SPOILERS for Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. ahead

For those who didn't think there was a way Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. could merge its Inhuman and LMD arcs into one plot, last night's episode of the series proved that everything has been building towards a unified conclusion to season 4. And while a renewal is looking more and more likely, the final arc of this season has certainly felt like a way for the show to bring all of their stories to a head and provide the series with a swan song.

Since the tag at the end of last season, AIDA has been built up as a central part of the show moving forward. From an Easter egg to the big bad of this past year, both the character and actor Mallory Jansen  have grown exponentially. While Eli, Radcliffe, and the Superior have seemed to be the big threats at various points in the season, they've all served as stepping stones in the origin of AIDA. And while her killer android and Madame Hydra phases were certainly problematic for the heroes of the show, her emergence as an Inhuman-powered living being this week puts her previous incarnations to shame.

More Than Inhuman

Agents of SHIELD Aida Life Model Decoy

As soon as we were given a glimpse inside the Framework, it was clear that something major had changed. With Hydra in control, Inhumans were being hunted and rounded up to become the subjects of grisly experiments. Given the role Inhumans played in the origin of Hydra, however, there always seemed to be some narrative dissonance. Once it was revealed that AIDA was running the show as Madame Hydra, though, things started to become clear. Whether as an act of revenge against SHIELD or simply a result of the decisions the agents made, Hydra's power stemmed from the threat May failed to stop. From there, it makes sense that the Inhumans would be used as a scapegoat and that the sect of the organization that worshipped them would be left behind in favor of Ophelia and Fitz's grand scheme.

Dubbed Project Looking Glass, the weeks slowly revealed that Ophelia and Fitz were building a machine that would allow the former to cross back over to the real world and finally inhabit a flesh and blood body. By doing so, Ophelia/AIDA would be free of the restraints placed on her by Radcliffe and could finally feel emotions. What no one knew until the end of last week's episode, however, is that AIDA's new body was more than human.

The specifics of AIDA's new body haven't been made clear, but the machine that built it and her newly acquired abilities stem from the knowledge within the Darkhold. We've previously seen Eli conjure matter seemingly out of thin air, so the construction of a carbon lifeform like a human body is hardly out of the wheelhouse of the mystical book. By adding in AIDA's consciousness and what she's learned from the Darkhold, her threat level was already high. Unfortunately for the agents, all of her experiments on Inhumans led to something else.

It seems that the studies she was conducting on Inhumans was about understanding their genetic code and learning how their powers are grafted onto human DNA. By doing so, she was clearly able to tweak her new body to possess a variety of these skills. The full list won't be revealed until her confrontation with the agents and Ghost Rider next week, but so far we've seen her display three fairly powerful abilities.

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Gordon's Teleportation

Gordon the Inhuman on Agents of SHIELD

The end of last week's episode gave us our first hint that the all-new AIDA was even more dangerous than the previous model when she teleported herself and Fitz away. Even before the power was shown in more detail this week, it was clear that she had somehow mimicked the considerable abilities of Gordon.

Introduced in season 2, after Daisy and Raina went through Terrigenesis, Gordon was the second-in-command of Inhuman leader—and Daisy's mother—Jiaying. Gordon is able to envelop himself and others in an energy bubble of varying size and teleport them seemingly anywhere. While helpful in recruiting new Inhumans for Afterlife, the power eventually proved troublesome for the agents when Jiaying declared war on them. Luckily, some Fitz tech and Mack's trusty axe ended this threat for good. Unfortunately, the same trick didn't work on AIDA.

Lincoln's Electrokinesis

Lincoln Campbell on Agents of SHIELD

While the quantum field disruptors in AIDA's cell prevented her from teleporting out, they're pretty susceptible to blasts of electricity. AIDA seemed content enough to stay put when she was hoping to win back Fitz, but once he chose Simmons her anger caused her to tap into more of her new Inhuman powers. Within the Framework, Daisy quickly learned that her former boyfriend Lincoln Campbell had died under Hydra experimentation, and now we've seen the results.

Also introduced in season 2, Lincoln possessed the ability to control electricity and electromagnetic fields. The power was an incredible one, with Lincoln able to form EMPs and shoot massive bolts of lightning. The skill helped the agents fight Lash and Hive on a number of occasions, but in the hands of AIDA and mixed with her teleportation, she's arguably one of the most powerful individuals the team has ever faced. Even worse, she's got at least one other ability.

All-New Abilities

AIDA Expanding Her Mind on Agents of SHIELD

When Agent Piper shoots AIDA, it seems like it could be the heart-wrenching conclusion to the villain's story. Of course, the finale is still to come, so there was always a chance AIDA would survive. When Agent Davis unloaded half a clip in AIDA while Fitz shouted for them to run, something dire seemed imminent. We've seen Jiaying and Hive able to regenerate themselves by absorbing the life force of others, but we've yet to see an Inhuman who could heal from wounds along the lines of Wolverine. It's possible that AIDA is simply mimicking Eli's control over carbon, but it's more likely that she got her hands on an Inhuman with a healing factor inside the Framework.

As anyone who's fought Logan or Deadpool can attest, battling someone with regenerative powers is hard enough. Add in lightning blasts and teleportation, and AIDA is a threat worthy of the Avengers themselves. There's also the scary possibility that AIDA acquired even more abilities from Inhumans we've yet to see. On the show, we've already encountered metal manipulation, pyrokinesis, energy blasts, and a whole lot more. And if powers we haven't seen yet are on the table, there's no telling what AIDA is capable of doing. Given the threat the team is facing, it's a good thing Ghost Rider showed up at the end of the episode, because they're going to need all the help they can get to stop AIDA and her new Darkhold/Inhuman powers.

Next: Will Mack Stay Inside the Framework?