Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D./Season Five

## Marvel Cinematic Universe

*"I've lived a life surrounded by heroes. None bigger than all of you. Since the day you joined, same as anyone in the line of duty. Heroes because you... because we sign up to lose each other. To get close to good people and have them taken away."*
―Phil Coulson[src]
The **Fifth Season** of *Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.* premiered on December 1, 2017 on ABC, with a two-hour premiere.

## Synopsis

Agent Coulson and the team escaped LMD Aida’s Framework and awakened in the real world. Little did they know that Aida was now fully human – and with multiple powerful Inhuman abilities – with the dangerous notion that, with Fitz by her side, she could change the world. After defeating her with the aid of Ghost Rider, the team went out for a celebration but were interrupted by a mysterious man who rendered them frozen. The next thing we see is Coulson on board a ship... in space.

Coulson will discover that some, but not all, of his S.H.I.E.L.D. colleagues, were taken with him and placed on board the ship. As they come in contact with some of the vessel's inhabitants, it becomes abundantly clear that something has gone terribly awry, and the team will need to figure out their role and delve deeper into this nightmarish mystery to try to right what has gone incredibly wrong.

## Plot

### Struggle in the Future

Following their Abduction at *Rae's Restaurant* by Enoch, the S.H.I.E.L.D. team, except Leo Fitz, is forced to travel through the Time Di'Alla. They separately arrive in what appears to be a space station ruled by the Kree, where Humans also live. Despite some difficulties, the team reunites and makes their way through the facility. However, they also discover the unexpected truth: the Time Di'Alla sent them to the future, in the year 2091, where Earth was destroyed and the remnants of Humanity have been enslaved by the Kree.

Assisted by two residents of the Lighthouse - the name of the space station - Tess and Deke Shaw, S.H.I.E.L.D. does their best to blend in among the other survivors all the while looking for answers regarding their presence in the future. However, Jemma Simmons is soon taken by the Kree Watch and brought to Kasius, the Kree leader of the Lighthouse, who makes her one of his personal servants. Meanwhile, Quake learns from Shaw that she is to blame for the destruction of Earth and the rest of the team finds themselves forced to work for Grill.

Using a small spaceship known as the Trawler, Phil Coulson, Melinda May and Alphonso Mackenzie manage to receive a radio signal coming from the surface of the Earth, which is supposed to be only inhabited by fearsome Vrellnexians. They suspect that some Humans managed to survive on Earth. However, they soon have to face with another ordeal: Quake, who has been betrayed by Shaw, has been captured by Kasius while attempting to release Simmons. Kasius interrogates both Quake and Simmons to know how they came to the Lighthouse, but they manage to convince him that they are the only newcomers from the past.

S.H.I.E.L.D. discovers that Johnson is missing. While Mackenzie and Yo-Yo Rodriguez have to recover debt for Grill, Coulson, and May enlist Shaw's assistance to find their friends. However, they discover his betrayal and confront him before being attacked by two Kree guards. Coulson and Shaw escape but May is captured by Sinara, Kasius' right-hand-woman. Meanwhile, Kasius decides to hold an auction in which he will send Inhumans, including Quake. However, his speech is interrupted by an unexpected newcomer: Leo Fitz, who managed to join his friends into the future with assistance from Enoch, Robin Hinton and his old friend Lance Hunter.

Coulson, Mackenzie, and Rodriguez still struggle to find their friends. They attend a Terrigenesis ceremony during which they encounter the young Inhuman Flint, who they decide to take away from the Kree Watch. Grill intends to denounce them, but he is killed by Flint, while Tess is murdered by the Kree Watch in retaliation for Flint's disappearance. In the meantime, Kasius carries on his auction and deals with the arrival of his brother Faulnak. Before the situation gets out of control, Fitz attacks the other bidders and successfully releases both Quake and Simmons from Kasius' control. In the process, Fitz and Simmons resolve to marry.

