Will Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D. Cross Over With The MCU During Season 7?

Something cinematic this way comes for the seventh and final season of Marvel's longest-running small screen series, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.

Just in case you haven't been paying attention, that season is officially under way, rolling out a climactic run of 13 episodes on ABC. Ahead of the season premiere, some of the key minds behind S.H.I.E.L.D. took some time to reflect on the series' Marvel legacy, and to tease some big-time season 7 surprises via an interview with Deadline. 

Chief among those surprises was news that the final season of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. would indeed feature some sort of direct tie-in to the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Though answers were understandably cryptic, when asked whether or not season 7 of S.H.I.E.L.D. would "bump into" the MCU at any point, series co-showrunner Jed Whedon was quick to respond, "We're going to bump into something."

That response apparently elicited a laugh from outgoing Marvel TV head Jeph Loeb, who seconded Whedon's remarks. "Yeah, we'll bump into something," he hinted. As if on cue, Whedon's S.H.I.E.L.D. showrunning partner Jeffrey Bell chimed in with his own ambiguous remark: "Something will definitely happen."

So it seems that, even as there continues to be serious debate regarding whether or not Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. is still considered official MCU canon after the dissolution of Marvel TV, the minds behind this small-screen Marvel venture are apparently still playing very much in the realm of their big screen brethren. And from the sounds of those comments, "something" big is gonna to go down in Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s final season run.

That news isn't entirely surprising, of course, as Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. has frequently been influenced by MCU storylines. In fact, the early days of the series even featured cameos from MCU alums Samuel L. Jackson (Nick Fury), Cobie Smulders (Maria Hill), and Jamie Alexander (Asgardian warrior Lady Sif), not to mention Hayley Atwell's Peggy Carter and a few Kree baddies. And, of course, the series' central character Phil Coulson (Clark Gregg) was a major player in the formative days of the MCU and a fan favorite.

Recent seasons have, however, seen Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. take a sharp turn away from direct MCU tie-ins, with the show barely acknowledging (or maybe cleverly dodging) the fateful events of Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame. Perhaps as a wistful goodbye to the MCU as we've known it, or just a winking acknowledgement to its origins, it appears Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. is about to re-enter the timeline in a big way.

Of course, given the cryptic nature of those comments, we have no idea exactly how, or even when, the S.H.I.E.L.D. creatives are planning to execute that crossover. Given that the final season will find Coulson's team traveling through time, the possibility of MCU entanglement is literally endless. What we do know is that season 7 initially finds the S.H.I.E.L.D. team in 1931, and that they will spend some time with Enver Gjokaj's Daniel Sousa, who was last seen sharing the screen with Hayley Atwell in the tragically short-lived Agent Carter. 

Whether or not that means Coulson and crew will also bump into Agent Carter herself or if the Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. creatives have even bigger ambitions remains to be seen. Whatever the case, you're gonna have to check in with the final season of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. to find out.