Warning: Spoilers for Thanos Annual #1 (2024) Ahead!

Marvel’s saga of the newest Infinity Stone – the Death Stone – has finally begun, and with it comes the return of beloved MCU character Phil Coulson to comics continuity. Coulson is a much beloved figure with a surprisingly convoluted past, and his return has implications for the Marvel Universe even without his newfound powers as the bearer of an Infinity Stone.

Thanos Annual (2024) #1 wastes no time laying out the stakes: Thanos seeks to gather the Infinity Stones once more to bring the newly created Death Stone to heel, but this time the Stones have incarnated themselves as living people. After doing battle with the Stones, Thanos attempts to become the Death Stone’s living host, but it rejects him in favor of another.

Landing on Earth, the Death Stone resurrects the body of Phil Coulson from his grave, choosing the fallen agent as the living incarnation of the newest Infinity Stone.

Phil Coulson Returns To Marvel Comics As The Avatar Of The “Death Stone”

Thanos Annual (2024) #1 – Written By Derek Landy; Art By Salvador Larroca, Guru-eFX, Cory Petit, Sara Pichelli, Mattia Iacono, & Travis Lanham

First appearing in Iron Man (2008), S.H.I.E.L.D agent Phil Coulson (played brilliantly by Clark Gregg) soon became a popular recurring presence in the background of the then-fledgling MCU. Although infamously dying in The Avengers (2012), Coulson would swiftly be revived in order to star in the ABC Marvel spin-off series, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D (2013). Coulson would undergo a surprising number of subsequent “deaths” and resurrections throughout the series, even continuing on as a Life Model Decoy after the character finally “died” for good.

Coulson’s comic-book self led a very different life compared to his MCU progenitor. Debuting in comics at the same time as The Avengers, Coulson became a prominent S.H.I.E.L.D agent in the Marvel Universe; however, he was killed by Deadpool in the prelude to 2017’s Secret Empire event. In a surprising twist, Coulson was resurrected by Mephisto and became the villain for Marvel’s 2021 Heroes Reborn storyline before ultimately being locked away in the infernal “Pandemonium Cube” he had used to create a world without Avengers.

With The Death Stone, Marvel Can Redeem Coulson’s Time As a Villain

A Character Defining New Role

The manner of Coulson’s latest return suggests that Coulson’s villainous acts are about to be retconned. The Death Stone very clearly resurrects Coulson’s body from the grave, implying that this Coulson is the one that Deadpool killed; there is no mention yet of the Pandemonium Cube, or any of his time with Mephisto. If the Coulson who now returns is indeed the loyal agent who was slain by Hydra’s machinations, it lays the groundwork for the evil Coulson to have been nothing more than one of Mephisto’s deceptions (although this is only speculation).

As a character who can never stay dead, Coulson is the perfect candidate to host the Death Stone. His return is more than just another Marvel Easter Egg, however – it’s a testament to Clark Gregg and his depiction of the beloved MCU character that Coulson has resonated with fans enough to come back time and time again. Time will tell what his newfound status as an Infinity Stone’s host will mean for Phil Coulson, but it makes clear that in the Marvel Universe, a good character can’t be kept down for long.