Agents of SHIELD: New Powers Revealed for Major Characters in “After, Before”

The latest episode of Agents of SHIELD followed May (Ming-Na Wen) and Yo-Yo (Natalia Cordova-Buckley) as they traveled to Afterlife in 1983 to enlist help from Jiaying (Dichen Lachman). With the Zephyr in trouble, it’s vital Yo-Yo regains her powers, and the team is counting on the leader of the Inhumans to help. After learning her problem is mental and attempting to confront past traumas, the episode ends with Yo-Yo saving the day. However, not only was she able to regain her speed, but she also unlocked an important new aspect to her power. Interestingly, she’s not the only one whose powers are growing…

Early on in the episode, we learn that May’s empath powers are expanding. Before, she needed to touch someone to feel their emotions, but now she can do so just by being nearby. It’s especially easier if the emotions are strong, which we hilariously discovered when May admitted to feeling Mack and Elena’s “reunion.” The growth of her powers are definitely coming in handy as she’s able to help Yo-Yo confront her demons and keep a close watch on the suspicious folks at Afterlife.

Of course, it was Yo-Yo’s change that brought the episode to its big finish. “You’ll bounce back. You always have,” May assures Yo-You when she thinks the day is lost. “Maybe I’m not supposed to,” Yo-Yo replied with a moment of realization. “I don’t have to bounce back.” She then regains her speed and zips to the fuel cell regulator, except for the first time since becoming Inhuman, she doesn’t snap back to where she started. After she saves the day, Mack asks, “You didn’t bounce back. How’d you do that?” Elena replies, “I think I’ve always been able to. I was just holding myself back.”

Recently, ComicBook.com had a chat with Cordova-Buckley, and she explained that showcasing the May-Yo friendship is what makes this episode so important. “Number one, the idea that we have a female friendship, whether it be in real life or in fiction, ‘the catty man,’ ‘the competitor,’ ‘the mean girls,’ ‘you can’t sit here’. It just flips the tables completely on that narrative. It puts women in a really strong [and] powerful ‘I-know-myself’ position. And then in their friendship, dang, it’s strong, it’s powerful, but it’s a friendship based on individuals, not on stereotypes.”

What do you think of Elena’s newfound power? Tell us in the comments!

Agents of SHIELD airs Wednesday nights on ABC at 10 PM EST.