After teasing Phil Coulson's impending death for half the season, Agents of SHIELD ultimately chose to spare our feelings - allowing the former agent-turned-director to retire to Tahiti (for real this time!) to live out his final days with May rather than killing him in the Season 5 finale.

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But does that mean that when Agents of SHIELD returns for Season 6, Coulson will be dead ? IGN spoke with the man behind the legend, Clark Gregg, who seemed equally in the dark about his beloved character's fate, especially considering that when Season 6 premieres, it will be in the summer of 2019, following the release of Avengers 4."It seems pretty clear that he’s not long for this world," Gregg admitted. "So sometime next week I’m gonna go sit down and talk to [showrunners Jed Whedon and Maurissa Tancharoen] and see if there’s any future use for Phil Coulson or if this young team of amazing actors continues without him and he shows up every once in a while in a flashback or hopefully some of May’s sexy dreams. I don’t know."Gregg revealed that he certainly viewed the Season 5 finale as a farewell to his character - especially since the cast didn't know whether the show would be renewed or not when they filmed it."Come on, how many times can you bring somebody back?" he laughed, when asked about the chances of Coulson surviving despite his dire diagnosis. "I've always felt like Phil Coulson was a little bit on borrowed time. I think he felt that way, that he didn’t ask for it, [but] he came to like it - there’s a scene in the 100th episode where the fear dimension, whatever those beings were, were really trying to convince him he was still on the operating table and this was what he needed in order to let go, this family and this daughter, and I think he got to have those."As for how he feels about the Avengers never knowing that their beloved Son of Coul got five extra years alive without the superheroes realizing it, Gregg said, "I think Coulson feels similarly to Clark, which is, he feels very lucky to have gotten to take part in some of these magnificent adventures, and he felt lucky to have been able to show up for his friends and do his job on the helicarrier. So to have this incredible run of 110 other missions, and to connect with this family and to have this daughter and to have a moment of great love, it’s a lot more than most people ever get. So I think he will walk off into the afterlife feeling satisfied."And regardless of Coulson's ultimate fate, we'll at least get to see a "younger, fresher" Phil in the '90s thanks to next year's Captain Marvel . As for how Gregg prepared to tackle his character's younger self? "I listened to a lot of Pearl Jam and put on some MC Hammer genie pants," he quipped.

How do you feel about the Agents of SHIELD Season 5 finale and Coulson's apparent fate? Share your reactions in the comments.