Does Agents of SHIELD Connect with Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame?
Before we jump in, big spoilers ahead for the Agents of SHIELD Season Six premiere! After a [...]
Before we jump in, big spoilers ahead for the Agents of SHIELD Season Six premiere! After a year-long absence, Agents of SHIELD roared back to ABC tonight with "Missing Pieces," the premiere episode of its sixth season. Set after one year after the events of Season Five, which referenced Thanos' invasion of Earth, this season was bound to reference Avengers: Infinity War, right?
Well, don't get too ahead of yourself. In Season Five's closing moments, Graviton (Adrian Pasdar) learns that Thanos had launched an assault on Earth, and that launches the villain's arc in the final few episodes of the season. Come this season, the storyline advances one year in the storyline, nearly exactly a year after Thanos and The Snap in Wakanda.
The thing is, "Missing Pieces" didn't reference Avengers: Infinity War in the slightest. No SHIELD agents were dusted away, nor did anyone give any inkling to what happened. Business seemed very cut and dry for new SHIELD Director Alphonso Mackenzie (Henry Simmons) and the crew of agents he worked with, and it wasn't obvious that half of the world suddenly disappeared a year ago.
And that's where the disconnect from Marvel Studios and Marvel Television comes into play. Despite continually saying that "it's all connected," a massive world-changing event in Avengers: Infinity War has had zero effect on Agents of SHIELD, at least through the highly-anticipated season premiere. That is in part because the team behind the show wasn't sure whether or not it'd be back for a sixth season.
"We tried at the end of [Season] 5 to make it satisfying because we didn't know [if we were coming back]," SHIELD co-showrunner Jed Whedon previously explained. "We never knew in any season, really. I think there's only been one [where we knew we'd be returning]. But we, and hopefully, the audience, have fallen in love with these characters, so we don't mind playing with these characters as long as they'll let us. This is a great group, and we all get along so... there was definitely a sense at the end of Season 5, of not wanting this to end, to have to say goodbye to these people. And here we are."
Avengers: Endgame is now in theaters while Avengers: Infinity War can be streamed on Netflix. Agents of SHIELD airs Friday nights on ABC starting at 8/7 p.m. Central.
Were you disappointed the Agents of SHIELD Season Six premiere didn't reference the events of Infinity War or Endgame? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below or by hitting me up on Twitter at @AdamBarnhardt!
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