Despite being chased by Faulnak's bodyguard Maston-Dar, Fitz, Simmons, and Quake, assisted by Shaw who decided to side with S.H.I.E.L.D., manage to reunite with their friends in the Lighthouse. Together, they figure out that there is only one place for them to go: the surface of Earth, where Enoch went to help May after she was sent there by the Kree Watch. Coulson, Quake, Fitz, Simmons, and Shaw successfully escape from the Lighthouse while Mackenzie, Rodriguez, and Flint remain to help the other survivors to trigger a rebellion. Upon learning that the S.H.I.E.L.D. agents escaped, Kasius and Sinara, who murdered Faulnak and Maston-Dar to keep control of the Lighthouse, decide to chase them and retaliate.

S.H.I.E.L.D. is welcomed into the remnants of the Zephyr One by the True Believers, a group of rebels led by Samuel Voss and guided by an elderly Robin Hinton. As they unsuccessfully attempt to get answers regarding why they have been sent into the future, Voss and the other True Believers turn on them, as they think that killing them will prevent Quake from destroying Earth in the past. S.H.I.E.L.D. manages to win the fight, but Hinton is stabbed by Voss. Before dying, Hinton reveals to May that in this future, May acted as her foster mother and discloses the key to return into their past: Flint, whose geokinesis powers can help rebuild the Time Di'Alla from a shard reclaimed by S.H.I.E.L.D.

S.H.I.E.L.D. manages to partly repair the Zephyr One so it can be taken back to the Lighthouse, where Mackenzie and Rodriguez successfully initiated a revolution against the Kree rule. Kasius uses Kree technology to revive Tess and sends her to deliver a message to the rebels, threatening to destroy the Lighthouse if they do not surrender. However, Mackenzie, Rodriguez, Flint and Tess trick Kasius and destroys all of his equipment for breeding Inhumans while enabling the rebels to be safe. As the S.H.I.E.L.D. team reunites, Kasius and his soldiers discover the empty Zephyr One with the deceased body of Sinara, who died after a violent fight with Quake.

Kasius progressively loses control over both the Lighthouse and himself. He loses several soldiers to the Human rebellion and decides to use his last resort: the future Rodriguez, who he has captured and kept alive with Kree science, killing her and reviving her many times. This future Rodriguez meets her past counterpart and warns her that the destruction of Earth was caused by one thing: S.H.I.E.L.D.'s desperate attempts to save a dying Coulson. Rodriguez then returns to her friends, who have Flint build a new Time Di'Alla. Both Enoch and Shaw decide to sacrifice so S.H.I.E.L.D. can return into their time while Flint and Tess will lead Humanity into a future freed from Kasius, who has been killed by Mackenzie.

### HYDRA and the Confederacy

S.H.I.E.L.D. successfully return into their time and arrive in the present day Lighthouse, where they encounter Noah, another Chronicom, and discover the presence of three Monoliths. Upon learning about unusual light beams which they discover come from the Kree Orb, the team infiltrates a facility, where they are reunited with Piper. However, it turns out to be an ambush and S.H.I.E.L.D. is attacked by androids led by a feminine figure. In the ensuing fight, Yo-Yo Rodriguez has her arms cut off. They retreat to the Lighthouse and reconnect with Deke Shaw, who has been sent into the past as well and was released from prison by Daisy Johnson.

However, the Kree Orb taken back by S.H.I.E.L.D. had been rigged by their mysterious attackers and explodes in the Lighthouse, destroying the Monoliths and creating a rift onto the Fear Dimension, which generates recreations of the agents' greatest fears. Eventually, Leo Fitz comes up with a highly dangerous plan to shut it down. Phil Coulson offers to perform the mission, but an argument erupts and forces him to reveal his condition: he is dying due to his possession by the Spirit of Vengeance to defeat Aida. Nonetheless, Coulson accomplishes the mission with help from Deathlok, who brought some reinforcements for S.H.I.E.L.D. When Coulson returns, the team celebrates the marriage of Fitz and Jemma Simmons.

In order to seal the Fear Dimension for good, S.H.I.E.L.D. decides to find Gravitonium. Thanks to the help of Tony Caine, a friend of Alphonso Mackenzie, they reclaim some from the ship *Principia*. They take it back to the Lighthouse, where Shaw discovers an unexpected truth: he is actually the grandson of Fitz and Simmons. Meanwhile, the mysterious General Hale, who chased the S.H.I.E.L.D. agents and kept Fitz prisoner for six months before he escaped, enlists the help of Werner von Strucker and Carl Creel to form a team with her daughter Ruby Hale.

