Coulson Must Die For Agents of SHIELD to Save Earth

SPOILERS for Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. episode 'Past Life' ahead

The latest episode of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. season 5, 'Past Life', reveals the way to save Earth is to let Phil Coulson (Clark Gregg) die; we break down how and why his death can prevent the planet's destruction. Since the Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. season 5 premiere, Coulson and his team have been trapped in a future where the Earth was destroyed - supposedly by Daisy Johnson aka Quake (Chloe Bennet) - and the remnants of humanity have been subjugated by Kree. In particular, the humans were ruled over by Kasius (Dominic Rains), a Kree lord who was banished to Earth after angering his father.

Throughout the early part of season 5, Coulson and the team have been looking for a way back to the present, and the Kree Monolith, along with some help from the young Inhuman Flint (Coy Stewart), is their ticket home. Of course, the agents were also searching for a way to save Earth from being destroyed and leading to the future where they've been trapped, but it's still unclear how exactly Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. will save the world this time. Based on everything we know about how the Earth was destroyed, though it isn't much, S.H.I.E.L.D. is actually responsible for the end of the world.

In this week's episode of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., 'Past Life', we get new puzzle pieces that offer some insight into the season-long mystery of Earth's destruction. Two particular tidbits of note are Kasius' mention of his father's fixation on Earth and the revelation that S.H.I.E.L.D. will set events into motion that lead to the end of the world when they save Coulson from dying. So, why must Coulson die for the agents to save Earth and how is it connected to Kasius? We break it down and posit a theory for where Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. season 5 is headed after its hiatus.

Why Does Coulson Have to Die to Save Earth?

Agents of SHIELD Season 5 Character Poster Coulson Clark Gregg

Since it was revealed in last week's episode that Kasius has his own seer to even the scales after the precognitive Inhuman Robin helped S.H.I.E.LD. with her visions, fans have wondered who Kasius' seer is. In 'Past Life', Yo-Yo (Natalia Cordova-Buckley) comes across that seer - and the seer turns out to be the future version of Yo-Yo who lived through traveling to the future, returning home, and not being able to stop the Earth from being destroyed. The time travel of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. may be confusing, but future Yo-Yo confirms the agents are stuck in a time loop of knowing the Earth will be destroyed, but not knowing how to stop it. Well, future Yo-Yo does give her younger self one way to save Earth: "Phil Coulson is dying, and you have to let him."

Earlier in the episode, Kasius fed some black alien substance he called Odium to the Inhuman trainer Tye (Max E. Williams), whose eyes turned black and shed black tears. Tye attacked Coulson and injured the S.H.I.E.L.D. director, giving him a deadly wound infected with the Odium. While it's unclear what exactly the Odium is or how it will affect Coulson, this is the injury and the illness that Yo-Yo says will kill him. As future Yo-Yo tells her younger self, the Odium infection slowly killing Coulson will force the S.H.I.E.L.D. team to make a choice, either save him and bring about the end of the world or let him die and save the Earth.

Of course, there's a puzzle piece missing here. While we know saving Coulson's life is somehow connected to the destruction of the Earth, we don't know exactly how. Before Yo-Yo can learn as much from her future self, she's urged to leave in order to make it back to her friends. However, insight into Coulson's condition - and how the agents might save him - comes from the other part of the mystery of Earth's destruction that's revealed in 'Past Life'.

Who Really Destroys Earth?

We've long suspected Quake didn't really destroy Earth like those in the future are led to believe. Like Daisy herself, we know her powers aren't quite strong enough to crack a planet like an egg. Plus, the introduction of Flint and the re-introduction of Gravitonium offered new theories about how the world was destroyed. Further, scraps of information from the True Believers and Robin revealed there was a bright light before the Earth broke apart that was believed to be aliens, and S.H.I.E.L.D. went to face it. Now in 'Past Life', Kasius reveals a new key piece of information about the mystery of how the Earth was destroyed.

Kasius has devolved somewhat into madness at this point as a result of Sinara's (Florence Faivre) death, and he spends much of the episode monologuing about his family, S.H.I.E.L.D., and Earth. Through these monologues, Kasius reveals his father "lusted" after Earth, and called it a "hidden blue gem" that he and his confederacy "wanted for their own." Later on, Kasius thinks to kill the S.H.I.E.L.D. agents before they can return to the present, saying, "My father will then encounter no resistance" and Earth will be "waiting for his embrace." The meaning of Kasius' words is clear: Kasius' father attacked Earth in an effort to conquer it, but was defeated by S.H.I.E.L.D.

Since we haven't seen this potential Kree invasion play out yet on Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. - nor in any of the Marvel Cinematic Universe films - it must occur after they return from the future. Presumably, the invasion led by Kasius' father is the subject of the bright light and alien invaders story that's passed down through generations on the Lighthouse. So now we know an attempted Kree invasion is a major factor in the Earth's destruction. Although we don't exactly know how it leads to the world cracking apart, the Kree - Kasius' family in particular - are connected to another piece in the puzzle.

Can Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Save Coulson?

Chloe Bennet as Daisy Quake Johnson, Clark Gregg as Phil Coulson and Elizabeth Henstridge as Jemma Simmons in Agents of SHIELD

When Kasius introduces the Odium, he specifically states its connection to his family, that they imbibe it when all is lost so as to make one final stand. The Odium takes away a person's pain and leaves only their strength, but it's a last resort. Still, since Kasius and his family are knowledgeable about the Odium, they must know how to cure an infection caused by it - just like the infection slowly killing Coulson. The fact that Coulson is dying of an infection caused by an alien substance possessed by Kasius and his family just before Kasius' father attempts to invade Earth cannot be a coincidence.

Although we don't know how exactly Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. will connect these pieces of the mystery surrounding Earth's destruction, it's possible Coulson's team will strike some kind of deal with Kasius' father to save their leader. Or, in their search for a cure for Coulson, they lead the Kree invasion forces directly to Earth. All we do know for sure is that Coulson's Odium infection, and the team's efforts to save him, will bring about the end of the world.

So what does that mean for Coulson's future on Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.? It doesn't look good for the S.H.I.E.L.D. director, since we know the agents are stuck in a time loop where saving Coulson leads to the end of the world and the future they're trying to prevent. Is letting Coulson die the only way to save the world? It's possible Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. season 5 is building to the death of Phil Coulson. Or, it's also possible the agents discover a way to save Coulson and save the world. We'll learn more as Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. season 5 continues.

Next: If Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D. Season 6 Happens, What Would It Be About?

Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. season 5 continues Friday March 2nd at 9pm on ABC.