Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Season 2 Release Date: Will We See a Darker Phil Coulson?

Jul 21, 2014 11:45 AM EDT

Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. fans will see great changes in Agent Phil Coulson's personality when Season 2 debuts this coming fall. 

In the first season, the S.H.I.E.L.D. agency is nearly destroyed by villainous HYDRA infiltrators. The world believes that Director Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) is dead, but he actually survives the HYDRA assault.

After the attack, S.H.I.E.L.D. has been declared a terrorist organization by the world's governments. Fury goes into hiding, but not before assigning Agent Coulson (Clark Gregg) as the new head of the secretive organization.

This week at the 2014 TCA Summer Press Tour, the show's executive producers said that Phil's new job will not be easy.

"Agent Coulson...was the kind of man to leave no man behind," Executive Producer Maurissa Tancharoen said to IGN. "But now as director...he has to make tougher decisions, harder calls."

Besides facing limited resources and government mistrust, Coulson will also have to root out remaining HYDRA sympathizers within the agency.

"That's one of the things we're going to be exploring. Who's out there? Who went to Hydra? Who didn't? Who can we trust," explained Tancharoen's colleague, Jeffrey Bell. "Once we could say...there were double-crosses and spies in our midst, the show got really interesting."

ABC recently announced the 'Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Season Two release date, which is scheduled for Tuesday Sept. 23 at 9pm EST.