SPOILER WARNING: This article contains major spoilers for Avengers: Infinity War, in theaters now.
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The Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. have come up against some pretty formidable villains, but they've really outdone themselves this time. Just two episodes ago, longtime S.H.I.E.L.D. ally Glenn Talbot rose as Graviton, a superhuman with immense gravity-based power. What's worse, Graviton emerged on the eve of Thanos' arrival on Earth -- which means that humanity is facing off against two omega-level threats at the same time. As the show intertwines its narrative with Avengers: Infinity War, it seems more than ever that the consequences of Thanos' final act will set Graviton's destruction of Earth into motion.
As many Marvel fans now know, Thanos the Mad Titan was successful in achieving his goal of uniting the Infinity Stones and extinguishing half of all life in the universe. With a snap of his fingers, Thanos caused many beloved characters to crumble to dust, including Bucky Barnes, Black Panther, Spider-Man and Groot. This game-changing conclusion to Infinity War impacted the Marvel Cinematic Universe at large, sending shock-waves through the galaxy.
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It stands to reason, then, that the Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. characters and those they love will suffer the same fate. Starting now, any S.H.I.E.L.D. agent could evaporate at a moment's notice. For Graviton, this means one of two scenarios: Either he, or someone he loves, will fall victim to Thanos -- and both will likely end in the destruction of Earth.
After a gunshot wound to the head, Talbot suffered a severe trauma that left him a little unhinged -- and the process that bonded his cells with gravitonium only made it worse. His explosive mood swings, irrationality and new power set have proven to be a dangerous combination, even leading him to turn on allies like Phil Coulson and Daisy "Quake" Johnson. Now imagine what would happen if his wife or son were to crumble away before his very eyes.
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Since he was reintroduced in Season 5, Talbot has wanted nothing but to return to his family. However, his situation -- particularly how he was conditioned to be a sleeper agent for Hydra -- has prevented him from reuniting him with his wife and son. Now that he has become Graviton, though, he is so powerful that no one can stop him from doing what he wants. This includes going to see his family, just as he does in the preview for "The Force of Gravity," this week's episode.
Knowing what we know about the conclusion of Infinity War, this reunion does not go the way Talbot expects. There's a very good chance that at least one member of the Talbot family will disappear in the wake of Thanos' snap, forcing him to watch as someone he loves -- probably his son -- is erased from existence. This could lead Talbot to have a mental break of the world-ending variety. If he were to unleash the full extent of his powers in his rage and grief, he could shatter the planet, just like Coulson and his team saw in the year 2091.
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On the other hand, Graviton himself may meet his end at Thanos' hand. However, unlike most, Talbot is more than his physical form; his cells have been loaded up with gravitonium, a temperamental element that existed long before him -- and will likely continue to exist after he's gone. If Graviton were to crumble to dust, his body would release that gravitonium, and the result would be catastrophic.
As it were, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. has already revealed a preview of what happens when the Destroyer of Worlds dies. In “All Roads Lead…”, Yo-Yo slit Ruby's throat after the girl absorbed 8% of the gravitonium into her body. In death, her body rose into the air of its own accord. After a moment, it expelled a gravity boom that impacted the entire compound. The force was strong enough to knock out everyone in the surrounding area, though no one suffered any lasting damage.
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So, if Talbot is killed by Thanos, the gravitonium will be released from his body. The force of this would likely be strong enough to crack the planet apart, considering how much of the gravitonium he has in his system. As such, Graviton is just as deadly in death as he is alive.
Considering the continuity of the MCU, the future that Coulson and his team encountered in 2091 probably won't come to pass. After all, the movies never acknowledge what happens in Marvel's TV shows. Since they are connected, S.H.I.E.L.D. must tie in with the movies regardless, meaning the show can't make any major changes to the status quo. So, even if the show reveals how the Earth was destroyed in the 2091 timeline, Coulson and his team will likely cancel this apocalypse -- and the show has already build in an efficient way to do just that.
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Throughout the back half of the season, General Hale and the Confederacy have used an alien teleportation device to communicate face-to-face. Currently, two of them reside in the vicinity of Earth: one on Qovas' ship and the other at Hale's hidden Hydra base, which S.H.I.E.L.D. previously discovered. Thus, the simplest way to save Earth may be to send Graviton away -- straight to the Confederacy or, perhaps, into the void of outer space. However, it's unlikely that Graviton would go willingly, so one S.H.I.E.L.D. agent may have to take a one-way trip and sacrifice their own life to save the planet.
All of this is, of course, highly speculative. There are plenty of other ways for the Earth to be destroyed within the confines for the show. For instance, considering Daisy's new status in "The Force of Gravity," a showdown between Quake and Graviton could rip the Earth apart. However, that seems far too straightforward for a show like Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., which is often full of twists and turns. The fact that this deed has been pinned on her since the beginning makes her actual involvement highly suspect.
For the first time since Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. seems to be going all-in on its connection to the Marvel Cinematic Universe. As with Winter Soldier, Infinity War could have a major impact on the show's narrative, which has been building to Thanos' arrival and the Earth's destruction all year. Indeed, it may even be Thanos who inadvertently triggers Graviton to crack the world apart -- regardless of whether or not Tablot survives the event.
Airing Fridays at 9 p.m. ET/PT on ABC, Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Season 5 stars Clark Gregg, Ming-Na Wen, Chloe Bennet, Henry Simmons, Ian De Caestecker, Natalia Cordova-Buckley and Elizabeth Henstridge.