Warning: spoilers ahead for Episode 19 of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Season 5, called "Option Two."
Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. kicked off Season 5 with the world destroyed, and the story at first was that Daisy had quaked the planet apart with her powers. In the future, she was known as the Destroyer of Worlds. Since the return to the present, however, S.H.I.E.L.D. has toyed with the idea that somebody else might be the actual Destroyer of Worlds. Ruby was eager to claim that title for herself, and she was even exposing herself to gravitonium in the hopes of gaining unparalleled powers. Ruby was yanked out of the chamber that would have transformed her before the process could be completed, and then Yo-Yo went ahead and killed her, taking Ruby out of the running as the Destroyer of Worlds.
In "Option Two," S.H.I.E.L.D. revealed the person who is poised to become the real Destroyer of Worlds, and it's not who we expected. Yes, Glenn Talbot is apparently the Destroyer of Worlds. Here's how it happened.
The agents got off on the wrong foot right away thanks to divisions within the team. Daisy is still furious with Fitz, Mack is mad at Yo-Yo, Coulson wants to die, May and Daisy are scheming to find a way for him to live, and Deke just wants Fitzsimmons to hang out and hook up to guarantee his own existence. The situation went from bad to worse when Talbot realized that he revealed S.H.I.E.L.D.'s location at the Lighthouse, and Qovas made his move to try and get the gravitonium from them. He sent a whole bunch of his marauders into the Lighthouse to kill the people inside and take the gravitonium.
Deke was able to explain the marauders to the agents, having encountered their brutal ways in the future. The team was split up throughout the Lighthouse (and Daisy wasn't even in the Lighthouse to lend her muscle), and the good guys geared up for a last stand. Talbot ended up alone with Simmons in her lab where she was guarding the gravitonium. When Talbot realized he was in the same room as the gravitonium and the chamber that had been transforming Ruby, he made his move. Knocking Simmons out, he pumped the gravitonium into the chamber, climbed in, and became what Ruby had wanted to be: the Destroyer of Worlds.
Okay, admittedly, Talbot has not destroyed any worlds at this point. In fact, he saved the day for the good guys. He escaped the lab easily and came to rescue Coulson and the main fighting force, who were fighting a losing battle against the marauders. Just when the marauders were on the verge of winning, Talbot barged in and used his powers to immobilize, elevate, and disintegrate them. He saved the agents and killed the marauders, which on the one hand is definitely a good thing. On the other hand... well, the agents will want to keep a close eye on Talbot moving forward.
Talbot could easily turn out to be the one who really quakes the planet apart, if S.H.I.E.L.D. does go so far as to destroy the world. He may not do it intentionally, but at this point, it would make more sense for Talbot to accidentally break the planet apart than for Daisy to do it. She knows to be careful with her powers; Talbot may not be capable of showing such care at this point. He was tortured, reprogrammed, and brainwashed for months by General Hale, and Hale is still out there. If she shows up, Talbot could easily backslide and do a lot of damage in confusion. Who knows? Maybe somebody will just happen to say the word "comply" and Talbot's brainwashing will kick in.
New episodes of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. air on Fridays at 9 p.m. ET on ABC. Don't forget to take a look at our rundown of important superhero TV dates and our summer TV premiere guide. S.H.I.E.L.D. is far from a sure thing for a renewal, so we can only cross our fingers, watch, and wait for the decision on whether or not a Season 6 could happen.
