The Marvel One-Shots have, up until now, exclusively starred Clark Gregg as Agent Phil Coulson.  The first, The Consultant, was little more than a way to rectify the contradiction of Tony Stark showing up in The Incredible Hulk, while the second, A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to Thor's Hammer, was a comedic showcase for Gregg's deadpan character and his incongruous SHIELD ass-kicking skills.  Those shorts were included on the Thor and Captain America: The First Avenger Blu-rays, respectively. 

And Item 47 will be a bonus feature on The Avengers when it arrives this September 25th.  But don't expect the Son of Coul's triumphant return and don't expect another four-minute trifle.  Entertainment Weekly, which premiered this first look, reports that Item 47 is a full twelve minutes long, and is by far the most elaborate One-Shot so far.  The title refers to SHIELD's designation for the Chitauri weapon that finds its way into the hands of a normal, if financially troubled human couple.  Lizzy Caplan of Party Down, Cloverfield, and True Blood plays Claire, whilst her boyfriend Benny is played by Jesse Bradford, who y'all will recognize from Swimfan, Flags of Our Fathers, and Hackers.

Marvel Studios co-president Louis D'Esposito directed the short, and he explained to EW, “The world is topsy-turvy now. There’s been an alien invasion, and things are crazy.  So when this gun ­literally fell into their lap, this is a sign: We’re going to rob a few banks, we’re going to buy a boat, we’re going to the Caribbean, and all our problems will be solved.”  

Claire and Benny's antics with the Chitauri gun naturally catch the attention of SHIELD, which dispatches two agents played by kickass character actor Titus Welliver and Maximiliano Hernández, whose Agent Sitwell showed up in briefly in Thor and The Avengers, as well as more extensively in The Consultant.

By focusing on two people without superpowers or SHIELD affiliation, writer Eric Pearson said, the cinematic Marvel universe gets fuller and more relatable.  "Anything that expands the world and shows you the more human elements of it," he explained, "that just makes the world more colorful and fun for the average viewer,

Item 47 represents the next step for the Marvel One-Shots, which may become a showcase for lesser-known characters and a sort of litmus test for audience's enthusiasm for heroes that don't have the cache or familiarity of, say, Iron Man or Captain America.  There are complications involved in that idea, though, since it would mean hiring a star to play a hero like Black Panther without a director attached then retroactively developing the movie after a positive response to a One-Shot.  So we don't know if that's in the cards for Marvel's short films, but it is clear that the studio is looking to make these more than a sideshow.  What form that will take is anyone's guess.

Item 47 will be included on The Avengers this September, but attendees at this year's San Diego Comic-Con next week will be able to use the Avengers Second Screen App to find clues and, eventually, the location of a screening on Thursday, July 12th.  There's also no small amount of speculation that Marvel's top-secret Hall H presentation will involve some surprises.  The recent news that Shaun of the Dead, Hot Fuzz, and Scott Pilgrim vs the World director/all-around nice guy shot a test reel for his long in-development Ant-Man has led to hope for a public showing of his footage, perhaps as a means to drum up the requisite excitement before giving the movie a go-ahead.  Even if that happens, and I don't know how likely that is, Ant-Man would presumably have to wait until Wright finishes up his Cornetto trilogy with The World's End, which is set to be his next feature.