Despite having found the Gravitonium, Fitz struggles to use it properly and close the Fear Dimension. Under a lot of pressure, he experiences a psychic split which releases his dark personality of the Framework: The Doctor, who captures Johnson and removes the Inhuman Control Device planted on her by Kasius. Although this enables Quake to regain her powers and compress the Gravitonium to seal the Fear Dimension, it permanently shatters the friendship between herself and Fitz, who is locked up in a cell. In order to comfort Simmons, Shaw reveals their parentage to assure her that she and Fitz will work it out.

Meanwhile, Coulson and Melinda May attempt to capture Hale to discover their agenda. Although they appear to be successful at first, the intervention from Creel and their former enemy Anton Ivanov forces Coulson to be taken as a prisoner by Hale. Once they arrive in Hale's base, she reveals her true allegiance: HYDRA, which has existed all along. Hale requests Coulson's help for her plan, which involves infusing Quake with Gravitonium to help Earth deal with an extraterrestrial alliance known as the Confederacy. However, Coulson refuses as he fears this could be the cause of the Destruction of Earth. Coulson also discovers that his friend Glenn Talbot is also a prisoner in the same facility.

Hale has Creel experiment the Gravitonium she reclaimed, but it goes wrong as Creel hears voices arguing in his mind. In his confusion, he attacks Coulson, who convinces him to help himself and Talbot to get out of the base. Despite Ruby trying to stop them, the escape is successful thanks to S.H.I.E.L.D. joining the fight, although Creel remains in HYDRA's custody. Talbot is taken to the Lighthouse to recover, but Hale actually submitted him to the Faustus method and intends to use him as a sleeper agent.

S.H.I.E.L.D. still stands divided because of what happened in Coulson's absence. Fitz, Simmons, and Rodriguez - now equipped with prosthetic arms - left for the HYDRA Herefordshire Facility to secure a HYDRA weapon they suspect Hale to be after the Particle Infusion Chamber Hale wants to use with the Gravitonium. However, they are confronted by Ivanov's Sleeper Mechs. Although Rodriguez defeats Ivanov, Fitz and Simmons are confronted by Ruby and von Strucker, who force them to repair the Chamber they just damaged.

Fitz and Simmons have no choice but to comply, waiting for backup. In the meantime, Johnson and May locate the HYDRA Preparatory Academy and attack it. Much to their surprise, Hale surrenders: Ruby actually betrayed her and is following her own agenda. Hale, Johnson, and May arrive in the HYDRA Herefordshire Facility as Ruby is painfully going through the infusion with Gravitonium. Although the process is stopped, Ruby is driven mentally unstable and ends up being murdered by a vengeful Rodriguez, who claims to have saved the world.

Back to the Lighthouse, the team keeps arguing about what happened and the tensions within the team remain. They soon have to deal with another issue: Hale gave the location of the Lighthouse to the Confederacy, who initiates the Siege of the Lighthouse in order to reclaim the Gravitonium they want. A battalion of Remorath invades the base and S.H.I.E.L.D. is barely able to hold them off. However, Talbot decides to make up for his past mistakes, including trying to kidnap Robin Hinton under the influence of Faustus and infuses himself with all the Gravitonium, which grants him gravity manipulation abilities he uses to crush the Remorath invaders.

However, due to his previous mental instability, Talbot soon becomes mad with his new powers. Taking both himself and Coulson into the Confederacy's spaceship, Talbot forces the Remorath to kneel before him before joining a Confederacy meeting and taking it over by murdering one of its members. Talbot meets Taryan, father of Kasius and Faulnak, who convinces him to find more Gravitonium to power himself up. When Hale and Coulson try to stop him, Talbot murders the former and imprisons the latter. May and Quake, who infiltrated the spaceship in a rescue mission, are also taken, prisoners.

