ABC kicked off Marvel's television movement in 2013 with Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. and the show has just been renewed for season 5. Although the series may have struggled to find its footing at the start, it has continued to pick up the quality following the midpoint of season 1 and its massive tie-in to Captain America: The Winter Soldier. Since that point, S.H.I.E.L.D. has been rebuilt in secret and brought once again into the public eye, all while introducing the Inhumans into the MCU - before Inhumans debuts later this year.

S.H.I.E.L.D.'s current fourth season introduced the idea of splitting the 22-episode year into distinct pods to focus on Ghost Rider, LMDs, and most recently the Framework. While the show's ability to bring back fan favorites caused some to think season 4 could be the end, ABC has made the decision to keep Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. around for at least one more season.

Co-showrunner Maurissa Tancharoen announced today on Twitter that Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. will return for a fifth season. While the cast of next season could largely change depending on the events of next week's finale, it should be expected that many of the core cast members will return. There is no word on when it will return or how long the season will be, but the renewal announcement is comforting news for all heading into what could have been the series finale.

Clearly, Clark Gregg and others are also quite happy with the news of S.H.I.E.L.D. being renewed.

This is not the most surprising news as previous reports indicated S.H.I.E.L.D. would be renewed and get the chance to tell one more story, but it will make the aftermath of the season 4 finale much easier to digest knowing there is more coming. The show is by no means a ratings juggernaut and still maligned by many, but has carved out a dedicated following over the course of its four seasons.

With a fifth season now locked into place, there are surely going to be seeds planted in the finale that set up what's coming next for these agents. Fitz and Simmons are at a difficult point in their relationship, May and Coulson's dynamic has changed, Daisy could be poised to be the next director of S.H.I.E.L.D., Mack and Yo-Yo are still in the Framework, and there is no telling what the future holds for Ghost Rider. Thankfully, this now gives Tancharoen and her husband/fellow showrunner Jed Whedon the chance to answer these questions and more.

Next: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. May ‘Potentially Affect’ Inhumans

Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. season 4 concludes Tuesday, May 16 with ‘World’s End’ at 10pm on ABC.

Source: Maurissa Tancharoen