Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D., unlike practically every other Marvel TV show, has always aimed to be as related to the movies of the MCU as feasibly possible. As well from cameos from the likes of Jaime Alexander’s Sif, Cobie Smulders’ Maria Hill and even Samuel L. Jackson’s Nick Fury, the fallout from some of the tentpole films has also played out in the ABC series. Events such as HYDRA being revealed to run S.H.I.E.L.D., Ultron’s uprising and the Sokovia Accords have all been explored.
It stands to reason, then, that the biggest MCU movie of them all, the upcoming Avengers: Infinity War, will have a pretty major impact on it, too. S.H.I.E.L.D.‘s showrunners previously teased that this was a possibility last month but now they’ve practically promised that it’s almost certainly going to happen.
First, Marvel Television President Jeph Loeb was careful to choose his words but he did admit the following:
“We do what we do best, which is to acknowledge what’s happening in the world around us. I think people will understand what’s going on in a very exciting way.”
Co-showrunner Maurissa Tancharoen then joked that crossing over with Infinity War sounds fun. “It would be a good idea to do that,” she deadpanned.
Creator Jed Whedon then supplied the most illuminating response, as he confirmed that the series would reference the movie in some form.
“The film they made is enormous and therefore we cannot survive on the planet without referencing it in some way.”
As Infinity War arrives on April 27th, S.H.I.E.L.D.‘s fifth season will have a month or so to explore the side-effects of the events of the film as the season continues on until May 18th. We can see the show using its ties to the movie to tease what could happen in a sixth season, too. It’s possible this could even help convince ABC to commission another year for the series, though rumour has it the decision has already been made behind the scenes.
Be sure to catch Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. every Friday on ABC.