By Mary Whitfill, editor-in-chief

“Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.,” ABC’s Avenger’s comics spinoff, has officially been renewed for a second season, a decision that was up in the air until last Thursday. The TV version of the popular blockbusters was originally released to mixed reviews, but gained popularity as it entered the second half of the season.

In addition to the renewal announcement, ABC revealed that Agent Carter, first introduced in “Captain America: The First Avenger” in 2011, has landed her own series. Speculation about the possible show had been swirling for a while, but with the announcement the network also released the first official description:

“‘Marvel’s Agent Carter,’ starring ‘Captain America’s Hayley Atwell, follows the story of Peggy Carter. It’s 1946, and peace has dealt Peggy Carter a serious blow as she finds herself marginalized when the men return home from fighting abroad. Working for the covert SSR (Strategic Scientific Reserve), Peggy must balance doing administrative work and going on secret missions for Howard Stark all while trying to navigate life as a single woman in America, in the wake of losing the love of her life – Steve Rogers.”

The script has been written for almost four months, ABC’s Pail Lee called it “great” back in January. There has been no word on if Dominic Cooper (“Captain America: The First Avenger,” “Mama Mia”) will return to play a young Stark, but considering he will be sending Carter on secret missions, it would be hard to go on without him.

Marvel has been using the series as a giant promotion for their big screen counterparts, but the characters began to develop independently as the show went on. Staring fan-favorite Phil Colson, believed by the avengers to be dead after he was shot in the 2012 film, the show runs parallel to the blockbuster movies but viewers need not have seen them to follow along.

While it hasn’t had the popularity the new work hoped for, “S.H.I.E.L.D.” is averaging 10.74 million viewers a week, with a large DVR audience. The majority of complaints have come in the speed of the series, as a 22-episode series does not require the creators to rush through the story. However, the story has stayed true to Marvel, appeasing the die-hard comic fans, an accomplishment few have managed.

No official scheduling announcement has been made for Carter’s show, but “S.H.I.E.L.D.” will begin in the fall of 2014 and is expected to follow its current Tuesday night schedule.

In addition, ABC renewed a number of other shows including “Resurrection,” Scandal,” “Grey’s Anatomy,” “Nashville,” “Once Upon a Time” and “Castle.”

Photo courtesy uncle_shoggoth, Creative Commons.