The third pod of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. has opened up a new world of possibilities, and that could include the return of Lance Hunter if Nick Blood's recent Instagram activity means anything. Hunter was introduced in season 2 alongside his ex-wife Bobbi Morse (Adrianne Palicki) and Mack (Henry Simmons) as new recruits to Coulson's reformed S.H.I.E.L.D. Hunter ended up being the most loyal of the bunch to start and also the most hesitant, but it helped him quickly become a fan favorite addition to the series.

He continued with the show into the third season before he and Bobbi were disavowed from S.H.I.E.L.D. due to their activity (and also to help launch their own series in Most Wanted that never got off the ground). Ever since Most Wanted stopped moving forward, fans have been eager to see both return, and it looks like Blood could be teasing as much.

Blood posted a photo today on Instagram of him and Henry Simmons sharing a big hug on the backlot of S.H.I.E.L.D. This could very well just be him sharing an appropriate Throwback Thursday, but if the photo was taken recently, it could be big. Simply, if this is a recent photo, Blood may have just subtly teased Hunter's return. (It should be noted, Blood didn't tag the image with any corresponding Throwback Thursday hashtags.)

S.H.I.E.L.D. has already used the Framework to bring back the ultimate fan favorite character in Brett Dalton's Grant Ward, so it is certainly not out of the realm of possibility that they will bring back more former characters. Showrunner Jed Whedon has previously teased that more familiar faces could be returning in later episodes, so it is conceivable that Hunter is one of these faces. Plus, BJ Britt may have also teased his return, so Hunter could be just the latest in a line of characters set to appear.

While Hunter's return is far from confirmed at this point, there is no better way to bring back all of these characters than the Framework. S.H.I.E.L.D. has not yet been renewed for a fifth season, and even with the producers planning for that to be the case, it is not a guarantee. Bringing in the likes of Hunter and others as a callback to everything that has come before could be the perfect way for the series to go out if season 4 is its last.

If it is not, there is not a great chance for Hunter to be brought back into the fold in the real world. Blood is clearly still friendly with his former cast mates, so this could just be him visiting the set to reminisce on their previous adventures, and this is not the first time he has posted photos with cast members from the show since he left. Hopefully this is a case of subtle hinting from Blood and he will be coming back to the series in the next few episodes.

Next: Do The Avengers Exist in the Framework?

Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. continues Tuesday April 18 with ‘No Regrets’ at 10pm on ABC.

Source: Nick Blood