'Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.': What We Know So Far About Season 3
Marvel is notorious for keeping a tight lid on spoilers, but we managed to squeeze a little information from executive producers Jed Whedon and Maurissa Tancharoen about what to expect from the new season of Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.
Watch the opening scene of the premiere, which airs Sept. 29:
The core conceit of the series has always been about seeing the Marvel Universe from the perspective of a human, and that theme gets magnified this season. “Because we’re now in a world where Inhumans are popping up all around,” Tancharoen tells us, “it shines a light on what it means to be human in that world. All of our characters are trying to get back in touch with their humanity through this season. That’s something we’re looking forward to exploring with each character. And Coulson’s at the center of that.”
Video: ‘Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.’ Cast on Season 3: No More Skye, Coulson With a Tentacle
Secret Warriors
The revelation that Skye was actually Daisy Johnson opened up all sorts of new doors for Agents — the most exciting of which is Secret Warriors, a comic book series about a covert team within S.H.I.E.L.D. Though originally formed to combat a Skrull invasion, the idea of a super-powered group formed by Nick Fury primarily because of their anonymity fits perfectly with the Agents timeline where they have to deal with the Inhumans threat without anyone being the wiser.
While it’s unlikely we’ll see Phobos, son of Ares anytime soon (one pantheon of alien/gods is more than enough, thank you very much), there’s no reason we won’t see the character without his godly heritage. And there’s no reason we can’t expect Slingshot, Manifold, Hellfire, The Druid, and Stonewall — though it’s just as likely that we’ll see entirely new characters created specifically for the show.
Marvel’s Most Wanted
The breakout characters from last season are clearly Bobbi and Hunter, so much so that a spinoff was planned, and then killed because the couple was considered too integral to the success of Agents.
But now it’s on again: ABC has ordered a pilot for Marvel’s Most Wanted starring Adrienne Palicki and Nick Blood as the deadly couple. Not much is known about the series beyond the stars, but it would make sense for it to be a prequel to avoid having to navigate the increasingly complex continuity of the modern Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Why now when, just four months ago, it had been shot down? Though unwilling to get into specifics, Whedon tells us “we have a lot of characters to service” when it comes to the new season. It’s possible they convinced ABC execs that the new Secret Warriors story would not only sustain the show’s momentum but, in fact, have too much going on to do right by Palicki and Blood’s characters.
A Few Words on the New Faces
Constance Zimmer (Entourage, House of Cards) plays Rosalind Price, the “mysterious leader” of the ATCU (Advanced Threat Containment Unit) along with her “intimidating” partner, Banks, played by Andrew Howard. What is the ATCU? We’ve seen threats come from the government (Major Talbot), from within (the infiltration by Hydra), and from sister organizations (the Real S.H.I.E.L.D.) — will we see a variation of one of these, or something wholly new?
The first two new Inhumans to be cast are Joey — played by Juan Carlo Raba, who you may have seen on the fantastic new Netflix series, Narcos — who is a new character, and Lash — played by the 6'8” NFL vet Matthew Willig, who also boasts an extensive acting careeer — who, in the comics, hunts down Inhumans he believes unworthy.
One Word on the Old Faces
We asked Whedon and Tancharoen for one word to tease the next season for each character.
Daisy: Found
Whedon: “Daisy had a long journey to get where she is. I think this season, we’ll see she’s come into her own a little bit. She’s no longer searching for identity: She’s found it.”
May: Searching
Tancharoen: “She was brought back to the Cavalry incident towards the end of the season. With her rekindling things with Andrew, she might be grappling with a few things, a few questions as to how she should be living her life.”
Ward: Closure
Tancharoen: “He was obsessed with closure at the end of the season and he’s still on that path. Whatever that means - whether it’s revenge or redemption, it’s all lumped into closure.”
Fitz: Focused
Tancharoen: “He is focused on figuring out what happened to Simmons.”
Simmons: ?
Whedon: “A question mark.” Tancharoen: “A big question mark!”
Mac: Blunt
Whedon: “He’s the rock.” Tancharoen: “Along with a few other on the team, he is always the voice of reason, and he’s not afraid to express his opinions.” Coulson and Mac now share a bond since they saved each other’s lives last season, and he values Mac as “the angel on his shoulder,” says Whedon.
Bobbi: Recovering
Whedon: “Both mentally and physically from what happened. She’s wrestling with not being one hundred percent.”
Lance: Vengeful
Tancharoen: “He’s pissed off. He’s hellbent on getting some revenge.”
Season 3 of Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. premieres Tuesday, Sept. 29 at 9 p.m. on ABC.
