The Avengers aren't the only Marvel Cinematic Universe heroes headed to space. Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. also made an intergalactic leap in its Season 5 finale -- or so it seemed. The season ended with a quick scene of S.H.I.E.L.D Director Phil Coulson waking up alone on some kind of mechanical rig; he rose to greet the day by opening the windows, only to reveal the deep expanse of space. This shocking cliffhanger has left fans abuzz since it aired back in May, but -- despite appearances -- it may take place a little closer to home than we originally thought. In fact, it's possible that they never even left our solar system... and that might have something to do with Inhumans.

Before we delve into that idea, let's talk Inhumans. Inhumans is Marvel Television's latest enterprise, but it took shape in a far different way than previous projects. Unlike Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. and Agent Carter, Inhumans debuted in theaters, with its first two episodes formatted for IMAX. Inhumans as a people are no strangers to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, as they have been the focus for two and a half seasons of S.H.I.E.L.D., but the Royal Family is. As such, Inhumans provides a fresh start in the Inhumans' isolated kingdom Attilan, which means that new audiences are welcomed in without the baggage of four seasons of another show. However, because of that, the stories and characters featured on Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. likely won't have a major impact on the proceedings of Inhumans. After all, per S.H.I.E.L.D. executive producer Jed Whedon, Inhumans "will have its own world, just as we tried to start our own world.”

RELATED: Jeph Loeb Says ABC is Still the ‘Mothership’ for Marvel Television

However, that doesn't mean there won't be any crossover at all. (Marvel's motto is "It's all connected," remember?) One of Inhumans' sticking points is that new Inhumans are popping up all over Earth, thanks to a Terrigen leak that contaminated the ocean in Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Season 2. This Terrigen leak kicks off a central conflict in the Inhumans series after King Black Bolt risks sending his cousin Triton to Earth to help these "NuHumans," only for Triton to disappear. Nevertheless, it's highly unlikely we'll see characters like Coulson and Inhuman S.H.I.E.L.D. agent Daisy "Quake" Johnson -- who, at this point, have a lot of MCU history -- on the freshman series.

But Inhumans could always cross over into Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Since its debut season, S.H.I.E.L.D. has reacted to the events of the MCU films, without really impacting the MCU films themselves. For instance, the team cleaned up Greenwich after the events of Thor: Dark World, battled Hydra agents following Captain America: The Winter Solider, spared a helicarrier for the Avengers during Age of Ultron and were forced to sign the Sokovia Accords in the wake of Captain America: Civil War. What's more, S.H.I.E.L.D. has often involved Agent Carter, whose characters founded the covert government agency. As such, it certainly wouldn't be out of place for S.H.I.E.L.D. to respond directly to the events of Inhumans.

Page 2: [valnet-url-page page=2 paginated=0 text='So%20-%20How%20Does%20Marvel%20Get%20Inhumans%20and%20SHIELD%20To%20Meet%3F']



So - How Does Marvel Get Inhumans and SHIELD To Meet?

Of course, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Season 5 and Inhumans have more in common than the universe they exist in. In addition to the fact that they deal with Inhuman affairs, both take place off-Earth. That is to say, Inhumans takes place at least in part on the blue area of the moon, away from prying human eyes, while S.H.I.E.L.D. is headed to space. While this could be coincidental, it also opens the door for the established S.H.I.E.L.D. team to come in contact with this secret Inhuman society.

After the events of Inhumans, Earth will inevitably be aware of the Inhuman Royal Family. After all, it's a little difficult to ignore the giant teleporting dog and his mute master appearing in the middle of a busy intersection in Hawaii. As such, it's surprising that S.H.I.E.L.D. doesn't react to this Inhuman incident at all (as indicated by showrunner Scott Buck, who promised there is no crossover as yet). This calls into question Inhumans' timeline. If S.H.I.E.L.D. isn't around to deal with these wayward Inhumans, they must be preoccupied in some way -- whether by Aida's machinations or their off-planet adventure, we've yet to see.

RELATED: Inhumans: Explaining the Character You Least Expected in Live-Action

Agents of SHIELD Season 4

If you tuned in for Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Season 4, you'll know that things went south pretty fast when Aida started to show some signs of independence. She went on to create Life Model Decoys (LMDs) of each member of Coulson's team and charged them with some nefarious tasks, which resulted in the destruction of S.H.I.E.L.D. headquarters. Because the LMDs looked just like the ensemble show's main characters, Coulson and his team were implicated, in particular by their government liaison Brigadier General Glenn Talbot. Talbot ultimately got a bullet to the head by Daisy's's LMD in a room full of government agents, further tarnishing the team's reputation.

Considering that, it certainly wouldn't be surprising if the events of Inhumans went down at the same time as the last few episodes of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., which the team spent fighting LMDs when they weren't trapped inside the Framework. S.H.I.E.L.D. would have been far too busy to deal with a few rogue Inhumans in Hawaii, not to mention the fact that they're now considered outlaws by the US government. However, these Inhumans events could very well explain one of the mysteries from the Season 4 finale: the diner scene.

RELATED: Captain America Actor Was Supposed to Appear on Agents of SHIELD

After Coulson, Daisy, May, Fitz, Simmons, Mack and Yo-Yo defeated Aida with some help from Ghost Rider, they headed to a diner and waited for the government to come for them. As they were about to order dessert, the electricity in the diner went out, only for a white light to blare just outside the windows. The sound of radio chatter filled the silence, and the weary agents raised their hands to surrender as men with tactical gear and guns flooded the diner. A bald man in a suit stopped directly behind Coulson, confirmed Coulson's identity and pulled out a glowing green device that froze Coulson's team where they sat. "The window closes in less than two minutes. Take them," the suited man said -- and the next time we see Coulson is in space.

