Spoilers ahead for Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.’s Season 7 episode, called “Out of the Past.”
Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.’s latest twist took a rather surprising turn. With the agents still stuck in 1955, Coulson had to gain the trust of the suspicious Daniel Sousa, Agent Peggy Carter’s old partner. However, while viewers learned Sousa’s original fate was to die, this new reality complicated everything. Recently, Enver Gjokaj offered his take on what’s up next for Sousa and how being taken out of his original timeline might bring “clarity” about the MCU and Agent Carter.
Agent Carter wrapped its two-season stint on ABC with the titular character and Sousa kissing, and prior to Avengers: Endgame, it was often wondered whether Sousa was Peggy Carter’s mysterious husband that the MCU alluded to, though never identified. Now that Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. has confirmed what happened to Sousa, where does he go from here? Enver Gjokaj shared his thoughts about his character's mindset after being removed from his own time, and what that might mean for his future with Peggy. Here’s what Gjokaj told TVLine:
[Sousa is] very conflicted about being taken out of time, as you can imagine, because of all of the things that he had to love for in that time period. That might, though, give us some clarity on what’s happening with him in the MCU universe [and] what ultimately happened between Peggy and Daniel.
This seems like just a hint of what’s to come in the very next episode, but I can only surmise that Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. will actually confirm where Peggy is in the 1970s, as well as how Sousa’s death has impacted her. Maybe I’m reading too much into it, but it sounds like Daniel being taken out of his own time is the catalyst that prevented him from romantically ending up with Peggy.
Did Daniel’s disappearance unintentionally pave the way for Steve Rogers rekindling his relationship with Peggy in Avengers: Endgame? Maybe so, maybe so. Either way, Enver Gjokaj doesn’t have any hard feelings about Peggy and Steve ending up together in the end. The actor always figured Sousa was “going to be second place” in Peggy’s heart. If only he'd have had his own personalized shield...
All that said, it’s unclear how Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. will tie up Sousa’s storyline. However, it would be wild if Sousa and the team landed in 2012, circa The Avengers' timeline. Enver Gjokaj did make an appearance in the movie as someone other than Sousa, and he recently revealed that his Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. role was originally meant to tie back into his dual role as a cop in The Avengers. It’s still a possibility that some kind of connection could happen there. The series' showrunners have teased a potential MCU connection being on the way, and time travel would certainly explain how both of Gjokaj’s roles could exist in the same universe. Make it happen, writers!
New episodes of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. air Wednesdays at 10:00 p.m. ET on ABC. For more on what to watch, be sure to check out our 2020 summer TV premiere guide.
