Just one of many that the Avengers might have discovered that Coulson was alive. Needless to say, serious spoilers for Season 1 of Agents of SHIELD.

And of course I own nothing.

July 26th, 2012

"Sir," said the voice of JARVIS as Tony Stark entered his workshop basement. "I've just found some SHIELD images and a video feed being deleted. I think you might want to see them."

Tony stopped, and stared at the images JARVIS was displaying - an autopsy report, and a report of a surgery performed about a week after the autopsy. "These are real?"

"They appear to be from Director Fury's personal files."

Tony whistled and shook his head. "So Coulson's alive."

"It would seem so, sir," said JARVIS.

"And he was really dead."

"Apparently, sir."

"And Fury used alien juice to bring him back."

"Alien body fluids of different types, sir."

"Son of a bitch," said Tony. "Play me the video feed, JARVIS."

A large holographic image appeared in the air before him, and showed a man, Phil Coulson, lying on an operating table with two or three surgeons at work on him. The top of Coulson's head seemed to have been removed, and a machine claw was digging at his brain.

"Let me die," Coulson was pleading. "Let me die, please let me die!"

Tony gulped, wishing he hadn't just eaten. "Okay, that's enough," he said, and the image vanished. "Do me a favor and don't let Pepper know, huh?"

September 10th, Washington DC

Agent Clint Barton had just managed to pull off a purchase of intel from a Ten Rings informant and had made it to the Triskelion. There had been a bit of a scuffle - that is, a knife fight - and so after debriefing he went down to medical to get stitched up.

It was on his way back up from medical that he passed by an exercise room - and stopped dead.

A man was running on a treadmill. His back was to Clint, but the mirrors that covered the walls made it perfectly clear who it was.

Ten minutes later, an archer with folded arms marched into Nick Fury's office. "You son of a bitch," he said.

Having been greeted in similar fashion many a time, Fury merely rolled his single eye. "Can I help you, Barton?"

"I swear I just walked by Phil Coulson, and I know he wasn't some ghost," Clint was scowling.

"You did, huh?" Fury quirked his eyebrow.

Clint spread his arms. "You wanna explain?"

"Nope," said Fury, turning back to his desk. "Get outta here, unless you've got something important to say."

"Yes, Phil Coulson is alive," said Fury to a glaring Captain America and a stonefaced Black Widow. Behind them, Clint leaned against the wall, looking smug.

"And when were you going to tell us, Fury?" demanded Steve.

"Didn't think I needed to," said Fury. "Turns out I was right. We managed to resuscitate him after you jokers got fired up and off the Helicarrier."

Natasha was staring at Fury. "There was a body bag," she said. "I saw Coulson in the morgue four days after New York."

For just a split second, Fury did look caught off guard. Then his raised hands. "I guess you caught us again," he said wryly. "We were going to wait until he was more stable to -"

"We?" Clint straightened up. "Coulson was in on it?"

"His idea," said Fury dryly. "He said that you guys needed some motivation." (Steve sighed and rubbed his neck.) And to be fair, he was dead."

"What the hell did you do to him?" asked Clint, dreading the answer.

Fury was immovable. "That's classified, Agent Barton."

Steve came within an inch of slamming his clenched hands on Fury's desk. "Goddamn it, Fury," he hissed. "if you think -"

Fury pointed a finger like a drawn knife at the Captain. "Coulson is under the impression that he was resuscitated after eight minutes of unconsciousness, and just got back from therapy in Tahiti. You're not tellin' him otherwise."

"Are you serious?!"

"That's an order, Rogers," said Fury immovably. "Now get out of my office."

They were halfway to the door when Fury said, "One more thing."

Steve clamped his mouth shut, took a breath, and turned. Clint and Natasha exchanged glances.

Fury pointed at Steve again. "Not a word to Stark."

Steve stared blankly for a few seconds, and then burst out laughing.

They're not going to acknowledge this in the movies or on the show for all kinds of reasons, but inside the actual MCU world, I'm sure the Avengers know and have known for a long time.