Clark Gregg says Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s Coulson explanation will be 'worth waiting for'

One of the central mysteries of Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. through its first handful of episodes has been the curious case of Agent Phil Coulson (Clark Gregg). In The Avengers, Loki (Tom Hiddleston) runs Coulson through with his staff and, seemingly, kills him. His death galvanizes the individual superheroes to come together as a team and save the day.

But Marvel decided to bring Coulson back as the star of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., which meant that Joss Whedon, Jed Whedon and Maurissa Tancharoen had to come up with a way to explain the character's survival. So far, all fans have gotten are Coulson's numerous references to his time in "Tahiti" and other teases.

Fans have started to grow somewhat impatient with the lack of information, though it seems like the show might be moving toward pulling back the curtain after the midseason finale, in which Centipede kidnapped Coulson in order to learn about his time in "Tahiti."

In an interview with Zap2It, Gregg himself admitted that he understands the fans' restlessness, but he urged them to wait for the reveal, which even shocked him.

"People have been patient in really wanting to know the true nature of the secrets....We're going to get a big fat window at the real truth, and it's going to be very, very surprising. When I read the sequence, I just stopped and put the script down and went 'Wow. That was worth waiting for.'"

Until then, let's hear your theories. How is Phil Coulson alive? Supernatural or superpowered resurrection? Clone? The Avengers was all a dream?! (Okay, maybe not that last one.) Let us know in the comments below.