Isn't part of the premise no superheroes? I like the middle ground, myself. What life is like for the 99% of people who will never see one, but ripples will wash over their heads even if they don't know it at the time.

Yeah, I like that, too. Like real life!

I mean, like in the way that I rarely see the CEO at my job. Not like how I never see Thor.

I would love Jeremy Renner's arms on my TV too, but I can see why they don't want direct cross between the movies and the TV.

Right now, it's just these arch little name drops. "Hey! Remember Stark? He was in that really successful movie we made." I don't need superhero protagonists, but I would like them to have both feet in the universe, instead of a toe.

I can see several reasons to keep the show and the movies mostly separate:

1) keep the shiny away so it doesn't detract from the non-supered characters

2) Avengers characters aren't supposed to have clearance to know what's going on, limits actual presence in storylines (and would otherwise be distrating if they were included even tangentially, Fury notwithstanding).

and 3) if the show tanks, the taint isn't too closely associated with the stars of the ongoing movies /cynic

I feel that I'm actually getting more acknowledgment of the larger 'verse than I'd been expecting.

Point #2 is a bit of a meta-juggle for keeping "big-name" "movie star" actors off the TV, or alternately, a reason other than not being able to afford them.

I also think that the same question sort of applies to why no other character has yet appeared in another's movie to date (why was Tony solo in IM3?) (why would any Avenger not have all the other Avenger's making appearances in their movies --maybe they should? Maybe that's cameo fanservice, maybe it would be made of awesome?! Maybe it's mere storyline streamlining?).

If all the Avengers are in each Avenger's movie, then wouldn't be very special when Avengers 2 comes out. We are getting Black Widow and Cap together.

The TV show could be a continuing teaser for the movies, a la the reference to "a hammer" when talking about the unidentified objects.

Someone tell me not to panic about the ratings drop from the first week to the second week.

Agents was up against Ziva's departure over on NCIS--which I didn't watch and haven't watched online yet.

That's kind of my point: if all the Avengers show up in Marvel's Agent's of S.H.I.E.L.D., then it wouldn't be MASHIELD, it'd be an Avenger's TV show. I could see, based on the title, SJ or JR making a guest appearance, seeing as they are or at least were agents of SHIELD. And maybe there will be moments where it would make sense for another Avenger to show up. Maybe we'll get that logical moment with a guest appearance/cameo, but maybe we'll just end up with a verbal reference, either due to scheduling/budget constraints, or to contraints dictated by the premise. I'm not watching the show for glimpses of Chris Evans or RDJ (I'm watching for Clark Gregg's cheekbones).

We are getting Black Widow and Cap together.

HELL YES WE ARE.

Ahem.