>> Over on another of Ysabetwordsmith's posts, we got rather derailed, talking about how certain kinds of spying and subterfuge tend to come out of growing up in a disadvantaged group, like a gay or black person does. <<
Yes ...
>> It got me thinking about Coulson in particular, as in canon he's supposed to have served with Nick Fury in the Marine Corps. Nick Fury displays the same basic personality as every Marine I've ever known: direct, aggressive when they feel threatened or less than secure in a situation, and proud of physical skills over mental ones. <<
This got me wondering how Coulson would get into the Marines in the first place. It seems the least likely service. But take a closer look, and that's the one focused not just on muscle but on WILL -- which is his strong suit. It does, however, get you a somewhat different kind of Marine.
>> Phil is far more balanced in his emotions, skills and the values he places on others' skills. Why? <<
He's learned to protect people and de-escalate violence, so long ago that it's second nature to him now.
>> What if he’s just growing UP with someone who is a part of an oppressed group? It would explain his gentleness with the team when they act in ways which seem much younger than their physical age, especially. <<
I've been thinking for some time about how he behaves in this series. He's a little bit parentified, but it's the good kind -- clearly he had a lot of responsibility very young, learned incredible competence, and knows how to love deeply. But he's also inclined to short himself in favor of others, and he's sensitive about being ignored. There's a pattern there ...
>> Given his protectiveness, what if he is the YOUNGER sibling in a family of two, the older of which has some kind of pervasive delay, or congenital health problem that made the sibling a constant target for the local idiots? Unlike Steve, it would probably have been something that prevented the sibling from retaliating directly. <<
... and it fits this beautifully. What I came up with is that Phil's father was killed in a car crash, leaving behind Phil and his mother, and an older sister whose injuries left her handicapped. Single mother, handicapped sister, and a small nerdy boy; that's a recipe for learning to think outside the box.
I got a whole story about this, "Little and Broken, but Still Good," which will post later since we just did a Phil-centered story. So thanks.
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dancing_serpent
Re: Another hint about Phil's early life
Date: 2014-05-06 03:27 am (UTC)Yes ...
>> It got me thinking about Coulson in particular, as in canon he's supposed to have served with Nick Fury in the Marine Corps. Nick Fury displays the same basic personality as every Marine I've ever known: direct, aggressive when they feel threatened or less than secure in a situation, and proud of physical skills over mental ones. <<
This got me wondering how Coulson would get into the Marines in the first place. It seems the least likely service. But take a closer look, and that's the one focused not just on muscle but on WILL -- which is his strong suit. It does, however, get you a somewhat different kind of Marine.
>> Phil is far more balanced in his emotions, skills and the values he places on others' skills. Why? <<
He's learned to protect people and de-escalate violence, so long ago that it's second nature to him now.
>> What if he’s just growing UP with someone who is a part of an oppressed group? It would explain his gentleness with the team when they act in ways which seem much younger than their physical age, especially. <<
I've been thinking for some time about how he behaves in this series. He's a little bit parentified, but it's the good kind -- clearly he had a lot of responsibility very young, learned incredible competence, and knows how to love deeply. But he's also inclined to short himself in favor of others, and he's sensitive about being ignored. There's a pattern there ...
>> Given his protectiveness, what if he is the YOUNGER sibling in a family of two, the older of which has some kind of pervasive delay, or congenital health problem that made the sibling a constant target for the local idiots? Unlike Steve, it would probably have been something that prevented the sibling from retaliating directly. <<
... and it fits this beautifully. What I came up with is that Phil's father was killed in a car crash, leaving behind Phil and his mother, and an older sister whose injuries left her handicapped. Single mother, handicapped sister, and a small nerdy boy; that's a recipe for learning to think outside the box.
I got a whole story about this, "Little and Broken, but Still Good," which will post later since we just did a Phil-centered story. So thanks.