Captain America: Civil War is currently in theaters, and tonight marks the first episode of Agents of Shield post-Sovokia Accords. Caution: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Season 3 spoilers ahead!
A new clip from Season 3 episode 20, “Emancipation,” shows Phil Coulson chatting with General Talbot, who brings him a request from the President asking him to register S.H.I.E.L.D.’s inhuman agents. Seeing Phil Coulson is actually an alien himself, he’s bound to feel some type of way about this. He flat out tells Talbot, “It’s not going to happen,” which means he’s sided with Team Captain America. Then he flips a button and takes the General down into a secret lair underneath a dive bar.
Clark Gregg, who plays Coulson, further explains Civil War ’s ripple effect into Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. during an interview with Entertainment Weekly .
“That dilemma rises up in our show about the people who feel Inhumans should be registered and those who feel that’s a first step to them being sequestered, imprisoned, exterminated,” he said.
Gregg affirms Coulson is definitely on Team Cap. “In some ways, I think Coulson would’ve imagined he would be enforcing whatever the latest iteration of the World Council would want in terms of this stuff, but his relationship with Daisy and other Inhumans pulls him very much against that particular side of it. He’s very much Team Cap.”
Unlike Civil War , the S.H.I.E.L.D. agents don’t have such clear cut sides. Although Jemma and May are the two members leaning toward Team Iron Man. “Even though she’s way more comfortable with inhumans than she used to be,” Elizabeth Henstridge (Jemma) says, “I do still think she’s on the side of Iron Man and relying on scientific qualities, which include documenting, writing everything down, and making sure everything is nice and neat in its little box.”
This isn't the first time Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. has tied into the broader MCU. Season 1 was affected by Captain America: The Winter Solider when Hydra ended up infiltrating S.H.I.E.L.D., driving a new version of the organization underground. The Winter Soldier’s Jasper Sitwell featured in the episode that ran concurrently with the film. We also saw the aftermath of Thor:The Dark World in Season 1, and witnessed another tie in when the S.H.I.E.L.D. team finds an Asgardian staff. Phil Coulson was also the one to tip the Loki’s scepter’s location to The Avengers, which ties into the beginning of Avengers: Age of Ultron . Then at the end of the movie, Nick Fury swoops in with Coulson’s helicarrier to rescue the Avengers.
Find out how Coulson handles the Sokovia Accords tonight at 9 p.m. EDT on ABC.
How else do you think Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D . will tie into Captain America: Civil Wa r? Sound off in the comments below.