Imax-Inhumans-Header

Page 3: [valnet-url-page page=3 paginated=0 text='Could%20Coulson%20s%20Space%20Trip%20Lead%20to%20the%20Discovery%20of%20Attilan%3F']



So who is the suited man? We'll have to wait for Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Season 5 for confirmation, but the Inhumans pilot may hold some clues. As mentioned above, the government will likely discover Attilan before the series wraps. They certainly came close in the pilot episode, where one of NASA's lunar rovers bumped into the city wall, which was disguised to look like empty space. Gorgon quickly took care of the lunar rover by stomping on it to destroy it -- but not before the rover captured some footage of his hoof. The scene featured Ellen Woglom's original character Louise, so we'll likely see more fallout from that scene as Inhumans progresses, but -- more importantly -- this puts Attilan on the verge of human discovery. S.H.I.E.L.D.'s mysterious suited man may very well have something to do with the fallout of this discovery.RELATED: Inhumans: Ellen Woglom Sheds (Some) Insight on Her Mysterious CharacterFollowing the events of The Avengers, Earth has faced down one interstellar threat after another, and it seems safe to assume the government -- or someone affiliated -- developed a response in the event it happens again. While we, as an audience, are aware that the Inhumans are not in fact an alien threat, they would likely be viewed as such. S.H.I.E.L.D.'s mystery man, then, could be a part of a response team that was put together to defend against alien invasions, a S.W.O.R.D.-like initiative that monitors unusual activity in space as a sort of preventative measure. If S.H.I.E.L.D.'s mystery man is in any way affiliated with the government or its theoretical alien response team, we can draw the conclusion that that is who sent Coulson -- and potentially his team -- into space, possibly to keep an eye on the "alien" threat the Inhumans pose.But why Coulson? Why his team? For one, Coulson and his team are capable agents with a penchant for getting themselves into -- and out of -- dangerous and unusual circumstances. For another, such a move would dispose of highly trained combatants that are considered dangerous, while also making them useful. In space, Coulson and his team wouldn't pose a threat to anyone but themselves. However, they could continue to work for the government by providing useful information. Depending on how dangerous the rig is, Coulson's trip to space could be considered something of a "suicide mission," in that he isn't expected to return. What's more, his final words in the Season 4 finale are, "Enough sightseeing. Get back to work," which suggests that he is working a job. This would be an excellent way for the government to get rid of a problem like Coulson's team, while keeping them in circulation. RELATED: Marvel TV Brings Agents of SHIELD, Punisher and Runaways to NYCCIf Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. does pick up with an Inhumans crossover, that doesn't mean it would be a season-long story arc. Last year, the show broke the season up into three "pods," and the result was very effective. The first half of Season 4 explored "Ghost Rider" in one pod, while the second half was split into two pods: "LMD" and "Agents of Hydra." Should Season 5 take a similar approach, a potential Inhumans tie-in like the one explored above could be one pod, taking place before or after another storyline. Kicking off the season like this would likely make the most sense, as S.H.I.E.L.D. is rumored to premiere shortly after the Inhumans finale and could pick up immediately following.Should Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. premiere with an Inhumans crossover, it would open the series up to more storylines. For instance, the Kree are heavily involved with Inhuman affairs in the comics, so it wouldn't be surprising if they returned at some point on one or both shows. This could set the stage for Coulson to run into the ancient alien race once again. Two Kree soldiers were sent to Earth to investigate an Inhuman incident masterminded by Hive in Season 3, as he wanted to use their blood to make more Inhumans, so the Kree seem to be aware that there has been some Inhuman activity. Earlier this month, a Kree-like character was also spotted on the Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. set, which suggests the Kree's return is indeed possible for Season 5.RELATED: Inhumans: Black Bolt Offers Medusa a Heartfelt Gesture in New ClipEver since its inception, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. has been very clear about its connections to the rest of the MCU. It wouldn't be surprising, then, to see the sophomore series jump on the Inhumans train, especially where S.H.I.E.L.D. introduced the concept to the MCU. A crossover between the two shows could offer S.H.I.E.L.D. a deeper, richer history, while setting up future storylines. What's more, should Inhumans prove to be unsuccessful, S.H.I.E.L.D. could serve as a vehicle to continue or conclude any unresolved story arcs. In the end, what better way to show that the MCU is still truly connected than to tie together two of Marvel Television's flagship shows?


The first two episodes of Marvel’s Inhumans debuted in IMAX theaters on September 1, kicking off a two-week run. On September 29, the show will make its broadcast debut on ABC. The network will show the eight-episode first season of Inhumans in its entirety, including content from the first two episodes not seen in the IMAX run. The drama stars Anson Mount as Black Bolt, Iwan Rheon as Maximus the Mad, Serinda Swan as Queen Medusa, Ken Leung as Karnak, Isabelle Cornish as Crystal, Eme Ikwuakor as Gorgon, Mike Moh as Triton and Sonya Balmores as Auran.

Returning to ABC this fall, Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. stars Clark Gregg as Agent Phil Coulson, Chloe Bennet as Daisy “Quake” Johnson, Ming-Na Wen as Melinda May, Iain De Caestecker as Leo Fitz, Elizabeth Henstridge as Jemma Simmons, and Henry Simmons as Alphonso “Mack” Mackenzie.