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This week’s episode of Agents
of S.H.I.E.L.D. will air just three days before the U.S. premiere of Avengers:
Age of Ultron, and it looks like AoS is gearing up to provide a
major lead-in to the Age of Ultron—specifically its first Act, when the
Avengers will (most likely; I haven’t seen it yet) be taking on the Hydra
forces of Baron von Strucker. I think we
can safely say that this is the crossover Marvel has been teasing between Agents
of S.H.I.E.L.D. and Avengers: Age of Ultron. Who’s excited? I’m excited!
If you don’t remember
the latest episode of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., here is a quick summary of
where we are and how we got here. Obviously,
there will be spoilers for every Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. episode to date.
In the midseason
finale, “What They Become” (2x10), Skye and Raina were transformed by Terrigen
Mist: Skye developed the ability to
control object’s natural vibration; Raina grew thorns all over her body (and
was recently revealed to have a form of precognition or clairvoyance). Shortly thereafter, it was revealed that
there are secret Inhumans living among us, among whom are Skye’s mother,
Jiaying, and Gordon, an Inhuman with the ability to teleport. Skye, Raina, and Cal were all taken to the
Inhuman city Lai Shi (“Afterlife”), where Skye and Raina learned to control
their powers.
In the midseason
premiere, “Aftershocks” (2x11), Coulson put a plan into action which saw all of
the Hydra heads except Liszt kill each other in a fit of infighting. Liszt escaped, along with Daniel Whitehall’s
research on powered people—research which he has been using in an attempt to
create his own powered people. Sunil
Bakshi, Whitehall’s second-in-command, was captured by Coulson before being
freed by Ward and Agent 33/Kara, who brainwashed him into serving them as part
of their plan.
Meanwhile, a second
S.H.I.E.L.D. group led by Robert Gonzales emerged and attempted to take over
Coulson’s S.H.I.E.L.D. organization with assistance from their moles within
Coulson’s team—Bobbi and Mack. Coulson
escaped and brought together Fitz, Hunter, and Mike Peterson, aka Deathlok, to
track down Liszt and use his information to find Skye.
In the most recent
episode, “The Frenemy of My Enemy” (2x18), Coulson’s group teamed up with Ward
and Kara to place Bakshi and Deathlok undercover with Liszt in hopes that he
would lead them to Strucker. However,
Hydra instead tracked down Skye and Cal in Milwaukee (by tracking Gordon’s
teleportation ability). Hydra attempted
to capture Gordon, but instead captured Deathlok and Lincoln (an Inhuman friend
of Skye) while Skye, Cal, and Gordon teleported back to Lai Shi. Coulson in turn allowed Bobbi and Mack to
take him back to Gonzales in custody.
Now we come to “The
Dirty Half Dozen” (2x19), the episode immediately before Avengers: Age of
Ultron. In this episode it is fairly
clear that Coulson and Gonzales will decide to work together for the greater
good in order to track down Liszt and rescue their people, specifically
Deathlok and Lincoln. This is going to
bring together members of four different groups in conflict against a fifth
group. So in anticipation, this is a
quick rundown of the different groups that will be involved in this conflict,
the characters, and their motivations.
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Coulson’s
S.H.I.E.L.D.
Group Background
After the fall of
S.H.I.E.L.D. in Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Fury tasked Coulson
with rebuilding S.H.I.E.L.D. the right way in order to combat the threat of
Hydra. Coulson’s team from the first
season (minus Ward) became the nucleus around which Coulson rebuilt
S.H.I.E.L.D., though between the seasons he added a large number of other loyal
S.H.I.E.L.D. agents who had escaped the Hydra uprising. Coulson set up his base in the Playground,
one of Fury’s secret bases.
In recent weeks,
Coulson has been forced out of the Playground and on the run by Gonzales’
S.H.I.E.L.D. Consequently, he had to
make a deal with Ward in “The Frenemy of My Enemy” (2x18).
