By The Nerdling

Marvel blessed us with a teaser for Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. season six on Monday. It teased as a good teaser should do, giving us some information, then leaving us with plenty of WTF moments. If you haven’t seen it yet, or want to geek out on it some more, then here you go:

I’m going to do my best to break down what we just saw. There is a lot to unpack here. Most likely I won’t get to all of it. I have a theory about the season’s major plotline and that final reveal. It is probably all wrong, but I’m going to put it out there anyway.

Holy Decent Effects, Batman!

AoS managed to garner a season five by taking a budget major cut. The lack of money showed in many ways. Darker lighting, Daisy’s power dampener implant, most of the action happening inside the Lighthouse, etc.

Judging by the few CGI effects on display and the number of sets shown in the teaser, it looks as if AoS was giving more money. Probably in exchange for the episode count going from 22 to 13.

New Characters

Briefly shown is a new female character who could be Butterfly. She is described as “unpredictable, aloof, spacey, but nonetheless lethal.”

Another new agent is shown and could be Agent Damon. He is described as “being handsome, likable, cool, and funny.” The man shown certainly fits the handsome description and looks generally “likable”. Unfortunately, Damon is slated as only appearing in one episode.

It is important to note Anthony Michael Hall and his mystery role make no appearance in the teaser (that we could see).

WHERE IS FITZ?!?

I’m really concerned about the lack of Fitz in the teaser. He is only shown once at the beginning as a Fitzicle in the cryo-chamber.

It is important to note a couple of things. Jemma is shown walking around outside of the what we can presume is the same cryo-chamber.

And we can see her inside the cryo-chamber crying. Not sure if this is the same scene.

There could be several reasons why she is crying. The best case scenario is Fitz is awake, doing okay, but is having trouble adjusting to learning he missed his own wedding and died. Jemma is inside the chamber and upset because she is still dealing with the death of the Fitz she married.

This is wishful thinking, I know. AoS loves to torture FitzSimmons fans. Most likely Fitz has gone missing or maybe even died (again).

Another possibility is Jemma is hiding from something/someone. The bloody handprint makes me think something/someone dangerous on onboard the ship. Jemma could be hiding.

The Return of Enoch

Our favorite Chronicom is back! I know Joel Stoffer’s reappearance was announced some time ago. But man, it is good to see him with the rest of the crew. His dry delivery and disarming humor are a perfect balance to the high intense energy of the human characters.

Enoch’s presence and the lack of Fitz add to the theory of our favorite Engineering and Weapons Technology Specialist is going to be missing for a few episodes. If Enoch is present, S.H.I.E.L.D. found the ship he and Fitzsicle waiting for the end of the world on. So where is defrosted Fitz?!?

A Badass Deke?!?

Jeff Ward was promoted to the main cast after the renewal announcement, so we knew we were getting more Deke. But this version of FitzSimmons’s Zima loving grandson does not act like the cowardly Deke we knew last season.

This could be a different version of the character (more on that in a minute), or a possible descendant. Maybe even Deke’s father, a.k.a. the man who will marry FitzSimmons’s daughter.

The Big Reveal

The teaser was quick to reveal Phil Coulson is dead. It is fairly safe to assume he succumbed to the stab wound to his chest courtesy of Loki’s scepter. The teaser also made it seem that we were still going to be getting some Coulson via hologram recordings he made for Mack as the new Director of S.H.I.E.L.D.

But then we get this:

Complete with a Coulson voiceover saying he has never heard of S.H.I.E.L.D.!

Here comes the Theory

S.H.I.E.L.D. group goes through a wormhole and enters a new dimension.

Stay with me on this one. The S.H.I.E.L.D. team, sans May who is with the dying Coulson, set off to find Fitz. Only he is not there. Why he is not there, I haven’t fully worked that part out just yet.

S.H.I.E.L.D., with Enoch, returns to Earth, picks up May, fixes up the Confederacy ship, and sets off to find Fitz. They either seek out a wormhole, create one, or whatever took Fitz created it. Either way, S.H.I.E.L.D. goes through in hopes of rescuing their missing team member. In this new dimension, we get a badass Deke and a Coulson who has never heard of S.H.I.E.L.D.

I like this theory because it gives the show a reason to sidestep anything to do with Avengers: Endgame and the aftermath. AoS bogs itself down when it attempts to tie into the films. One of the reasons season four was so great was virtually no mention of the happenings in the MCU. Just the Darkhold. AoS works best when it remains its own thing. Placing it in an entirely new dimension allows for this.

What do you think the appearance of this Coulson means? Do you have any theories as to why he is alive, but not a part of S.H.I.E.L.D.? Do you think Fitz is missing, or just missed the cut for the teaser? Let me know your thoughts in the comments section below.

Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. season 6 premiere has not been announced yet, but it is slated for June/July of this year. I will be doing recaps/reviews for each episode once again, so come back again for those.

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The Nerdling was born in the majestic land known as Texas and currently resides there after several years of journeying through Middle Earth in a failed attempt to steal the one Ring from that annoying hobbit, serving the Galactic Empire for a time, and then a short stint as a crew member on the Serenity. Since moving back to her homeland, Nerdling flirted with a hero reputation. Saving children from the dangers of adoring domineering, sparkly vampires (champions with souls are the only vampires worth loving) and teaching normals the value of nerdom, all while rooting for her beloved Dallas Stars. Then came the Sokovia Accords and her short spell of saving others came to an end. With Darth Vader’s reputation rightfully returning to badass status, Nerdling is making her way back to the Empire. They do have cookies, you know. You can find her on Twitter and Instagram.