Phillip Coulson

"Ms. Foster I'm agent Coulson with S.H.I.E.L.D."

- Phil Coulson

Phil Coulson is an espionage agent working for S.H.I.E.L.D.

Iron Man
"This isn't my first rodeo, Mr. Stark."

- Phil Coulson

As an agent of S.H.I.E.L.D., Coulson attempted to set up meetings with Tony Stark regarding his abduction and subsequent "rescue" in Afghanistan, but Stark refused, instead Coulson received information from Pepper Potts about Obadiah Stane's involvement in Tony's kidnapping and attempted homicide. Coulson and four other agents tried to arrest Stane, but their efforts were thwarted by the Iron Monger Armor. Coulson later derived a cover story for Stark, one which Stark refused to use.

Iron Man 2
"If you try to escape, or play any sort of games with me, I will taze you and watch "Supernanny" while you drool into the carpet."

- Phil Coulson

Nick Fury put Agent Coulson in charge of guarding Stark, making sure he didn't leave his house.

Later, Coulson went down to Stark's workshop and found a prototype of Captain America's shield in Howard Stark's casket, Stark took the shield and used it to balance the machine he was building. Coulson was assigned to a different mission so bid farewell to Stark. He then headed to New Mexico where S.H.I.E.L.D. Agents were searching for something, he contacted Fury and told him "we have found it", it being Thor's hammer Mjolnir.

A Funny Thing Happened on the way to Thor's Hammer
"Tell them those Tae-Bo tapes really paid off."

- Phil Coulson

While going to New Mexico, Coulson stops in a service station to buy some snacks and fill his car with gas. While he's in the shop, two robbers threaten the clerk with shotguns. Coulson intervenes, passing them his car keys, but showing them his gun they panic, as he slides the gun to them, he quickly knocks both of them unconscious using his SHIELD training. He goes to the counter and buys two snacks, pays, tells the clerk to keep the change and then leaves.

Thor
"Sir. We found it."

- Phil Coulson

Upon arriving in the deserts of New Mexico, Agent Coulson along with a unit of S.H.I.E.L.D. agents set up a perimeter and a base of operations around the crater site containing Mjolnir.

Coulson then proceeds to gather all of the research Jane Foster and her scientific team had that was related. When Thor attempted to reclaim Mjolnir by infiltrating the Shield base and manage to single-highhandedly take out a dozen of Shield agents with various fighting styles. Coulson observe from a distance but not before asking Clint Barton to prepare to take action if necessary. After Thor failed to remove Mjolnir, Coulson interrogated Thor about his identity and his training believing him to be a warrior of some type despite Thor refusing to answer his questions. Thor's interrogation was interrupted when Erik Selvig appears and informs Coulson that Thor is actually Donald Blake a member of his scientific staff. An agent confirms it by running a background check in the computer database and turns up a falsified document created by Jane of Thor assuming the identity of Dr. Donald Blake. Coulson goes along with the charade but secretly assigned agents to follow them believing they know more than their letting on.

When an agent discovers the coordinates of another potential crater site that appears to having an exact signature match to Mjolnir. Agent Coulson and a unit of agents go to investigate and find The Destroyer armor, One agent asked Coulson if the armor belongs to Tony Stark. Coulson replied that Stark doesn't tell him anything at first he assumes it is Stark when he address the armor until it attack them.

Coulson manages to survive the attack from The Destroyer and manages to see Thor regain his powers. Coulson confronts Thor and Thor offers his services in protecting Earth under the sole condition that Coulson return all of Jane's research and material back to her. Coulson agrees to Thor's terms and request that they be debrief just before Thor flies upwards with Jane in his arms.

The Consultant
Jasper Sitwell meets with Coulson in a cafe. Coulson has been informed that the Government wants to free Emil Blonsky, considering him a war hero, who destroyed half a city just because he was attacked by The Hulk. The two are tasked with preventing Blonsky's release, and decide to send a consultant to talk to General Ross and convince him not to free the Abomination, someone so irritating and annoying that Ross would be forced to give up his plans. Unwillingly, Coulson accepts to send Tony Stark, The Avengers's consultant.

The Avengers
"I think they need a time-out."

- Phil Coulson

To be added

Character traits

 * In the films of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Agent Coulson is generally depicted as a supporting character of the protagonists and used to represent S.H.I.E.L.D.'s presence in the plots of the films, to the point that Clark Gregg has described Coulson as "the S.H.I.E.L.D. agent". However, in the "Marvel One-Shots", Coulson is given "a chance to stand in his own spotlight for once", when the character is put in a position where there is an imminent threat and no superheroes around. The decision to give more focus to Coulson was "a natural" for "Marvel One-Shot" co-producer Brad Winderbaum.
 * Gregg has stated, "I think of Agent Coulson, after all these years, as a guy with a full life. I think every day he's somewhere doing something for S.H.I.E.L.D., and yet I don't always know what that is... There's always a different twist. In this one he gets to show more of his wisecracking wit, and in this one he's a little bit more of a badass."
 * Despite Coulson being called "the most recognizable face in the Marvel Comics movie universe", he is depicted as an "everyman" in a universe full of superheroes – "the glue that binds" the characters together. In Thor, Coulson complains that Tony Stark "never tells [him] anything." In an interview with WNBC, Gregg explained his portrayal of the character as 'just a guy grumbling about his job "He's the guy who's tasked - a very disciplined guy in my opinion who possesses secrets that would turn your hair white - but at the same time he's tasked with handling these kind of diva superheroes, you know? "Oh, really, Asgard? Dude, just get in the car."

Friends and Allies

 * Steve Rogers/Captain America - Ally and idol
 * Tony Stark/Iron Man - Ally
 * James Rhodes/War Machine
 * Virginia Potts - Ally
 * Nick Fury - S.H.I.E.L.D. Director
 * Black Widow - S.H.I.E.L.D. Ally
 * Thor - Ally
 * Hawkeye - S.H.I.E.L.D. subordinate
 * Maria Hill - S.H.I.E.L.D. Ally
 * Jasper Sitwell - S.H.I.E.L.D. Ally
 * Erik Selvig - Aquaintance who picked Thor up from Coulson's base, Coulson presumably reccomended Selvig meet with Nick Fury to discuss the Cosmic Cube.

Enemies

 * Obadiah Stane/Iron Monger
 * Ivan Vanko/Whiplash
 * Justin Hammer
 * The Destroyer
 * Loki
 * Thaddeus Ross - Opposing General
 * Emil Blonsky/Abomination - Enemy of the Hulk who Coulson prevented from joining the Avengers

Behind the scenes

 * During his first meeting with Stark in the second film, Coulson states that if Stark tried anything, he would "Tase you [Stark] and watch Supernanny while you drool onto the carpet".

Trivia

 * Clark Gregg will be voicing Agent Coulson in the TV series Ultimate Spider-Man.

Appearances/Actors

 * Canon (6 films)
 * Iron Man (First appearance) - Clark Gregg
 * Iron Man 2 - Clark Gregg
 * A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to Thor's Hammer - Clark Gregg
 * Thor - Clark Gregg
 * The Consultant - Clark Gregg
 * The Avengers - Clark Gregg