Characters Involved
Coulson – The
leader of this group. He escaped from
Gonzales’ S.H.I.E.L.D. in “One Door Closes” (2x15) and is now attempting to
retake S.H.I.E.L.D. from Gonzales.
Fitz – An
original member of Coulson’s team. Escaped
from Gonzales’ S.H.I.E.L.D. and brought Fury’s Toolbox to Coulson.
Hunter – The newest
member of Coulson’s team and Bobbi’s ex-husband. Escaped from Gonzales’ S.H.I.E.L.D. in “One
Door Closes” and went to work for Coulson.
Deathlok
(captured) – An enhanced cyborg S.H.I.E.L.D. agent who was forced to work for
Hydra in the past. He has been working
with Coulson for 6 months trailing Liszt.
He was captured by Hydra in “The Frenemy of My Enemy” when Bakshi
seemingly turned on them.
Motivations
Coulson was originally
trying to track down Liszt to use his knowledge to find Skye so he could make
use of her powers in his conflict against Gonzales. However, now that Deathlok has been captured,
Coulson needs to get into the Hydra base in order to rescue him and prevent
Hydra from conditioning him into becoming a Hydra soldier. Plus, his goal ever since reforming
S.H.I.E.L.D. has been to stop whatever Hydra is doing.
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Gonzales’
S.H.I.E.L.D.
Group Background
Prior to the Hydra
uprising, Gonzales was the commander of a S.H.I.E.L.D. aircraft carrier
(helicarrier?) named the Iliad.
During the uprising he was attacked by Hydra agents who attempted to
kill him, though he fought them off (he was gravely injured in the
battle). Isabelle Hartley and Bobbi
Morse were sent by Fury to help him and ensure that the carrier’s dangerous
cargo did not fall into the wrong hands.
They, along with Mack, joined Gonzales and the loyal S.H.I.E.L.D. agents
remaining on the carrier in reclaiming the ship from Hydra. Since then Gonzales and his board have been
staying off the radar and keeping tabs on Coulson through their spies. Recently they invaded the Playground, drove
Coulson into hiding, and took over his S.H.I.E.L.D. organization.
Characters Involved
Gonzales – The
leader of this group. He believes that
secrets are dangerous to S.H.I.E.L.D.
Secrets allowed Hydra to infiltrate it, and secrets can bring it down
again. He also believes that Coulson is
dangerous because of the process by which Fury brought him back to life.
Mack – Infiltrated
Coulson’s S.H.I.E.L.D. to spy for Gonzales.
He was very close with Fitz before the deception came out. In “The Frenemy of My Enemy” he agreed with
Bobbi that Coulson may have been in the right, but noted that the truth needs
to come out.
Bobbi –
Infiltrated Coulson’s S.H.I.E.L.D. to spy for Gonzales. She is close with May and was close with
Simmons before the deception came out.
In “The Frenemy of My Enemy” she noted that they shouldn’t be hunting
Coulson down and should instead be fighting Hydra.
May – May has
the longest history with Coulson.
However, she was hurt by Coulson’s secrecy, specifically in keeping
“Theta Protocol” from her. As a member
of Gonzales’ board, she wanted to prove Coulson innocent at first, but now she
really wants to get to the truth.
Simmons –
Though she helped Fitz to escape with the Toolbox, Simmons is now starting to
regret having done so. She is still
loyal to Coulson, but I think discovering that some of her work involved
upgrading Deathlok, along with discovering how many of Coulson’s trips were covers
for secret trips, has made her start to question him. When she hacked into Deathlok’s eye implant
and saw Coulson working with Ward, I think it shocked both her and May.
Motivations
This group’s
motivations are most diverse of the five.
Gonzales’ primary motivation right now is his desire to get to the truth
of Coulson’s plans. He wants a united
S.H.I.E.L.D. to take on Hydra, but he wants a united S.H.I.E.L.D. first. The others are a little less certain. Some are very interested in taking on
Hydra. Some are also very much opposed
to the entire concept of powered people.
