist: He hires them as S.H.I.E.L.D. agents.
It’s implied that they are special because the gun works, whereas the first 46 alien artifacts did not, but this fact seems like plain old luck. We learn in “Captain America: The Winter Soldier” that Sitwell is a Hydra member, so maybe he is recruiting the couple for that group. But we never see them again.
1.5 stars
“Agent Carter”
(2013, ties in with “Captain America: The First Avenger,” found on the home video release of “Iron Man 3”)
Kevin Feige and the other MCU overseers generally do a great job making sure everything ties together, but this one-shot is a glaring exception. It shows us that Carter (Hayley Atwell, from “Captain America: The First Avenger”) hasn’t received a field assignment in the year since World War II ended, being hampered by the misogynist boss at her Strategic Scientific Reserve branch. Then Howard Stark transfers her to his newly minted agency, S.H.I.E.L.D.
This is a continuity mess on two points. First, it’s strongly implied that S.H.I.E.L.D. is getting its start in 2008 in “Iron Man.” Second, the TV series “Agent Carter” would later show us Peggy going on many SSR assignments over the course of two seasons. This one-shot ultimately plays like a TV test pilot that shows the potential of a female agent surprising her male allies and enemies by kicking butt in an era when they weren’t supposed to.
2.5 stars
“All Hail the King”
(2014, ties in with “Iron Man 3,” found on the home video release of “Thor: The Dark World”)
We now arrive at the essential one-shot. Fans of the “Iron Man” comics villain the Mandarin were peeved by “Iron Man 3,” which reveals that Ben Kingsley’s character is merely an actor playing the terror-stoking “Mandarin” for his employer, an evil scientific and corporate genius played by Guy Pearce.
“All Hail the King” gives us more of Kingsley’s entertainingly self-absorbed Trevor as he is interviewed in prison by a newsman. In a brilliant twist, we learn the interviewer is actually an agent of the real Mandarin, who is peeved at having been impersonated. Trevor never did his research into whether his role was based on an actual person, which fits with his arrogance. Ever since the release of this one-shot, fans have speculated that the real Mandarin will be the villain of a hoped-for “Iron Man 4.”
4 stars