Phil Coulson
Full Name: Phil Coulson
Portrayed by: Clark Gregg
First Appearance: Beginning Of The End Revisited
Children: Clint Barton, Natasha Romanov, Grant Coulson (was Ward), Raina, Bobbi Morse, Gamora, Nebula, Jeffrey Mace
Grandchildren: Wanda, Pietro, Lincoln, Valkyrie
Siblings: Paul Coulson, Cathy Coulson (sister-in-law)
Parent: Ben Coulson
Coulson grew up with his parents and older brother on their farm, his best friend Nick Fury, attending school and later the SHIELD Academy with him.
Prior to the events of Redeeming Grant (shortly after the time period that Captain Marvel occurred), Phil Coulson was married to Coral. The two of them had a baby boy, but shortly after their child was born, Coulson was involved in a murder case. He got too close to the culprit, who had connections with various gangs. Ultimately, Coulson came home one day to find his wife murdered and his baby boy gone.
With the help of his best friend, Coulson tried in vain to find his baby boy. When that was impossible, he threw himself into his work, taking chances and worrying his friends and family members. This was ‘normal’ until one day, a teenager broke into his house.
Clint gave Coulson’s life purpose. Gave him a son to care for and eventually, adopting Clint garnered him a daughter too: Natasha. And eventually, Coulson found himself with his biological son back in his life once more.
“That’s quite an act you’ve got there.”
— Coulson, to Grant. Beginning Of The End Revisted
It took a while for Coulson to go and see Grant in prison and that wasn’t an easy decision for him to make. Coulson’s reluctance didn’t come from feeling the younger man was beyond hope, but because of just how betrayed he felt. Coulson doesn’t have many regrets, but staying away from Grant for so long is right at the top of that list.
Making the decision to reach out to Grant was hard. The rest? Was easy. All it took was seeing Grant face to face and Coulson didn’t have any doubts. Grant was his and Coulson was bringing him back to the fold.
“You decided to be my father before I knew I needed one.”
— Grant, to Coulson. Truth Will Out
If there’s one thing Coulson’s learned, it’s not to hesitate when he feels a draw or a pull to someone. After making the decision to bring Grant home and later adopt his son outright, Coulson no longer even attempted to fight each pull he felt to a family member. Whether it was to another old enemy, an entirely new teammate, or two alien sisters.
“I promise I’ll be there to catch you.”
— Coulson, to Bobbi. Obstinate, Your Name Is….
Random Facts
Grant’s emotional support dog, Copper, also takes care of Coulson.
Captain America has been Coulson’s hero for as long as he can remember. Now, Steve is his brother.
He was the first one to outright adopt one of the other family members; and, in fact, adopted three of them (Clint, Nat and Grant) before anyone else made a move.
Cat’s Thoughts: To be honest, there was one aspect in Coulson I based primarily off of my own father - his desperation to find Grant, who he lost as a baby. As a small child, my mother left my father and took me and my sister and I know my father did his best to get custody of us. Luckily, there wasn’t nearly as long a gap of separation.
Out of all of the characters in the Redeeming Grant series, I’ve found Coulson by far the easiest to write. He might seem older and more likely to delegate, but as we’ve seen from him sparring and fighting alongside his team members, he’s far more skilled than his peaceful appearance suggests.
Coulson and Grant’s relationship is the core of the Redeeming Grant series, but it’s not the only relationship. Don’t worry, though - there’s plenty more of their story to come.