By Zach Johnson
Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. might reshape history when it returns tonight on ABC at 10|9c. When we last saw the agents in the season six finale, Fitz (Iain De Caestecker) and Simmons (Elizabeth Henstridge) realized that in order to save the future, they must change the past. And so, they agreed to an ambitious plan to stop the Chronicoms from usurping Earth by upgrading their ship’s jump drive with time travel technology. When the first episode of the seventh and final season airs tonight, the agents will find themselves in New York City, circa 1931. Their mission: Prevent the Chronicoms from killing people who might be important in the early development of S.H.I.E.L.D…. people like SSR’s Daniel Sousa (guest star Enver Gjokaj).
The Chronicom ally Enoch (Joel Stoffer) had warned FitzSimmons his master plan would “alter the course of their natural lives.” This season, the star-crossed lovers are once again separated—this time voluntarily—for the sake of the greater good. Meanwhile, Mack (Henry Simmons) remains in charge of S.H.I.E.L.D., despite Coulson (Clark Gregg) being back in the mix. (That’s because he’s actually a Life Model Decoy who has been enhanced with advanced Chronicom tech.) And as May (Disney Legend Ming-Na Wen) continues to recover from near-fatal wounds, agents Daisy (Chloe Bennet), Yo-Yo (Natalia Cordova-Buckley), and Deke (Jeff Ward) are trying to save the day in their new (old?) surroundings.
Although season seven begins in the 1930s, expect more time traveling. The Chronicom hunters, led by Malachi (Christopher James Baker), have pinpointed different moments in S.H.I.E.L.D.’s history that should help them eliminate the organization. With the S.H.I.E.L.D. agents’ plane set to time-jump at any moment, they must race to find out exactly what’s going on… because if they should fail, it will spell disaster for Earth’s past, present and future. Then comes the biggest twist: To save S.H.I.E.L.D., they also have to save HYDRA!
