Why Agents of SHIELD Missed Out on the Best Avengers Crossover (& the MCU Still Hasn’t Recovered)

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Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. often connected its storylines to the big-screen Marvel movies. The first season was especially linked to Captain America: The Winter Soldier, and the shocking reveal about Hydra completely changed the show for the better. Later seasons had more subtle connections; for example, Season 4 introduced a new version of Ghost Rider around the same time Doctor Strange came out in theaters. However, the show’s best connection to the wider MCU arguably happened in Season 5.

This episode was a standout time travel story for Marvel, trapping the S.H.I.E.L.D. team in a loop where the Earth was repeatedly destroyed. The story cleverly connected to the events of Avengers: Infinity War, revealing that their attempts to protect Earth from Thanos had disastrous consequences. It was a smart and well-executed plot that integrated Coulson and Quake into the larger Marvel Cinematic Universe, but it also created a significant issue.

Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Never Dealt With Thanos’ Snap

The movie Avengers: Infinity War ended with a stunning defeat for the Avengers, as Thanos accomplished his goal of wiping out half of all life in the universe – including several Avengers themselves. This felt like the biggest event in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and many fans thought the only way to resolve it would be to change the past. However, Marvel surprised everyone by continuing the story in Avengers: Endgame, jumping ahead five years and leaving the devastating consequences in place.

Regarding Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., despite Season 5 ending with Thanos’ snap, Season 6 completely ignored it. The new season was explicitly set a year later, focusing on Mack rebuilding S.H.I.E.L.D. into a global organization, with no mention of the massive events of Infinity War – not on Earth, and not during any off-world missions. The show could have logically fit into the Marvel timeline if the snap had never happened, but that wasn’t the case. The Avengers didn’t fix things for five years, creating a confusing and inconsistent storyline.

Why Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Ignored Thanos’ Snap

Despite being set in the same universe, the TV show Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. never directly connected with the events of the movie Avengers: Endgame. According to Jeph Loeb, then head of Marvel Television, this was because the TV side didn’t know what the film studio had planned. He explained that the shows always needed to align with the movies, which took priority. While the S.H.I.E.L.D. team knew parts of the Endgame storyline, co-showrunner Jed Whedon said they were careful not to reveal too much information in case the show aired before the movie did.

It’s a bit unfortunate that Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Season 6 wasn’t set after Thanos’ snap. It could have told a really important story about what happened in the aftermath – a story the Marvel Cinematic Universe still hasn’t fully addressed. The MCU has largely avoided showing the real consequences of the snap, instead just telling us about them. And as the MCU has moved forward, this lack of exploration has become even more noticeable, actually weakening the impact of the five-year time jump because Marvel didn’t take the time to truly deal with it.

Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Season 6 was a great story, but it could have had a much bigger impact on the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Unfortunately, a lack of coordination between Marvel Studios, Marvel Television, and the ABC network—which handled the show’s scheduling—held it back. Even after seven years, it remains a significant missed opportunity for Marvel.

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2026-01-03 00:40