While Talbot leaves to pursue his new quest, Coulson, May, and Quake manage to escape from their Remorath captors. During their escape, Coulson and May share their first kiss after days of struggling with confessing their love for each other. Coulson and Johnson manage to escape with the Zephyr One previous used to infiltrate the ship while May and Shaw successfully teleport away from the spaceship after defeating Qovas and destroying the ship. Meanwhile, Alphonso Mackenzie and Rodriguez unsuccessfully try to stop Talbot.

Nevertheless, S.H.I.E.L.D. faces a crucial dilemma. Indeed, Coulson's condition worsened and S.H.I.E.L.D. can either save him by using the last known dose of Centipede Serum or use the serum to create a weapon against Talbot and thus save the world from destruction. As no clear majority arises, May smashes the Odium which could have been used to craft the weapon, leaving no other choice but to make the remedy for Coulson. Coulson is given the syringe but is reluctant to use it. Johnson, admitting that she cannot lead S.H.I.E.L.D. as Coulson wanted her to, appoints Mackenzie the new Director of S.H.I.E.L.D.

S.H.I.E.L.D. faces Talbot in Chicago, where Talbot is mining more Gravitonium. During the ensuing battle, Quake is nearly absorbed by Talbot, which would have caused the destruction of Earth, but she discovers the Centipede Serum syringe hidden in her gauntlets by Coulson. She uses it to power herself and expels Talbot into space, killing him. However, the battle caused much damage in the city and Fitz, who was buried under rubble while helping people to evacuate, dies from his wounds.

Having changed the timeline by averting the destruction of Earth, S.H.I.E.L.D. celebrates their victory. Coulson decides to retire with May in Tahiti to peacefully live the few days he has left, while the rest of the S.H.I.E.L.D. team decides to find the version of Fitz who is supposed to be frozen in space, waiting to be awakened in the year 2091, as he no longer needs to save his friends from a dystopian future.

## Cast

### Starring Cast

* Clark Gregg as Phil Coulson
* Ming-Na Wen as Melinda May / Melinda May
* Chloe Bennet as Daisy Johnson/Quake
* Iain De Caestecker as Leo Fitz / Leo Fitz / Leo Fitz
* Elizabeth Henstridge as Jemma Simmons / Jemma Simmons / Jemma Simmons LMD Recreation
* Henry Simmons as Alphonso Mackenzie
* Natalia Cordova-Buckley as Yo-Yo Rodriguez / Yo-Yo Rodriguez

### Supporting Cast

* Joel Stoffer as Enoch / Enoch
* Jeff Ward as Deke Shaw
* Eve Harlow as Tess
* Pruitt Taylor Vince as Grill
* Jay Hunter as Kree Watch Commander
* Florence Faivre as Sinara
* Tunisha Hubbard as Ava
* Dominic Rains as Kasius
* Max E. Williams as Tye
* Coy Stewart as Flint
* Catherine Dent as General Hale
* Lola Glaudini as Polly Hinton
* Willow Hale / Ava Kolker / Lexy Kolker as Robin Hinton
* Lexy Kolker as Robin Hinton
* Luke Massy as Hek-Sel
* Dove Cameron as Ruby Hale
* Briana Venskus as Agent Piper
* Shontae Saldana as Candice Lee
* Brian Patrick Wade as Carl Creel/Absorbing Man
* Max Osinski as Agent James Davis
* Spencer Treat Clark as Werner von Strucker
* Peter Mensah as Qovas
* Adrian Pasdar as Brigadier General Glenn Talbot
* Raquel Gardner as Carla Talbot

## Videos

Marvel's Agents of SHIELD Season 5 Promo (HD)Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Season 5 Recap Earth's Mightiest Show

## Trivia

* The producers originally planned season five to be the last season of *Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.*. However, ABC requested more episodes and renewed the show for a sixth season.
* This is the first season of *Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.* where Brett Dalton doesn't appear.
* This the second season where a series regular actor is credited as a guest or recurring star.
	+ Brett Dalton was credited as recurring in Season 4 as Grant Ward/Framework, and Nick Blood is credited as guest for Lance Hunter in this season.
* This is the only season to feature a two-hour premiere.
* This is the last season to feature its normal 22 episode length.

## References

1. ↑ Agents of SHIELD Producers Wrote Season 5 as Series Finale

## External Links

* Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (season 5) on Wikipedia