AgentnamedAgent

Agent Phillip "Phil" Coulson was an espionage agent working for S.H.I.E.L.D. Coulson is Fury's right hand man. He is loyal to his boss and his subordinates, and idolizes his hero Captain America.

Iron Man
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
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
While going to New Mexico, Coulson stopped in a service station to buy some snacks and fill his car with gas. While he was in the shop, two robbers threatened the clerk with shotguns. Coulson intervened, passing them his car keys, but as he showed them his gun they panicked, as he slid the gun towards them, he quickly knocked both of them unconscious using his S.H.I.E.L.D. training. After, he proceeded to the counter and bought his snacks, paid, told the clerk to keep the change and then left.

Thor
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 gathered all of Jane Foster and her scientific team's research that was related to the hammer. When Thor attempted to reclaim Mjolnir by infiltrating the base and managed to single-handedly take out a dozen S.H.I.E.L.D. agents with various fighting styles. Coulson observed from a distance before asking Clint Barton to prepare to take action if necessary. After Thor failed to remove Mjolnir, Coulson interrogated him about his identity and 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 appeared and informed Coulson that Thor is actually Donald Blake a member of his scientific staff. An agent confirmed 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 went along with the charade but assigned agents to follow them believing they knew more than they were letting on. When an agent discovered the coordinates of another potential crater site that appeared to having an exact signature match to Mjolnir, Agent Coulson and a unit of agents went to investigate and find The Destroyer armor. One agent asked Coulson if the armor belonged to Tony Stark. Coulson replied that Stark doesn't tell him anything; he tried to address the armor but it attacked them. Coulson managed to survive the attack from The Destroyer and watched as Thor regained his powers. Coulson confronted Thor who offered his services in protecting Earth under the sole condition that Coulson returned all of Jane's research and equipment. Coulson agreed to Thor's terms and requested that they be debriefed before Thor flew upwards with Jane in his arms.

The Avengers
When a threat to the world required the formation of a team of Super Heroes to defeat it, Coulson took on the task of assembling Nick Fury's Avengers as just another day at the office. He managed to convince Tony Stark to join the team, with the help of Pepper Potts, whom he befriended during his assignment to Stark. Back on the Helicarrier, Coulson was more than happy to meet his all-time hero, Captain America, who had joined the Avengers Initiative on Fury's invitation. Coulson asked Rogers to sign some vintage collectible sticker cards he'd gathered in around two years, stressing the fact that Rogers had always been a model for him. After the team's first mission, Coulson told Fury that the team was not prepared to face the common menace, and that they needed to be motivated some way. Stark managed to capture Loki Laufeyson and bring him to the S.H.I.E.L.D Helicarrier, when a brainwashed Clint Barton attacked and Loki was able to break free. Coulson reached Loki's prison, only to find the villain out of his cage, and Thor trapped in his place. The agent threatened Loki with a weapon, Coulson's Revenge, created from The Destroyer's body, but the Asgardian teleported and stabbed him through his back by using his staff. Laying on the floor, Coulson was powerless to prevent Thor's expulsion from the Helicarrier, but managed to land a blow on Loki with the Revenge. Later, when the battle was over and lost, Fury reached Coulson just in time to hear his last words. As he died, Coulson suggested Fury used his death to motivate the Avengers into working together as a team.