In the two-hour "Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D." finale, the fate of the world is at stake. Following her rescue from Hive's influence, Daisy, S.H.I.E.L.D. and the Secret Warriors must launch an all-out assault against the ancient Inhuman. If they fail to stop his plans, mankind will be transformed into primitive, deformed Inhumans, every last one of them under Hive's control.

Of course, none of this would be possible if it hadn't been for Lincoln, Daisy's erstwhile romantic interest, fellow Inhuman and reluctant S.H.I.E.L.D. agent. The latest episode saw Lincoln, played by Luke Mitchell, dupe the Hive-controlled Daisy into transporting a quinjet to her location. However, rather than greeting her boyfriend when the vehicle arrived, Lash appeared and cured Daisy of her Hive influence. And while Lash was unable achieve his prime mission and take out Hive, Daisy still managed to escape and reunite with Lincoln, Coulson and her teammates.

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With two episodes left in the season, which air back-to-back on May 17, it's do or die time for S.H.I.E.L.D. -- and, if Daisy's vision comes true, it's mostly just time to die for one agent. With many fans picking Lincoln as their favorite to be the finale's big casualty, CBR News spoke with Mitchell about Lincoln's place in S.H.I.E.L.D., the importance of him fulfilling his destiny, and whether viewers pegging his character to be killed off are on the right track.

CBR News: Lincoln's dark past haunted him throughout season, but ultimately, he came clean to Daisy about previous his drinking problems, bad temper and car crash involving his ex-girlfriend. In what ways did that help you understand Lincoln better?

Luke Mitchell: Any time the writers give you any information about a character's backstory, it helps you fill in the blanks more. I suppose with Lincoln, the main thing is about addiction and understanding what addiction is. Lincoln is a recovering alcoholic and he has an addictive personality. It's just delving into what that is and how that can manifest itself.

When we spoke earlier in the season, you talked about how uncomfortable Lincoln feels being a part of S.H.I.E.L.D. As we've seen, he's become a little more used to his situation since then. How much, then, does Coulson's approval and acceptance mean to Lincoln?

Well, when you spend so long not getting any sort of appreciation, you soak up the small amount you do get. I've previously spoken about how as much as Lincoln is in S.H.I.E.L.D. for Daisy, S.H.I.E.L.D. is where he wants to be. He's just having a hard time of it. When he does get approval, it's the best thing in the world. "Ahhhh...this is nice. This is different." In a weird way, he does look up to Coulson. He's the boss, and certainly the father figure to Daisy. Every boyfriend needs to get approval from the girl's dad.

Nonetheless, Coulson did make Lincoln wear an explosive murder vest. Did that only confirm Lincoln's fears about his place on the team, or was Coulson justified?

It's a complex situation I've found very interesting. On the one hand, at least on the surface, it says Lincoln is expendable if Coulson is willing to put that on him. On the other hand, it was Lincoln's choice to put it on. Coulson wasn't saying, "You have to wear this." Coulson was saying, "If you go in the field, you have to wear this because I can't afford to lose you. You are a good agent." It's complicated. It was an interesting conundrum.

Not that Coulson was handing murder vests out to everyone...

Right, but Lincoln was the only Inhuman going into the field at that point in time. Couslon can't afford to lose him. You can read that two ways: He's a valuable agent, but he's also a powerful Inhuman. If swayed to the dark side, I would be a very strong weapon against S.H.I.E.L.D. Either way, Coulson couldn't afford to lose him.

As I said, it was Lincoln's choice to wear it. The beauty of that, for me, was it goes to show the depth of Lincoln's feelings towards Daisy. He's willing to risk his life to get Daisy back. I think that's really beautiful, in a really messed up kind of way.

Daisy tried to recruit Lincoln into Hive's fold. For a short time, it appeared she succeeded and Lincoln was switching sides. How happy were you with the way that played out, and that Lincoln listened more to his head than his heart?

I was relieved. As you said, during the episode, you're like, "Lincoln, don't do it! You're an idiot. What are you doing? You're a fool." You don't know what he's playing at. You think he will do anything to get his girl back, but it doesn't quite make sense. You realize if he goes to Daisy, he will be swayed because Daisy is swayed. The whole time, you are like, "Lincoln, don't do this." Then, there's obviously this big reveal at the end.

Oh, my God! I was so happy to see that reveal. All of a sudden you're like, "There's more to Lincoln than him being a lovesick fool." He is smart, and it's a really complicated matter for him to use his bond with Daisy against her. He had to make her believe that he really wanted to be with her, no matter what, for the whole plan to work. There's a betrayal, but in that betrayal, he gets his girl back.

It was a big gamble to unleash Lash.

Lash is unpredictable, but he had an opportunity to kill Daisy before and he let her go. Lash is all about fate. People are here for a reason. It was a risk, but a calculated risk.

On a couple of occasions, Lincoln has stated Inhumans fill a need or a gap. What is Lincoln's purpose, then?

That's a very good question, and something that will be answered in the season finale.

Thanks to Lash, Hive's spell on Daisy appears to have been broken. How has this recent ordeal given Lincoln a new perspective on their relationship?

They originally never had any relationship. As the seasons have gone on, it's become more and more complicated. Fans of Daisy and Lincoln as a couple will be frustrated. You want them to be happy and together, [but] everything is working against that. The beauty of that is, their love is stronger than their needs. That's what comes to the fore in terms of making the right decision.

As a member of the Secret Warriors, what is he willing to do to stop Hive?

He's willing to do almost anything to help S.H.I.E.L.D. defeat Hive, because he's seen the danger of Hive. Hive is the most powerful Inhuman. Lincoln knows the threat is very real, but now that he has Daisy back -- let's just say, he's going to throw himself into whatever he can. Lincoln will do whatever he can to help the team.

I'd be very surprised if there is a dry eye by the end of the finale; we're definitely going to pull on the heart strings. Without being too dramatic, or spoiling things, I'm not sure the show will ever be the same. I'm curious to see what they are going to do in Season 4 after what happens in the finale. It feels like it's going to go in a different direction. It's exciting!

Many viewers believe the S.H.I.E.L.D. agent who dies, per Daisy's vision, will be Lincoln. How worried should fans be for Lincoln's safety?

The fans think Lincoln is going to die? That's not really a surprise, given how risky his behavior has been in recent episodes. He's willing to do anything to get Daisy back, he's wearing a murder vest, then he's infecting himself with anti-toxins. Lincoln has come close to death a number of times. I'll just say fans should be worrying about all of their favorite characters. Everyone has their brush with death.

Starring Clark Gregg, Chloe Bennet and Ming-Na Wen, "Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D." airs at 9 pm EST on ABC.