Seven seasons and 130 episodes of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., and Marvel still will not call it canon — Chloe Bennet is ‘low-key angry’
Bennet told Elle she would play Daisy again tomorrow, and wants the growth she has had since to come with her.
Here we go again with another round of Marvel nostalgia-slash-grievance, and honestly, I don’t blame her. Chloe Bennet, known to us S.H.I.E.L.D. obsessives as Daisy Johnson — aka Quake — has gone on record venting her ongoing frustration with Marvel for brushing off Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. as a sort of red-haired stepchild in the MCU family. This has been grumbling away in fan corners for years, but now Bennet’s put a name to it: she’s “still low-key angry.” Can’t say the feeling isn’t mutual.
I’m still low-key angry that they don’t fully acknowledge this as canon—the real followers will understand that. We were the first MCU TV show, and we did 130-something hour-long episodes.
Those are Bennet’s words to Elle magazine, and it’s not just a throwaway gripe. She’s basically pointing out what a chunk of her life — and ours, frankly — was spent on a show that Marvel Studios never took seriously in the grand MCU “official” canon. S.H.I.E.L.D. kicked off back in 2013, a proper pioneer for superhero telly, running seven seasons and stacking up, as she said, 130+ full-length episodes – long before Marvel got into its current streaming sprawl.
Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D aired for over 130 hour-long episodes, launching in 2013 and finishing its seventh season in 2020.
Elle also chucked the obvious question at her: Would she suit up as Daisy again if called? Her answer was a very eager “Totally. I’m obsessed with Daisy. I feel like I am Daisy. I would be so protective of her.” Bit of an understatement, given she played the character for the better part of a decade.
More Than Just Canon
Bennet’s connection to Daisy (and the series) clearly goes deeper than some tick-box about MCU continuity. She explained how much time and emotional energy she’s poured into Daisy Johnson, watching her go from a no-idea hacker with a shrouded past to a full-on Inhuman force of nature leading the team and blowing holes in whatever Marvel baddie wandered up that week.
We spent a lot of time in people’s homes, and I spent a lot of my life playing this character and this young woman growing into her power. There’s a lot of symbolism in that, especially looking back now. I would love to play her with the growth that I’ve had since I’ve had a break from the role.
Even if Marvel’s “official” timeline keeps Daisy on the outside looking in, Bennet’s commitment could fill ten retcon-heavy Disney+ shows before breakfast. And for what it’s worth, it sounds like she’d jump back in at a moment’s notice, and wishes she could bring her own “growth” since leaving S.H.I.E.L.D. to any future Daisy cameo. I wonder, would Marvel’s current bosses even take her call?
Daisy Johnson: The Rundown
If you need a refresher, here's how it all fits together:
- Daisy Johnson starts out at an orphanage as Mary Sue Poots, after her mum Jiaying (played by Dichen Lachman) is killed off by Hydra, because of course.
- She’s a world-class hacker first, then discovers her Inhuman powers (think: tremor-making, wall-demolishing, slow-motion walks through explosions level abilities).
- Daisy spends most of the series under codenames 'Quake' and 'Destroyer of Worlds', depending on how dire the crisis of the week is.
- She’s the character who brought some comic-book weirdness and genuine heart to what could have been just another TV “spy team” slog, which is maybe why viewers are so protective of her too.
Bennet’s still got plenty of love (and fire) for Daisy Johnson. It won’t erase Marvel’s habit of acting like S.H.I.E.L.D. never quite counted, but it does keep hope alive for fans who want the MCU to finally stop pretending those seven seasons of telly never happened.