If you loved Avengers Assemble as much as we did and quite simply cannot wait for the next installment in the franchise, then we're sure you'll be well aware that Marvel Studios is hard at work trying to fill the void with their upcoming TV spinoff Agents of Shield.

The series marks the return of Agent Clark Gregg, who ditches his superhero pals and heads back to headquarters. While there he puts together a small, highly trained, team of Agents to tackle the cases that haven’t been classified yet, the new, the strange and the unknown. Clark and co want to prove that you don't have to be superhuman to be a hero, and we're rather excited to see how he gets on.

Here are just 5 reasons why you should be looking forward to it too:

1. It's the brainchild of Joss Whedon
The series comes courtesy of the man who brought us televisual gems like Buffy The Vampire Slayer, Angel, Dollhouse and Firefly. Ok, so the last two were cancelled pretty quickly, but not for want of fans: Sure didn't they all band together to make Serenity happen? Anything with the Whedon stamp is fine by us. Even if he destroys us when he kills all the characters we love.

2. Coulson Lives
We bawled when Agent Coulson 'popped his clogs' in Avengers, so we're rather excited to see that he's alive and kicking. We're not sure why we expected any less from the Marvel universe in fairness. They did keep Captain America alive after all.

3. James Marsters is in it
It's Spike from Buffy. Nuff said.

4. It's jam packed with Joss Whedon's finest
If there's one thing we love about Joss Whedon, it's his tendancy to recycle some of his top quality talent. We've already mentioned James Marsters and Clark Gregg, but they're also joined by Angel's Amy Acker, Buffy and Dollhouse star Eliza Dushku, Amber Benson (aka Willow's girlfriend Tara from Buffy), Firefly's Summer Glau, Dollhouse's Alexander Pierce, and of course, Firefly's Alan Tudyk. Sob.

5. It looks rather decent
The trailers and featurettes released thus far seem pretty slick if we do say so ourselves. Check out the latest one right here:

 

Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D hits US TV screens later this year, with a European air date yet to be revealed.