Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.: Who Are The Kree?

In tonight's episode of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., we finally learned something about the Kree and their mysterious connection to Skye and the other Inhumans, thanks to the first appearance of a living, breathing Kree on Earth.

The Kree, named Vin-Tak, discusses this history with Lady Sif of Asgard. The Kree Empire had been involved in a long war, which led them to search for races on other planets to genetically modify into cannon fodder. In most cases, they failed, but on Earth they created the Inhumans.

This is pretty much in line with the Kree's depiction in the comics, where they are a race of soldiers and scientists who fought a long war against the Skrulls, during which they created the Inhumans. Their homeworld is the planet Hala, and the empire is ruled by a being known as the Supreme Intelligence. The Kree have an unyielding, zealous pride in their culture, often shown in how single-minded they are when pursuing a goal.

For more information on their comic book history, check out our "Short History of the Kree." This isn't the first time the Kree have shown up in the Marvel Cinematic Universe though, so let's take a look back at their previous appearances.

Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.: "T.A.H.I.T.I."

In this episode of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., Coulson returns to T.A.H.I.T.I., where he was resurrected after his death in The Avengers. There, he finds a blue alien corpse, from which they've been extracting the mysterious GH 325 serum that restored him to life. Coulson doesn't know what the creature is at the time, and in the next episode, "Yes Men," Lady Sif lists the Kree as one of many blue-skinned alien races the being could belong to. "Who You Really Are" confirmed that this alien was Kree in origin.

Guardians of the Galaxy: Ronan the Accuser

Guardians of the Galaxy gave us the first appearance of a living Kree in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Ronan the Accuser is a Kree zealot, looking to continue to wage the war against the Xandarians and their Nova Corps, despite treaties between Xandar and the Kree Empire. He also appears in the Guardians of the Galaxy Prequel Infinite Comic, which followed Gamora during the period between Thor: The Dark World and Guardians of the Galaxy.

Curiously, Ronan's henchman Korath the Pursuer is also a Kree in the comics, but does not have the Kree's blue skin in the film. Korath's actual origin is never discussed in the movie, but this likely means they decided to make him something other than Kree in the movie universe. Alternatively, he could signal that not all Kree have blue skin.

At one point, the Nova Corps also make contact with an ambassador from the Kree Hierarchy. He's not helpful.

Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.: "Shadows"

In the Season 2 premiere of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., we see a flashback to Agent Peggy Carter cleaning up what's left of Hydra in the waning days of World War II. She finds a base where Daniel Whitehall is stationed, and retrieves a crate containing a blue alien. This is the same blue alien that would find its way to S.H.I.E.L.D. and Project T.AH.I.T.I., meaning that almost the entirety of the events that have transpired in Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. so far can be traced back to Carter's meeting with Whitehall's forces on that day.

Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.: Vin-Tak in "Who Your Really Are"

The most recent appearance of the Kree is Vin-Tak in "Who You Really Are." He marks the first time that a Kree has visited Earth in generations. It seems the Kree tried to put an end to the Inhumans project long ago. Now that it has resurfaced, they're keen to try again. Could more be on the way?

Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. airs Tuesday nights on ABC.