Marvel's Agents of SHIELD is returning for season 6 and, given that the show has been on a one-year hiatus since season 5 concluded last May, a refresher may be needed. After all, the explosive season 5 finale, which featured the deaths of Coulson (Clark Gregg) and Fitz (Iain de Caestecker), left a lot of unanswered questions.
At the time, many expected that Agents of SHIELD season 5 would be the show's last. This was evident in the season's final episodes, as it felt like a series finale, especially considering how it neatly wrapped up Coulson's story by sending the character on one last vacation to Tahiti with May (Ming-Na Wen). Days before the season finale aired, ABC announced that Agents of SHIELD had been renewed for a 13-episode sixth season, set to air in the summer after the release of Avengers: Endgame. In November, ABC surprised fans by renewing the series for a seventh season.
Agents of SHIELD season 6 premieres this week with "Missing Pieces", which will be directed by Clark Gregg. The new season will introduce a new villain - who happens to look just like Coulson - and focus on the team's search for Fitz.
Who Is The New Coulson In Agents of SHIELD Season 6?
Agents of SHIELD began building up to Coulson's death at the end of season 4 when he made a mysterious deal with Ghost Rider. The storyline finally reached a conclusion in the season 5 finale: Coulson could have let the team save him by taking the Centipede serum, but knew that to do so would impede their efforts to defeat Talbot. Coulson accepted his fate and died off-screen.
While Coulson is definitely dead, Clark Gregg isn't done with the show and will return as a different character. The Agents of SHIELD season 6 trailer reveals he's a ruthless alien from another planet with a desire to destroy Earth. Known as "Sarge", this new villain will cause new complications for the team as they struggle to battle an enemy who has the same face as their former leader and friend.
Will Agents of SHIELD Season 6 Acknowledge Avengers: Infinity War & Endgame?
Avengers: Infinity War hit theaters when Agents of SHIELD was in the back half of its fifth season, and the show gained significant attention when it skirted around the events of Infinity War, despite Thanos' enormous impact on the entire MCU.
It's no coincidence that Agents of SHIELD season 6 was scheduled to air after the release of Avengers: Endgame, once the battle with Thanos was concluded. Marvel TV chief Jeph Loeb has confirmed that like season 5, season 6 will ignore the events of the movies by having the show take place before the snap.
While some may want to see the series acknowledge Infinity War and Endgame in a meaningful way, encompassing the events of either film would come with obvious problems. Half of everyone in the universe suddenly being wiped out would have a tremendous impact on the series and its characters, and the story that's being told can be stronger without it.
What's Going On With Fitz In Agents of SHIELD Season 6?
In the Agents of SHIELD season 5 finale, Fitz and May realized that Mack and Robin's mother were in peril and rushed to save them. Fitz succeeded in saving them, but paid the price for his actions; a building fell on top of them, and Fitz was cut by a piece of metal. Fitz died before Simmons had a chance to say goodbye. While this looked like the end for Fitz, there's still a way for him to return.
Fitz reached the future by putting himself in suspended animation, which means that a present-day version of Fitz is out there somewhere. The finale ended with the team heading off into space to search for Enoch's spaceship, which is the key to bringing Fitz back to the show. The search for Fitz is expected to play an important part in the main story for Agents of SHIELD season 6.
What Happened During Agents of SHIELD's Time Jump?
Apparently, the search for Fitz hasn't gone well, since it's been confirmed that the Agents of SHIELD season 6 premiere will feature a one-year time jump. Such a long gap between seasons means that a lot may have changed for the characters off-screen. Specifically, the premiere will reveal how Mack has been faring since he was chosen to be the next director of SHIELD, and how Daisy (Chloe Bennet), May, Simmons, and Yo-Yo have been holding up after the deaths of Coulson and Fitz.
Where Is Deke In Agents of SHIELD Season 6?
Jeff Ward was promoted to series regular for Agents of SHIELD season 6, which indicates that his character, Deke, isn't going anywhere for a while, even though his fate was left up in the air due to his grandfather's untimely death. In the season 5 finale, Simmons found Deke's room completely empty, which of course opened up a number of questions about his whereabouts and time travel.
Did Fitz's death erase Deke from the timeline? That would make sense, but it would also mean that waking up Fitz from suspending animation would rewrite the entire team's futures as well. It's possible that Agents of SHIELD will instead follow Avengers: Endgame's rules of time travel. In Avengers: Endgame, the past can't be changed; attempts to alter it only creates new timelines. Endgame's rules would thus allow for Deke to continue to exist.
What Will Happen Once The Agents Of SHIELD Find Fitz?
There's no telling how long it will take for the team to find Fitz in Agents of SHIELD season 6, but when they do, things between them may not return to normal right away. Since the events of season 5 never happened to this version of Fitz, he'll have no knowledge of everything that happened in the future, including his marriage to Simmons, meeting his grandson Deke, and of course his mental breakdown.
When Daisy became worried that her powers would cause the destruction of the planet, she decided to keep the Kree's inhibitor chip in her body. In response to this, Fitz's subconscious created an alternate personality where he became the evil Fitz from season 4. Fitz removed Daisy's inhibitor chip against her will, and their relationship hasn't been the same since. How this will impact their relationship in season 6 remains to be seen. Will Daisy resent Fitz for the actions of his future self?
Agents of SHIELD season 6 premieres Friday, May 10 on ABC.