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In Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. season 5, every police department has the pictures of the agents that are the most wanted (including Coulson), why didn't Tony Stark (with eyes everywhere) know about Coulson's situation.

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    What makes you think he didn’t know? May 2, 2018 at 7:42
  • the fact that Coulson's situation is kind of a big deal and the series hasn't show the affection toward Tony makes me wonder !?! May 2, 2018 at 8:14
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    Welcome to Science Fiction and Fantasy, and goid question! It's true, Tony didn't know at one point, but now...who knows?
    – Adamant
    May 2, 2018 at 8:24

2 Answers 2

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Because Coulson is Schrodinger's Cat, he's both alive and dead.

In Agent's of S.H.I.E.L.D. he's alive (even if Tony Stark happens to visit).
In the MCU movie universe, he's dead.

Why? Josh Whedon says so.

“It’s a weird little yes and no. As far as I’m concerned in the films, yes he’s dead. In terms of the narrative of these guys [The Avengers] his loss was very important. When I created the television show, it was sort of on the understanding that this can work and we can do it with integrity, but these Avengers movies are for people to see the Avengers movies and nothing else. And it would neither make sense nor be useful to say ‘Oh and by the way remember me? I died!’”

Source

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  • Not sure why this was downvoted. It definitely is a very clear reason for me. May 2, 2018 at 15:51
  • It feels kinda weird for such events in the same universe, a dead man still alive is kind of a big deal, especially that he "was" most avengers' best friend. May 2, 2018 at 16:12
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    "Joss Whedon said so" doesn't seem to hold up when we're talking about Agents of Shield season 5. Whedon hasn't had creative control over any MCU films after Avengers 2. If it's a top-level dictate that Coulson still stays dead in the films after Whedon's departure, that might be decided by the Russo brothers, or by Kevin Feige, but it certainly isn't Whedon's call anymore.
    – recognizer
    May 5, 2018 at 4:12
  • Primarily because due to a number of different reasons, mostly involving the TV department and the movie studio being separate entities in Marvel Studios, the movies and shows don't exactly coexist in the same timeline or universe. So, blame legal and Perlmutter! May 28, 2018 at 20:39
  • They should have just used the easy answer: Skrulls.
    – hamstar
    Nov 3 at 2:20
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The main MCU timeline/universe never saw Coulson return from the dead.

The book Marvel Studios’ The Marvel Cinematic Universe: An Official Timeline provides an official, chronological account of the events in the main MCU universe (also known as “616” or the “Sacred Timeline”). The book only mentions Coulson's death in The Avengers. It does not mention Coulson’s resurrection or the whole Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. saga, implying that it never happened in the Sacred Timeline and that the TV show takes place in a different timeline.

Tony Stark doesn’t know that Coulson was resurrected, because it never happened in his timeline.

Image of the section of The Marvel Cinematic Universe: An Official Timeline quoted below

Spring 2012 | The Death of Phil Coulson

Loki escapes from his holding chamber when his minions board the Helicarrier. Natasha Romanoff battles the mind-controlled Clint Barton, hoping to snap her old friend out of his spell, and Agent Coulson confronts Loki with one of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s prototype weapons. Loki distracts him with an illusion and spears him through the chest with his scepter. "You're going to lose," a dying Coulson says. "It's in your nature … You lack conviction." After Loki's escape, Nick Fury uses Coulson's death (and the hero trading cards he doctored with blood) to inspire that sense of conviction in his perpetually clashing Avengers.

Phil Coulson's sacrifice is a defining moment for the Avengers.

Notice that the book's section about Coulson's death has the symbol for "Major Character Dies", suggesting that Coulson died for real.

"Major Character Dies" symbol

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    @Valorum About Coulson? It mentions his death. It doesn't mention anything about his resurrection or his being alive. Nov 2 at 12:47
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    @Valorum I've added the quotes and included the part about the icon that indicated that Coulson died for real. Nov 2 at 16:34

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