Avengers star back from the dead

Clark Gregg as Agent Phil Coulson in The Avengers. Photo / Supplied

Agent Phil Coulson has been resurrected for a role in Joss Whedon's upcoming TV show S.H.I.E.L.D.

Coulson, the smart-mouthed official played by Clarke Gregg in several superhero movies including Iron Man and Thor, died at the hands of baddie Loki in this year's mega blockbuster hit The Avengers.

In a September interview with nzherald.co.nz, Gregg said he was sad about Coulson's demise and was "praying" for the character to return in whatever guise possible.

It appears his wish has come true, with Marvel movie boss Kevin Feige and Avengers director Joss Whedon announcing Coulson's return for the ABC TV adaptation of the S.H.I.E.L.D. comic book series at New York Comic-Con.

The Hollywood Reporter said Whedon would help write the show's pilot episode with his brother Jed, and would direct it if his schedule gave him time.

There's no word on how Coulson's return from the dead would be explained in S.H.I.E.L.D. but Empire suggested it could be set in a period before the Avengers movie.

Gregg told nzherald.co.nz that superhero fans were sad about Coulson's demise in The Avengers.

"More and more often people come over to me and talk to me as if we've just lost someone very close to us. Like, 'Dude, how could they do that?'

"Other people are like, 'I'm sitting here with my kids all crying'. I feel kinda terrible."

- nzherald.co.nz