The second in the series of "Marvel One-Shots", designed to bridge the gaps between the individual** Avengers** movies, has just arrived online, this time giving Clark Gregg's Agent Coulson a slice of his own action. You can watch "A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To Thor's Hammer" right here.
Previous One-Shot The Consultant was a recycling excercise comprised of talking heads in a diner and the post-credits sting with Robert Downey Jr and William Hurt from The Incredible Hulk. We might have expected the end of Iron Man 2 here, but surprisingly what we get instead is entirely original material. We learn that Coulson may be a ditherer when it comes to choosing doughnuts, but that he's badass when the moment requires it.
Gregg is quietly making Coulson a much-loved fixture in Marvel's movie universe, but since he's necessarily a supporting player in the franchise it's great to see him given centre stage here, albeit briefly. Here's hoping for more One-Shots to come, and an expanded Avengers role.
The director of both One-Shots to date is "Leythum", an animation director at Ridley Scott Associates. These shorts are Blu-ray extras: The Consultant comes with Thor, and A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To Thor's Hammer will bolster the Captain America package, which is out on December 5.