Agents of SHIELD will end after season 7, and here are the characters who need to return in the final episodes. The first Marvel and ABC series to come during the MCU boom is currently airing its sixth season, but fans already have known the story would continue for at least one more season. It was recently revealed that Agents of SHIELD season 7 would be its last, marking an end to the longest-running Marvel series.
Agents of SHIELD has gone in several different directions during its run, but it has mostly operated with the same core cast. Clark Gregg's return as Phil Coulson was the initial draw, but viewers have since grown attached to Daisy Johnson aka Quake (Chloe Bennet), Melinda May (Mind-Na Wen), Leo Fitz (Iain de Caestecker), and Jemma Simmons (Elizabeth Henstridge). The core of season 6's cast also includes Alphonso "Mack" Mackenzie (Henry Simmons), who debuted in season 2, and Elena "Yo-Yo" Rodriguez (Natalia Cordova-Buckley), who first appeared in season 3.
However, Agents of SHIELD has had plenty of other fantastic characters over the years that have since been left behind. With Agents of SHIELD season 7 set to be the end, it's the final chance for any of them to make a return to the series. Guest stars like the return of Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) or Maria Hill (Cobie Smulders) would be welcomed, but they haven't had the biggest roles on the actual show. So, as much as we'd like to see them appear, here are the characters who need to return during the final season of Agents of SHIELD.
Mockingbird & Lance
Bobbi Morse aka Mockingbird (Adrianne Palicki) and Lance Hunter (Nick Blood) joined the cast of Agents of SHIELD in season 2 and quickly became fan-favorite characters. Their on-again, off-again relationship was fun to watch, especially since it was clear they loved each other at all times. Palicki instantly came in and was a standout in the action sequences, while Blood sparked great on-screen chemistry with de Caestecker. They were so popular with fans that Marvel and ABC had them leave Agents of SHIELD in season 3 so that they could star in a spinoff series, Marvel's Most Wanted. But ABC ended up passing on Most Wanted. Blood returned for a small role in Agents of SHIELD season 5, but Palicki has not been seen again despite expressing a desire to. Since they are both still out there, having them both return would not only generate a huge reaction from fans but could also help give many viewers closure.
Ghost Rider
The newest addition to make the list, Robbie Reyes aka Ghost Rider (Gabriel Luna) was a huge hit when he was featured in Agents of SHIELD season 4. He was a central character during the first eight episodes of the season and is arguably one of the best characters the show has ever had. There was instantly a call for him to receive his own series - which is now happening on Hulu but isn't intricately connected to the events of Agents of SHIELD - but he was last seen in the season 4 finale. Bringing him back could be more challenging to pull off as the Ghost Rider series is in development, but it is also possible that Marvel TV could use an appearance in the last season of Agents of SHIELD to set up the actual story his Ghost Rider will deal with.
Grant Ward
Grant Ward (Brett Dalton) has one of the craziest stories of any Agents of SHIELD character. He started the series as a top SHIELD agent and then was revealed to be secretly HYDRA. From there, Ward started his own faction of HYDRA and wanted to fulfill the organization's goal of bringing a powerful Inhuman to Earth. This Inhuman, known as Hive, took possession of Ward's body after Coulson killed him. In all of these different versions of the character, Dalton crushed the role and even got a chance to play hero during his return in the Framework arc in season 4. As the only original series regular on Agents of SHIELD that is no longer part of the series, bringing Dalton back in some form would be a great addition to the final season of the series.
Deathlok
Mike Peterson (J. August Richards) was a key character throughout Agents of SHIELD season 1 and was one of the first superpowered people that Coulson and his team tracked down. He was made to be a SHIELD agent thanks to these gifts but then was turned into a cyborg known as Deathlok following an explosion. After a brief villainous turn, Deatlok was revealed to be part of SHIELD still and returned for a small arc in season 2 and then again for one episode in season 5. He is believed to be part of the organization and in charge of his own team, so finding a way for him to make one more appearance in season 7 is hopefully something the writers have considered.
Calvin Zabo
Calvin Zabo (Kyle MacLachlan) only appeared in Agents of SHIELD season 2, but a return in season 7 could help wrap up Daisy's story since he is her father. Daisy is arguably the lead of the series at this point, and with the show's overarching theme of family, the return of her actual father would be excellent. The last time Agents of SHIELD dealt with Zabo he had just had his mind wiped and started a new life as a veterinarian. Before that, he developed a serum that gave him super strength and helped Daisy learn who she really was, as she was going by Skye, and what she could become, instead of being a hacker. A guest appearance by MacLachlan showing Daisy visiting her unknowing father could be a sweet way for both of their stories to end on Agents of SHIELD.
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These are just the most significant returns we'd like to see in the final season of Agents of SHIELD, but they only scratch the surface of characters who could feasibly be brought back. Plus, the always creative writing staff of the show could devise a plan that allows a broader range of characters to return. If that is the case, then the returns of characters like Raina, Jeffrey Mace, Aida, Glenn Talbot, Tripp, Rosalind Price, the Koenigs, Ruby, Joey Gutierrez, or even the cellist Audrey Nathan could be worthwhile additions to the final season. It all depends on how Agents of SHIELD decides to close out its story, but hopefully, the return of several familiar faces will be included somehow.