In general, however, I think that the members of Gonzales’ S.H.I.E.L.D.
want to take out Hydra and stop all of their plans (especially those involving
powered people).
Ward and Kara
Group Background
Ward was a traitor on
Coulson’s team in season 1 who revealed himself to be Hydra. When Garrett was killed and he was captured,
he was only interested in helping Skye by bringing her to her father. When Skye rejected him in “What They Become”
(2x10), he and Agent 33 (a brainwashed S.H.I.E.L.D. agent) went off on their
own.
Characters Involved
Ward – A former
S.H.I.E.L.D. and Hydra agent who is not working for anyone now. Though he was once interested in Skye, his
feelings for her are much different after she shot him 4 times. He is working his own angle in all of this,
one which aligns with Coulson’s but probably not entirely.
Kara/Agent 33 –
A brainwashed S.H.I.E.L.D. agent who went to work for Whitehall, she was left
purposeless after Whitehall’s death. She
wears a mask which allows her to assume different personalities, but she is
still in the process of rediscovering herself.
Bakshi
(turned?) – Whitehall’s second-in-command until being captured and eventually
brainwashed by Ward as part of his plan.
On Ward’s orders he infiltrated Liszt’s organization. However, at the end of “The Frenemy of My
Enemy,” he ordered a pair of Hydra agents to stun Deathlok and Lincoln to take
them in. As of now we do not know
whether he is still under Ward’s control, or if he has broken free of his
programming and is working for Hydra again.
Motivations
Ward and Kara’s
motivations are the least clear of all the groups. They may be trying to infiltrate and take out
Hydra to find closure for what Hydra did to them. They may just be interested in getting as far
off the grid as possible. Whatever their
motivation is, it aligns closely enough with Coulson’s that they can work with
him, at least up to a point.
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| Image Courtesy en.wikipedia.org |
The Inhumans
(note: As far as I can recall, no one
has called them “The Inhumans” yet; that is the name given to them in the comic
books)
Group Background
The Inhumans are the
descendents of a group of early humans who were taken and experimented on by
the Kree. They were intended to become
weapons in a cosmic war, but were soon abandoned and left to their own
devices. Since then they have continued
to live in secret alongside the normal humans.
They appear identical to normal humans until they take in the Terrigen
Mist, which unlocks unique genetic material within them, transforming them and
giving them superpowers. For the most
part they live among the humans until their transformation (and those who
retain their human appearance may continue living among the humans
afterward). However, they do have
cities, refuges, and sanctuaries scattered around the world where they prepare
for and undergo the Terrigenesis process.
The Inhumans are
governed by a group which we only know so far as the “Council of Elders” or
“Elders,” whose primary concern is to maintain the Inhumans’ secrecy and
culture.
Characters Involved
Jiaying – The
leader of the Inhuman refuge/stronghold Lai Shi, as well as possibly a member
of the Inhumans’ Council of Elders. She
has the gift of an extremely long life (as well as some degree of healing
factor), a gift which she has used to guide countless generations of Inhumans
through Terrigenesis. Jiaying is also
Skye’s mom and Cal’s (ex) wife. She was
captured by Daniel Whitehall in 1945 and only saved from vivisection by the
timely arrival of the Howling Commandos.
She was then recaptured in 1989 and vivisected by Whitehall in an
attempt to uncover the secret of her longevity.
Cal put her back together afterward.
At this time Jiaying is most interested in the preservation of her
people’s safety and secrecy.
Gordon – A
teleporting Inhuman, Gordon is primarily responsible for maintaining the
Inhumans’ secrecy. He is the only one
who knows the Inhumans’ locations and where their cities are. However, “The Frenemy of My Enemy” revealed
that Hydra has discovered how to track his teleportation through the effects of
Quantum Tunneling.
Skye – A
S.H.I.E.L.D. agent who transformed and gained the ability to hear and affect
objects’ natural frequencies. She is
torn between her S.H.I.E.L.D. duty and interest in learning about herself, her
family, and her people.
