Agents Of SHIELD Reveals Director Mace’s Secret

Jeffrey Mace (Jason O’Mara) was introduced in the fourth season of Marvel’s Agents of SHIELD as the new director of SHIELD. Mace was chosen because he was an Inhuman, an enhanced person, and that was exactly what was needed as SHIELD returned to the public eye.

However, it wasn’t long until it became apparent that Mace had a secret, and that secret was significant enough that it Senator Nadeer could use it to blackmail him. Tonight’s episode of Agents of SHIELD, titled “The Patriot,” revealed exactly what that secret is.

Spoiler warning for Marvel’s Agents of SHIELD episode “The Patriot.”

The episode’s title, “The Patriot,” is a reference to Jeffrey Mace’s superhero persona from the Marvel Comics Universe. The Patriot was a Golden Age Marvel Comics hero who was retconned in modern continuity to have been the Captain America.

Marvel’s Agents of SHIELD already hinted at that origin when the series revealed that Captain America was Phil Coulson’s first choice to take over as SHIELD’s director. With Cap on the run after the events of Captain America: Civil War and Quake having left SHIELD and become a fugitive, Coulson didn’t have many choices left. Mace first came to his attention after being labeled a hero for protecting a civilian woman when the United Nation was bombed in Vienna during Captain America: Civil War, but it turns out even that part of Mace’s backstory was a façade.

“The Patriot” revealed that Mace is not an Inhuman and he was not a hero in Vienna. The famous photo of Mace that circulated in the media was actually one of him tripping and falling on top of the woman, not one of him saving a civilian. The image was misinterpreted and no matter how much he protested everyone only assumed this hero was showing undue modesty.

Talbot tracked Mace down months later and made him Project Patriot. The project used a cleaned up version of the Mr. Hyde formula used by Quake’s father in order to give Mace his superhuman abilities. Mace has to be dosed with the formula every few hours or his powers fade.

Coulson is furious when Talbot reveals all of this to him. Talbot defends himself with another reference to Mace’s comic book history, saying that the President tasked him with finding the next Captain America and he delivered a Patriot.

Mace’s secret has been revealed, but that doesn’t mean he’s done with SHIELD. Coulson allowed Mace to keep the title of Director of SHIELD and the public responsibilities that go along with it, though Coulson made clear that he’ll be in charge of operations.

MORE: “The Patriot” Clip / Agents of SHIELD Star Teases Ghost Rider’s Return / How Slingshot Connects To The Rest of the Marvel Cinematic Universe / Slingshot Series Announced / Designing Ghost Rider’s Costume / The Patriot Gets A Costume / Agents Of SHIELD: LMD Teaser / What Are Life Model Decoys? / 5 Important LMDS From The Marvel Universe / What Is The Future Of FitzSimmons? /

Marvel’s Agents of SHIELD airs Tuesdays at 10 p.m. ET on ABC.