Marvel's Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D. Sets Season 4 Premiere Date

ABC today announced that Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. will return for its fourth season on Tuesday, September 20 in its new 10 p.m. ET timeslot.

ABC announced Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s new timeslot alongside the Season 4 renewal, saying the move would allow the series to adopt an edgier tone. Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. debuted in ABC's 8 p.m. timeslot but was pushed back to 9 p.m. beginning with Season 2. ABC's reasoning for the move then was similar to its reasoning now, that they wanted the show to be able to deal with some darker material.

Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.was created by Joss Whedon, Jed Whedon and Maurissa Tancharoen for ABC and Marvel as a televised extension of the Marvel cinematic universe. The series follows Agent Phil Coulson, resurrected after his death in Marvel's The Avengers, and his team of S.H.I.E.L.D. agents.

Season 3 of the series dealt with the boom in the Inhuman population after Terrigen contaminated a portion of the Earth's edible sea creatures. This led to the discovery of another world where a powerful and ancient Inhuman had been exiled. The season also revealed that Hydra's original mission was to find a way to return the Inhuman, called Hive, to Earth. Hive eventually possessed the body of Hydra double agent Grant Ward and enacted a plan to spread the Terrigen Mist across a large portion of Earth's surface. Hive's plan was stopped, costing him his life as well as the life of Inhuman S.H.I.E.L.D. agent Lincoln Campbell.

The season ended with a flash forward to Coulson and Agent Alphonso "Mack" MacKenzie in the field trying to chase down Daisy Johnson, who went AWOL after Lincoln's death. Coulson has apparently stepped down as director of S.H.I.E.L.D. Meanwhile, transhumanist scientist Holden Radcliffe is preparing to introduce the world to the androids called Life Model Decoys.

Marvel is also teasing something else involving a fiery chain. This most likely is pointing towards the return of the Inhuman Hellfire, who was a part of Daisy's Secret Warriors team in the Marvel Comics universe, but some fans are holding out for Ghost Rider.

Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. stars Clark Gregg, Ming-Na Wen, Chloe Bennet, Iain De Caestecker, Elizabeth Henstridge, and Henry Simmons.

Via THR