Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D’s Phil Coulson Actor Clark Gregg Finally Saw The Batman And Wants To Talk About THAT Similarity

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I would've been disappointed if Clark Gregg hadn't addressed this.

Clark Gregg on Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.
(Image credit: ABC)

Light spoilers for The Batman lie ahead, so read at your own risk.

Matt Reeves’ The Batman has been the beneficiary of some major buzz as of late. The film has received highly positive reviews from critics, and fans really seem to be connecting with Robert Pattinson’s emo-esque take on the hero. It feels like almost everyone has thoughts on the movie, and even a number of celebrities have taken to social media to share their takes. Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. alum Clark Gregg can count himself among those who’ve watched the movie and, apparently, he wants to talk about THAT interesting similarity between his Marvel character and one of the DC movie’s.

For years, Clark Gregg played Agent Phil Coulson, the warm (yet formidable) S.H.I.E.L.D. agent who helped unite the Avengers and then went on to lead his own team of operatives. Due to the character’s popularity, the name Coulson has become quite recognizable by fans. So like Gregg, some may have been a little thrown off to discover that The Batman (which will soon be available to stream with an HBO Max subscription) has a character with a name that’s fairly similar to Phil’s. You can see how the actor responded via his Twitter post:

It’s an intriguing, and slightly chuckle-worthy coincidence, and it’s totally on brand for the actor to point out such a small detail. And fans seem to have thoughts on the similarity as well. One commenter’s viewing of the Matt Reeves-directed film seems to have been heavily impacted by the development: 

In The Batman, Gil Colson (an original character played by Peter Sarsgaard) is Gotham City’s district attorney. The weaselly Colson is one of the many corrupt public officials in Gotham and, due to his illegal activities, he lands on the Riddler’s radar in a bad way.

Peter Sarsgaaard in The Batman

(Image credit: Warner Bros.)

Gil really is a far cry from the infallible Phil Coulson, which is why one fan thinks the agent would have a puzzling reaction to learning someone’s name is similar to his own. Check it out:

Amid the character comparisons, many seem to be out in full force to show their love for Nick Fury’s most trusted operative. One Coulson devotee evoked a comic book panel to defend Phil against any kind of Gil comparison:

There’s nothing wrong with a bit of Phil Coulson love, and there’s been plenty of it as of late. This is partly due to the fact that Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. recently joined the Disney+ family. The long-hoped-for development drew a positive response from Clark Gregg along with some of his co-stars. 

Some may continue to ponder the similarity between the names Phil Coulson and Gil Colson moving forward. I wouldn’t overthink it, though, because hey, coincidences do happen, especially in the realm of superheroes.

If you’ve yet to do so already, you can check out The Batman in theaters now.

Erik Swann
Erik Swann
Senior Content Producer

Erik Swann is a Senior Content Producer at CinemaBlend. He began working with the publication in 2020 when he was hired as Weekend Editor. Today, he continues to write, edit and handle social media responsibilities over the weekend. On weekdays, he also writes TV and movie-related news and helps out with editing and social media as needed. He graduated from the University of Maryland, where he received a degree in Broadcast Journalism. After shifting into multi-platform journalism, he started working as a freelance writer and editor before joining CB. Covers superheroes, sci-fi, comedy, and almost anything else in film and TV. He eats more pizza than the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.