Marvel One-Shots
Marvel One-Shots are a series of direct-to-video short films produced by Marvel Studios, set within or inspired by the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). Initially released from 2011 to 2014, they were included as special features on the MCU films' Blu-ray and digital distribution releases. The films, which range from 3 to 15 minutes, are designed to be self-contained stories that provide more backstory for characters or events introduced in the films. Two of the shorts inspired the development of MCU television series. The Consultant (2011) and A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to Thor's Hammer (2011) star Clark Gregg as Agent Phil Coulson and offer up brief, self-contained stories about a day in the life of a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent. Marvel Studios then made several longer One-Shots: Item 47 (2012), starring Lizzy Caplan and Jesse Bradford as a down-on-their-luck couple who find a discarded Chitauri gun after the events of The Avengers (2012); Agent Carter (2013), starring Hayley Atwell as Peggy Carter after the events of Captain America: The First Avenger (2011); and All Hail the King (2014), starring Ben Kingsley as Trevor Slattery after the events of Iron Man 3 (2013). The first two shorts received generally negative reviews,