Raina – An
enigmatic descendant of the Inhumans who has worked for Hydra in the past to
reach her own goals. Raina transformed
at the same time as Skye. She has thorns
all over her body and has also developed a form of precognition or
clairvoyance.
Lincoln
(captured) – Skye’s Transitioner (Inhuman who helped her body through the
post-Terrigenesis changes). He has the
ability to control static electricity.
In “The Frenemy of My Enemy” he was sent to follow Skye and Cal and was
captured by Hydra after getting into a fight with Deathlok while trying to hold
off the Hydra team.
Cal – Not an
Inhuman, but Jiaying’s (ex) husband and Skye’s father. He has super strength and anger issues. He’s going to be especially angry that
Jiaying intended to leave him in Milwaukee.
Motivations
The Inhumans,
particularly Jiaying, will be very concerned by Lincoln’s capture, especially
coming on the heels of the revelation that a non- transformed Inhuman
disappeared recently. Given Jiaying’s
history of having been captured twice and vivisected once by Hydra, when Skye
tells her that Lincoln was captured, and that Hydra is responsible, Jiaying may
very well go on the warpath to rescue Lincoln.
However, because the Inhumans’ secrecy is also of prime importance to
her, she may be unwilling to risk drawing too much attention, even if the
reward is saving Lincoln from a horrible death.
Regardless, I think that Jiaying is very likely to take at least some
action to rescue Lincoln.
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Hydra
Group Background
After the Red Skull’s
presumed death at the hands of Captain America and the Allies’ victory over
Germany in World War II, Hydra effectively dissolved. Some Hydra Heads and scientists, such as
Werner Reinhardt (who later changed his name to Daniel Whitehall), were
imprisoned by the S.S.R./S.H.I.E.L.D.
Others, such as Arnim Zola, eventually went to work for the S.S.R./S.H.I.E.L.D.
as part of Operation Paperclip. Those
who went to work for S.H.I.E.L.D. began to rebuild Hydra from within
S.H.I.E.L.D., eventually emerging from the shadows during the events of Captain
America: The Winter Soldier. Since
then they have been consolidating their power and expanding their influence,
though hunted down by Coulson, the S.H.I.E.L.D. remnants, and the
Avengers. At present, five of the six
slots for Heads of Hydra are vacant; there are only two (known) Hydra leaders
remaining: Liszt and Strucker.
Characters Involved
Liszt – The
last remaining “Head of Hydra.” Liszt
has continued and expanded Whitehall’s experimentation with powered
people. I’ve said this before, but I
believe
him to have been working directly for Strucker all along on this series. Presumably, he is taking Bakshi, Deathlok,
and Lincoln to his/Strucker’s base in Eastern Europe (noted in a preview clip
as actually being in the Arctic).
Baron von Strucker
– The ultimate leader of Hydra. Strucker
has been performing experiments using Loki’s scepter from The Avengers
in an attempt to create super-powered soldiers.
Quicksilver and
Scarlet Witch – The product of Strucker’s experimentation with Loki’s
scepter. Quicksilver has super speed and
Scarlet Witch has a grab-bag of mental and telekinetic abilities. We might see them in “The Dirty Half Dozen,”
but they will probably be saved for Avengers: Age of Ultron.
Motivations
Hydra’s desire is the
complete subjugation of the world. To do
this they have been experimenting for decades on different mythical,
technological, and biological means to achieve absolute power. And that’s about all you need to say about
Hydra’s motivations!
Conclusion
I hope this helps to
explain all of the characters who could potentially appear in “The Dirty Half
Dozen,” where they fall in the conflict, and their motivations. I may have missed a few things in terms of
lead-up, so if you notice anything missing, put it in the comments. I’m excited to see an all-out S.H.I.E.L.D.s
and Inhumans vs. Hydra fight this episode!
So which of these
groups are you most interested in seeing in the fight? Of the ones listed, who is your favorite
character? How do you see the episode
ending in a way that builds up to Avengers: Age of Ultron? How closely do you think it will tie-in with Age
of Ultron?
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