The latest image from Agents of SHIELD season 6 features Sarge (aka. not-Coulson) and his team, front and center. In addition to being the first Marvel Cinematic Universe TV show, Agents of SHIELD is currently the franchise’s longest-running series ever, having outlived shows like Agent Carter and the Marvel-Netflix lineup. Evolution has (arguably) been the key to the series’ survival, as it’s ventured well beyond the mythology of the MCU movies to explore previously-untapped material from the Marvel Comics universe. And so far, that trend has continued with its newly-launched sixth season.
Picking up a year after the season 5 finale, Agents of SHIELD season 6’s premiere introduced a new threat in the form of Sarge: a mysterious being who looks an awful lot like SHIELD’s recently-departed leader, Phil Coulson. The show has yet to shed any light on that mystery for the time being, much less explain what Sarge and his team are after or where they’re from (other than, clearly, not-present day earth). Thanks to some new details and a photo, however, it’s starting to become a little clearer who they are, personality-wise.
EW has debuted an Agents of SHIELD image that features Sarge (Clark Gregg) together with his team. Their ranks include Jaco (Winston James Francis), the strongest and most physically powerful of the crew; Snowflake (Brooke Williams), who’s far more unhinged and unpredictable than her teammates; and Pax (Matt O’Leary), the newest addition to the team and more than a little unbalanced himself. You can check out the photo in full in the space below.
It’s fitting Agents of SHIELD season 6’s big bad looks exactly like Coulson, all things considered. Obviously, it allows Gregg to remain part of the show’s cast after Coulson’s death, and keeps thing interesting for the actor by having him portray someone who’s very different from the plucky SHIELD agent-turned Director. More than that, though, it serves as an extension of the remaining SHIELD agents’ struggle to keep moving forward with only the memory of their mentor (okay, that and a holographic recording, in Mack’s case) to guide them. It also sets the stage for May’s arc this season, as the highly-lethal agent is still grieving for Coulson when someone with a completely different philosophy shows up wearing his face, ready to wreak havoc.
As for Sarge himself, well, fans will have to wait for the show to address that mystery at its own pace. The Marvel comic books may not provide too many clues in that respect either, considering there isn’t a major character named Sarge. And unlike Daisy (who was introduced as Skye when the show began), it’s already been revealed Sarge isn’t based on a single comic book character, but instead draws inspiration from multiple ones. Still, the pressing questions surrounding Sarge and his team are compelling enough on their own for now, and should continue to keep viewers distracted from wondering when (if ever) the series will address Thanos’ snap and the events of Avengers: Endgame.
Agents of SHIELD continues Friday, May 17 with “Window of Opportunity” on ABC.
Source: EW
