Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. bosses say more Marvel tie-ins upcoming, 'there's a plan'

One of the criticisms of the ABC television series Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. is that the show does not seem to tie in all that directly with the wildly successful Marvel Cinematic Universe and the overall mythology that the company has created since Iron Man in 2008. There are plenty more criticisms (you can read our thoughts here), but many fans have clamored for more Marvel goodness in the show. According to two of the show's bosses, that could be happening when it returns in 2014.

Executive producer Jeffrey Bell told ComicBookResources.com that Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. would have more of a Marvel feel when it returns from hiatus:

"I would say, in general, I think fans will experience the episodes as being a bit more 'Marvel.' I mean that on several levels. I think we're always looking to find characters either from the Marvel movie universe or the comic universe that fans would recognize. I think bringing the tension and suspense of the movies is something that we're looking to do as our characters become more confident.

The other thing that seems to be happening, just based on the fact that what felt like standalone were in fact for us setting up a lot of different pieces of the puzzle, I think you're going to feel more momentum from the stories, episode to episode. Occasional cliffhangers, which I feel are more like a Marvel Comic ending than, 'it's all neatly tied up in a bow.' So I think on a few levels, fans will feel it's moving a bit more in the Marvel direction."

Check out the rest of the interview here, as it contains plenty more information about the future of the show.

On other note, The Huffington Post's questioned Jeph Loeb, the head of Marvel's TV division, as to why the show had not used the Marvel Universe's characters in the same way that the CW's Arrow has made great use of DC properties. He responded with five simple words: "Stay tuned. There's a plan."