One of the major questions surrounding the ABC pilot Marvel's S.H.I.E.L.D. is when exactly the show takes place. Since Clark Gregg reprises his role as Agent Coulson from Marvel's The Avengers, many believed the show will bet set before the superhero ensemble, since the character died in the blockbuster movie. According to ABC's Paul Lee, Marvel's S.H.I.E.L.D. actually takes place after Marvel's The Avengers.

"There is no question that it is part of the Marvel Universe. In fact, the story takes place after the battle for New York."

With that being said, how does Agent Coulson come into play? Did he actually survive? Does he have a twin brother? Did S.H.I.E.L.D. clone him? While Paul Lee wouldn't say specifically how Coulson fits into the story, he did say the series stands on its own, separating itself from the movie universe.

"This is S.H.I.E.L.D. They're following their own particular stories. There are characters in it, Coulson, who clearly come from Avengers. So it's part of the world, but we're going to be very, very careful that we don't tread on the toes of the features and build a whole new world. And that's what Joss Whedon does better than anybody else. He's built a world for us."

Production is scheduled to begin on the pilot next week. In related Marvel's S.H.I.E.L.D. news, series creator Joss Whedon talked about how the series focuses on the agents who work on the fringe of these great adventures seen in the Marvel Studios movies.

"You've got to bring a bit of spectacle to it. It's got to be bigger than your average cop show. But at the end of the day, it's about the peripheral people. It's about the people on the edges of the grand adventures. The whole point of the show is that even with all these big things, the little things matter. So it's about people who don't have super powers. There will be some people with powers, there will be FX, there will be the spectacle of science-fiction storytelling, but all played on a very human, small level. That's the appeal of the thing."