Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. is a throwback to the action/adventure shows that I grew up with. Shows like Buck Rogers, the A-Team, The Six Million Dollar Man, or Knight Rider even.
Not only is this film set six months after the first film, through later interactions with Fury, we discover that it is occurring at the same time as The Incredible Hulk and that Stark's father was a founding member of S.H.I.E.L.D.
The first step on the road to The Avengers was taken in 2006, as actor/director Jon Favreau was hired to direct Marvel's first independent production, Iron Man.
This time around, though there were punches, new tech, new super-heroes, spectacular revelations about the deceased Howard Stark and a development in the relationship between two of the main characters, Tony Stark and Pepper Potts, I did not jump on my seat at the end of the movie.