Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. launched in 2013 to much fanfare, with Marvel Studios billing it as a crucial new viewpoint on the MCU. We were told that the show’s story would intertwine with the films, with most fans anticipating (at minimum) a couple of cameos from some of the Avengers.
What we got was a middling sci-fi show that never felt particularly connected to the MCU at large. The movie connections were limited to the character of Agent Coulson, with very brief appearances from Samuel L. Jackson, Jamie Alexander, and Cobie Smulders.
Now Kevin Feige seems to be quietly sweeping it under the rug. WandaVision may have retconned Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.‘s take on the Darkhold, and Hawkeye recently confirmed that Laura Barton was Mockingbird, which is a big hint that Adrianne Palicki’s Bobbi Morse no longer happened.
But fans aren’t giving up hope. In a lengthy fan theory posted to Reddit, one argues that at the beginning of season 5 the team travels through time, meaning that they may have arrived back in the split timeline inhabited by Steve Rogers after Endgame.
As I see it, there are a few problems with this. I don’t think there’s ever been confirmation that Rogers created a new timeline to live in after Endgame, with the easiest option being that he lived a low-profile life in the ‘sacred’ MCU. Plus, new MCU shows and movies contradicting Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. suggests it’s non-canon even if the timeline theory holds up.
Kevin Feige and the MCU movie team seemingly never liked Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. so the most likely explanation is that with full creative control they’ve simply decided to ignore it. I doubt it’ll be referenced anytime soon, but at least the full run is available on Disney Plus.
