How Last Night's Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D. Twist Ties Into Captain America: Civil War
Warning: spoilers for last night’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. episode are ahead!
Betrayal is common on Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., but last night’s episode, “The Team,” was especially a figurative knife to the back. While rescuing her fellow S.H.I.E.L.D. agents from HYDRA with the Secret Warriors, Daisy Johnson, a.k.a. Quake, was corrupted by Hive’s parasites, turning her into one of his loyal subjects. She subsequently wreaked havoc on the S.H.I.E.L.D. base and fled to join Hive’s side. Her new allegiance will has certainly thrown the show’s status quo for a loop, but this development will also tie into Captain America: Civil War’s themes.
When asked if this development is leading towards a war between S.H.I.E.L.D. and Hive’s Inhumans, Chloe Bennett explained to EW how Daisy being turned and using her powers in dangerous ways factors into the concerns towards enhanced people in Captain America: Civil War. In her words:
The Secret Warriors rescue operation seemed to have gone smoothly in the beginning of the episode, but it all went downhill when their prisoner, Gideon Malick, explained just how powerful Hive really is. Looking at HYDRA’s new head as a malevolent god, Malick told Phil Coulson about Hive’s ability to infect other Inhumans with his parasites and take control of them, which was confirmed during the autopsy of Lucio, a.k.a. the Inhuman who could paralyze people with his gaze. Coulson immediately tried to quarantine the Secret Warriors and figure out who had been turned, and after some initial difficulty when the Inhumans discovered what was happening, they were locked down.
Lincoln was originally believed to be the corrupted one, but we soon learned it was actually Daisy, who killed Malick in custody and planted the Kree device that she and Lincoln seized in the last episode in Lincoln’s locker. Before leaving, she took S.H.I.E.L.D.’s supply of Terrigen crystals and used her vibrational powers to damage the base so she couldn’t be followed. Now she’s on her way to Hive, and the team has to deal with one of their allies turning to the dark side, even if it wasn’t her choice.
Although Captain America: Civil War won’t feature any Inhumans or Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. characters, the idea of specially powered or enhanced people being regulated by the government is an idea that plays heavily into the series. With Daisy under Hive’s control, she’ll be using her abilities in dangerous ways, and while it’s likely she’ll eventually revert back to normal, her actions will serve as a reminder of what can happen when power rest in the wrong hands. The upcoming episode, “Emancipation,” will also see the S.H.I.E.L.D. team struggling with whether they should reveal their involvement with Inhumans following Captain America: Civil War’s events.
New episodes of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. air Tuesdays at 9 p.m. EST on ABC.
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Connoisseur of Marvel, DC, Star Wars, John Wick, MonsterVerse and Doctor Who lore, Adam is a Senior Content Producer at CinemaBlend. He started working for the site back in late 2014 writing exclusively comic book movie and TV-related articles, and along with branching out into other genres, he also made the jump to editing. Along with his writing and editing duties, as well as interviewing creative talent from time to time, he also oversees the assignment of movie-related features. He graduated from the University of Oregon with a degree in Journalism, and he’s been sourced numerous times on Wikipedia. He's aware he looks like Harry Potter and Clark Kent.