So, after a number of subtle teases throughout the season, fans finally got a definitive answer on whether the Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. finale tied into the huge Avengers: Infinity War twist and the short answer is... no.
While speaking with Entertainment Weekly, executive producers Jed Whedon, Maurissa Tancharoen and Jeffrey Bell, who had previously hinted at a possible tie-in, shared that logistically it just wasn't possible due to their different production schedules and it became even more difficult after the Russo Brothers-directed film moved up its release date. However, for all of the "it's all connected" fans, they do add that since the last four episodes more or less run in real time, that the events of the finale are running concurrently with some of the early scenes in Infinity War (e.g. the battle in New York) and it all wraps up shortly before the battle of Wakanda and Thanos' (Josh Brolin) arrival.
Even though that snapping twist didn't come to pass, the season finale did toss fans another, very unexpected, curveball as Fitz (Iain De Caestecker) - future Fitz - was killed tragically while on a mission to rescue Mack (Henry Simmons) and Polly (Lola Glaudini). Meanwhile, the present-day Fitz is still very much alive, somewhere out in deep outer space, frozen in cryo-sleep, but finding him may be a little easier said than done.
The season ended on a tragic note as well as the always dependable Coulson (Clark Gregg) accepted his grim fate and arrived in Tahiti to spend the last of his days, on the sandy beaches of the island paradise, with May (Ming-Na Wen). As for whether or not fans will get to see Coulson next summer in the recently announced Season 6, Gregg tells Entertainment Weekly that he's not entirely sure whether or not Coulson's story will continue into the future, especially after he finally made his way to Tahiti. "I don’t get any sense that it will. It doesn’t feel weird to me that it might go forward because I don’t know that that’s the case. I know that they’ve picked up the show, I don’t know if it includes me. I don’t know if it’ll just be me in flashbacks or sexy dreams with Agent May.”
Speaking of the future, with the sixth (and potentially final) season airing in Summer 2019, long after the events of Avengers 4, it remains to be seen exactly how the remaining Agents will have to deal with the fallout from Thanos' universe-shattering attack as well as whatever the Russos have planned for next year's Phase 3 finale. Gregg did sound a bit relieved that the series won't have to worry about any tie-ins now that the show has moved to summer. He tells The Hollywood Reporter, "It's a relief in a way because at some point, if it wasn't done that way, they were going to have to deal with the devastating snap of Thanos' [Josh Brolin] fingers. I don't know what happens in the second half [in Avengers 4]. As a fan I'm eager to know. We've got Ant-Man and the Wasp, Captain Marvel coming out and the second Infinity War before Agents of SHIELD becomes a summer show. There are so many unknown quantities in that question that I don't really have a good answer."
So, what did you guys think of the finale? Sound off with your thoughts below!
In light of the Sokovia Accords, and with Hydra obliterated, S.H.I.E.L.D. has been legitimatized again and no longer needs to operate in the shadows. Since the world presumes that Coulson is dead, the organization needed a new Director (Jason O’Mara) to be the face of the organization. Coulson finds himself back in the role as an agent and teamed with Mack (Henry Simmons), and together they are tasked with tracking down and confirming the presence of Enhanced people, aka Inhumans. They have been trying to track down and capture Daisy (Chloe Bennet), aka Quake, who has gone rogue in an attempt to atone for sins from the past. But with the world believing that Daisy is a dangerous outlaw who has taken down banks and bridges, the new Director has no qualms about taking her down for good. Agent May (Ming-Na Wen) is tasked with training specialist strike teams, and Fitz (Iain De Caestecker) and Simmons (Elizabeth Henstridge) have taken a big step forward in their relationship. But with Simmons’ new promotion as Special Advisor to the Director in Science and Technology, Fitz, as well as her former team members, finds it hard to confide in or trust her since she’s now the Director’s confidant.
Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. features:
Clark Gregg as Phil Coulson
Ming-Na Wen as Melinda May
Chloe Bennet as Daisy Johnson/Quake
Iain De Caestecker as Leo Fitz
Elizabeth Henstridge as Jemma Simmons
Henry Simmons as Alphonso "Mack" MacKenzie
Natalia Cordova-Buckley as Elena "Yo-Yo" Rodriguez
Nick Blood as Lance Hunter
Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. returns for Season 6 in Summer 2019