The opening of Season 3 of AGENTS OF SHIELD hit with a bang, almost literally. Not only is this episode full of quality interactions, but there were bunch of fun tidbits in it. And there were several Easter eggs for eagle-eyed viewers throughout!
There were several mentions of past MCU movies, ranging from THE AVENGERS to THOR: THE DARK WORLD to ANT-MAN. Also those who remember IRON MAN 3 may have noticed the President of the United States, at the end of the episode, was the same who was kidnapped in IRON MAN 3. (Cue the 'It's all connected' comment!)
Another thing we learned was where this third season takes place in the MCU timeline. We’re never told exactly how long after the end of second season it was, but Coulson does mention ANT-MAN, so like most Marvel products everything takes place in the order they are released in real-time. So it’s highly likely this takes place a few months after AVENGERS: AGE OF ULTRON.
In fact, I don’t believe it’s all that much of a stretch to say this season could very well inform what happens in CAPTAIN AMERICA: CIVIL WAR. Because the President announced he created a special organization of the government to track Inhumans. One can assume after that comes the 'Accords' of Civil War. The 'Accords' is the big rift between Steve Rogers and Tony Stark — which was recently revealed by actor Chris Evans. Now, it’s doubtful that everything happens here will be the crux of what forces the President’s hand – I imagine that will happen in the beginning of Civil War – but what happens during this season could definitely inform that decision.
There was a ton going on in this episode and I feel like I could write a novel on it. But let’s stick to more of the bigger points. Like Simmons. I wrote in my last article we might see her rescued by the end of the Season 3 premiere. I obviously got a bit ahead of myself. In fact, we only got a little tease of where she was at the end of the episode. Wherever it is, she’s clearly no longer on Earth. Since the artifact is Inhuman and the Inhumans were made by the Kree, is it possible she’s on a Kree world?
The only thing that makes me question this is the fact the planet looked so desolate. It’s been made clear by the previews this is going to be a story thread for a few episodes. I only wonder how they plan on linking it all together since by the end, it appeared Coulson and company had given up on finding her. Even Fitz had run out of options and he was screaming at the monolith to do something, anything. Hell... he’d probably be happier if it took him to where Simmons was. At least then he would know she was alive.
So that’s the premiere episode of AGENTS OF SHIELD Season 3. Each week I’ll be doing little articles like this about each episode, talking about various aspects of each and what they may mean for the season as a whole, and perhaps the larger Marvel universe.
Written by Peter Freeman, AGENTS OF SHIELD Beat Writer
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What to Look Forward to in AGENTS OF SHIELD Season 3
CAPTAIN AMERICA: CIVIL WAR - Chris Evans Details the Rift Between Steve Rogers and Tony Stark