Warning: This article contains Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. season 1 spoilers!

 

B.J. Britt as Agent Triplett (second from left) has been spotted on the set of The Avengers: Age of Ultron, Credit: Disney/ABC

Season 2 of Disney (DIS -0.45%) Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. won't kick off until January 2015. But that doesn't mean Coulson and his gang can't think even further ahead.

In fact, according to the Fool's Steve Symington in the following video, it appears Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. might already be prepping for a third season. Only a few weeks ago, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. cast member B.J. Britt -- aka Agent AntoineTriplett, the presumed replacement for season 1 regular Agent Ward -- was spotted in full costume on the set of Marvel's Avengers: Age of Ultron.

Remember, Disney's big budget sequel is currently slated for release on May 1, 2015. Keeping in mind the season 1 finale of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. aired on May 13 of this year, that means season 2 could be gearing up for a huge, ratings-boosting crossover with Avengers: Age of Ultron only two weeks prior to its own conclusion. And that'd be a perfectly logical way, Steve says, for Disney and ABC to collectively ensure the survival of one of their most promising new small-screen properties.

After all, despite facing stiff competition from both NBC's The Voice and CBS' (NYSE: CBS) perennial ratings juggernaut, NCIS, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. managed to improve its time period for Disney's ABC by 82% in the key adults 18-49 demographic. And though many headlines placed more weight on Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s seemingly mediocre Live + Same Day ratings throughout the season, it still finished as Tuesday's No. 1 show for all key men's demographics. It not only secured the top spot for men 18-34 in each of its 22 first-run airings, but also edged out CBS' NCIS by a tenth of a ratings point as Tuesday's most popular show based on its overall 4.0 Live + 7 day rating. 

Perhaps more importantly, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. also serves as an effective weekly advertisement in millions of living rooms for Marvel's more lucrative box office properties. In the end, Steve says, it would shocking if the folks at ABC and Marvel weren't already preparing for a third season of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.

To hear Steve's full take on what this means for Marvel, Disney, and Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. going forward, please watch the video below.