Author Tara Bennett clarifies what her new book about Marvel Studios says about Agents of SHIELD and Agent Carter being canon. The MCU has finally found a way to connect to television with Disney+ shows like WandaVision and Loki, but as long-running Marvel fans know, the franchise has struggled with TV in the past. Before Marvel Studios took control of the franchise's TV side, Marvel Television created multiple shows that were stated to be within MCU canon, but rarely touched upon the greater universe. This has led to an ongoing debate over whether those like Agent Carter and Agents of SHIELD can actually be considered MCU canon.

In the case of those two shows in particular, Disney+ has complicated their places in canon in several ways, whether it be by offering conflicting stories (like WandaVision's Darkhold, which doesn't mesh with SHIELD) or by ignoring them when adding new material (Marvel Legends' Peggy Carter episode doesn't acknowledge Agent Carter). The release of a new book, The Story of Marvel Studios: The Making of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, has further complicated this, as some fans have taken certain sections to mean Agent Carter is officially canon while Agents of SHIELD is not.

Related: It's Time To Accept Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Isn't MCU Canon

Tara Bennett, who wrote the book alongside Paul Terry, recently found herself inundated with questions from fans regarding Agents of SHIELD and Agent Carter. She tried to direct fans to the book itself, but this did little to stop the questions pouring in. Bennett finally posted a statement on social media clarifying what was said in the book. In short, The Story of Marvel Studios doesn't make any definitive statements about either show's place in canon. "In 250k words of contextual narrative, they [the books] do explain who creatively conceived of AC and ran it and then how it then folded into the MCU," Bennett wrote. "The books only feature projects creatively produced by Marvel Studios." As such, Agents of SHIELD goes largely unmentioned, but not because it isn't canon. Bennett's full statement can be seen down below.

Click here to see the original post.

Tara Bennett AoS Agent Carter canon statement

Both Agent Carter and Agents of SHIELD were produced by Marvel Television rather than Marvel Studios, but the former also had the backing of those like Kevin Feige, Christopher Markus, and Stephen McFeely. Its development was arguably tied closer to Marvel Studios than Agents of SHIELD's was, so it makes sense that it would get a mention in Bennett's book. For the fans who remain confused, or would prefer to see exactly what Bennett and Terry wrote, they should purchase The Story of Marvel Studios rather than try to pry answers out of the authors.

The question of canon has always been trickier with Agents of SHIELD than with Agent Carter. The later seasons of the former often ignored the events of the movies and carved its own place in the MCU. There have been varying answers about whether Agents of SHIELD is truly canon or not, though star Clark Gregg said in August he still firmly believes it is. Nevertheless, this is a tricky topic that actually doesn't get sorted by the new Marvel Studios book, as is clear from Bennett's final statement on the matter.

More: Marvel's Agents of SHIELD Is Still Incredibly Popular

Source: Tara Bennett/Twitter

Key Release Dates