Captain America: The Winter Soldier is now playing in most major markets across the world and the timing of its release couldn't be better for the Marvel Cinematic Universe as a whole, which extends beyond the films and onto television. The Captain America sequel, serving as a bridge of sorts between The Avengers and next summer's The Avengers: Age of Ultron, puts the S.H.I.E.L.D. organization front and center. And what happens with S.H.I.E.L.D., must play into what happens in ABC's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. series - set in the same continuity - which follows a special ops team from the organization.

Along with glowing reviews, Captain America 2 broke multiple records at the box office this weekend. Earning just over $95 million domestically in its opening, Captain America: The Winter Soldier became the biggest April release of all-time, living up to its advanced ticket sales record it broke days earlier. The film now sits at $300 million worldwide, on track to demolish the box office earnings of its predecessor, Captain America: The First Avenger.

Well-timed to take advantage of the buzz surrounding the key 'Phase 2' film release, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. returned last week from its final break in the schedule to begin its seven-episode push through to the end of the season. Needless to say, after the events of Captain America: The Winter Soldier, fans who are following along with the series and the film are eagerly anticipating the April 8th episode ("Turn, Turn, Turn") which deals partly with what occurs in The Winter Soldier.

Agents of SHIELD Uprising - New Banner

We can only speculate what the remaining episodes will cover in relation to the film and whether, if anything, the series will play into next summer's The Avengers: Age of Ultron, which has already been shooting for several weeks. But it is going to deal with the bigger picture agenda of the franchise as we can confirm that one important character from the films will be playing a part on the Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. season finale on May 13th... [Warning: Potential Spoilers for Marvel Cinematic Universe]

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Page 2: Find out For Who's Showing Up in Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Finale

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Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. airs Tuesdays @ 8pm on ABC. Captain America: The Winter Soldier - which connects to the series – hits theaters April 4, 2014.

Follow Rob on Twitter @rob_keyes for your Marvel movie and TV news!

Captain America 2 Samuel L Jackson Nick Fury Poster

[You've Been Warned. Potential Spoilers Ahead For Captain America: The Winter Soldier]

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Speaking with Vulture, Samuel L. Jackson revealed that he had just recently shot his scenes as Nick Fury in the season finale of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.. We only consider this a minor spoiler because we know some readers have yet to see the Captain America sequel and the marketing attempts to leave the impression that Director Nick Fury might not make it out of the film alive, and for those who've seen it, that he's gone into hiding by the end of the film.

Captain America: The Winter Soldier leaves the Marvel Cinematic Universe in an interesting place and drastically alters the playing field for which writer and director Joss Whedon (who's also responsible for the TV series) will play on with The Avengers sequel. The S.H.I.E.L.D. organization as we know it, is no more. Its headquarters and three new airships are gone and its leadership - which was infiltrated by undercover HYDRA agents - is gone as well. By the end of the film, Nick Fury has gone into hiding and in his last meeting with Steve Rogers (Chris Evans), Natasha Romanoff  aka Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson) and Sam Wilson aka Falcon (Anthony Mackie), he says he's going to Europe on some other mission.

The shocking events of Captain America 2 take place in a mere three-day span, meaning this week's episode of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. takes place during or just after. The most exciting element for viewers will be seeing how Agent Coulson (Clark Gregg) and his ragtag team will deal with the revelation that the organization they work for has been eradicated. But we at least know that by the end of it, Coulson will come face-to-face with Fury once more.

Agents of SHIELD Poster - Mike Del Mundo - 'Turn Turn Turn'
Limited Edition Poster for episode 17 (“Turn, Turn, Turn” )

We hope that means we'll learn something about how and why Coulson is special and why Fury moved "heaven and earth" to keep him alive, and we hope it means we'll learn about what Fury - who's operating 'underground' - is up to now that S.H.I.E.L.D. is in pieces. More importantly, will this offer some seeds for the next (and final) two Phase 2 films in the franchise (Guardians of the Galaxy and The Avengers 2)?

The executives and writers of behind Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. promised that its return and final half in 2014 would "feel more Marvel" and include more characters from the books, bigger payoffs and consequences, and more meaningful ties to the films. So far, that is mostly true. And from what we know if the remaining episodes, it seems it's going to continue.

Let's see if the Clairvoyant reveal is a meaningful payoff in the grand scheme of things and if the blue alien mystery takes advantage of the potential comic book storylines for Skye and Coulson. In the meantime, here are some fun theory posts, features and discussions on major Agents of SH.I.E.L.D. topics. Join in and share your thoughts and theories in the comments!

If you dig the maze-like poster above by Mike Del Mundo for the next episode, it's the first in a series of six in the #TheArtofLevel7 series. If you like the style, also check out quickly-sold-out Mondo posters for Captain America: The Winter Soldier here.

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More: Marvel Plans Ahead All The Way To 2028

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Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. airs Tuesdays @ 8pm on ABC. Captain America: The Winter Soldier - which connects to the series – hits theaters April 4, 2014.

Follow Rob on Twitter @rob_keyes for your Marvel movie and TV news!

Source: Vulture