As part of the next stage in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Agent Phil Coulson will be making his return in Joss Whedon’s pilot for ABC’s ‘S.H.I.E.L.D.’, which is could be hitting the airwaves this fall. Back at New York Comic Con, it was announced that the beloved character who met his demise in ‘The Avengers’ would be making his return in the first live-action Marvel TV show set in the world of their films. At first, speculation about a Life Model Decoy or a hologram or flashbacks flooded the internet, but we found out from ABC President Paul Lee that the show isn’t a prequel and would be taking place after the film, meaning that those scenarios are unlikely.

This week after the new trailer debuted, we’ve gotten a whole lot of information about ‘Iron Man 3’. We saw cool new armors, new footage, and a whole mess of action, but one thing we won’t be getting is Agent Phil Coulson. The character debuted in ‘Iron Man’ back in 2008, but he won’t be popping up in Shane Black’s sequel, which will kick off Marvel’s Phase Two.

According to an interview with Collider, Kevin Feige lowered the possibility that we’d be getting some answers as to how Coulson lived in ‘Iron Man 3’. The Marvel Studios head simply and concisely provides an answer to the question, “Does Tony Stark know that Phil Coulson is alive and working with S.H.I.E.L.D. again?”

Does Tony know that?  No.

Nothing further about the upcoming show, Clark Gregg, or the return of his popular character was mentioned in the interview, so they’re really keeping things under wraps for this. ‘S.H.I.E.L.D.’ wrapped last month and has been in post since, so we’ll likely get more info on it in a little bit. But what we do know is that we won’t be getting anything about Phil Coulson in ‘Iron Man 3’.

Are you excited about the return of Phil Coulson to the Marvel Cinematic Universe? How do you think Tony Stark will react when he finally finds out? And when do you think he’ll finally find out? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

‘Iron Man 3’ starring Robert Downey Jr., Ben Kingsley, Gwyneth Paltrow, Don Cheadle, Rebecca Hall, and Guy Pearce opens on May 3, 2013.