Spoilers for Tuesday’s episode of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. are ahead. If you haven’t watched it yet, hop on a Quinjet and fly out of here to another one of our articles!
Since Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. began, one of its primary mysteries has been in regard to Skye’s past. Well, that mystery may not be completely solved, but in the midseason finale “What They Become,” we finally got answers to many of the questions posed over the past year. A lot happened this episode, from the death of HYDRA officer Daniel Whitehall to Agent 33 overcoming her brainwashing and leaving with Ward - but the main star of the night was Skye, whose true purpose was finally revealed in a moment that not only have enormous ramifications for the show, but the entire Marvel Cinematic Universe.
After preventing her father from killing Coulson, Skye headed underground to take the Obelisk back from Raina. She arrived just as Raina set the artifact on one of two podiums. The temple then closed off - but not before Triplett slid in to try to save Skye. The Obelisk opened up, and what we saw was a black crystal encased within. The crystal then emitted a mysterious mist that encased Raina and Skye in a strange substance. Triplett tries to stop the process by kicking the crystal off the pedestal, but he is promptly struck by a shard when it explodes and is petrified. The ladies, on the other hand, were only encased temporarily. Skye is freed from the substance largely unchanged and unharmed – but has somehow generated tremors. Looking over, she sees Triplett’s petrified body crumble and breaks down. After the credits, in another part of the world, a man with no eyes who has his own Obelisk calls someone and tells them “there is another one.” Those are the details, but there is only when way to summarize all of this: the Inhumans are here!
In case you’re not familiar, in the comics the Inhumans are a society of people that descend from a group of humans that were experimented by the Kree (the same alien species from Guardians of the Galaxy) thousands of years ago. Inhumans already have superior physiology to a normal human, but when exposed to the Terrigen Mists, they gain special abilities. Although the main group of Inhumans live in the hidden city of Attilan, secluded from humanity, there are many scattered around the world that have the Inhuman genes. An Inhumans movie has already been announced as part of Marvel Studios' Phase Three plans, but now we know Marvel is revealing them much sooner than 2018. What happens in the Marvel movies typically influences what happens on Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., especially concerning the HYDRA infiltration in Captain America: The Winter Soldier - but now the positions are reversed. The series has set up the Inhumans four years before their feature film will be released, and as a result, the MCU will be able to explore people with natural superpowers much earlier.
The other big plot twist was the reveal that Skye’s real name is Daisy, which sets her up as the MCU’s version of Daisy Johnson. In the comics, Daisy, a.k.a. Quake, is a high-ranking SHIELD agent that can generate earthquakes. As we saw when Skye was freed from the strange encasing, she now has these same powers. This is further backed up by Skye’s father identifying himself as Cal. Daisy’s father in the comics is Calvin Zabo, a scientist who ingests a special chemical formula and becomes the supervillain Mr. Hyde. Cal shares Hyde’s super strength and anger issues, although it hasn’t been disclosed yet how the TV version obtained his powers. Given that Skye’s mother was an Inhuman and Cal never touched the Obelisk himself, it’s possible that he also derived his abilities from science, and wants Skye to use her natural powers to accomplish her true potential as an Inhuman.
Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. is on hiatus until March, with Agent Carter taking its time slot starting in January, but the midseason finale has plenty for fans to discuss during the break. If you’re a Marvel fan that’s been avoiding the show but want to learn about the Inhumans, now would be the time to jump on. It’s clear that they’re going to be major players in the MCU, and the TV series is leading the charge.
