We’re heading ever close to the end, and yesterday’s episode of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. season 7 certainly raised the stakes even higher. The team was split apart, with some of them in deep danger, and revelations about the full extent of their enemies’ plans came to light. Most of all, however, the gang lost one of their own. Not for the first time, mind you.
The death in question was none other than Phil Coulson. Clark Gregg’s S.H.I.E.L.D. legend is no stranger to dying, having done so almost countless times across the show at this point. At the start of this season, he was resurrected as an LMD to guide the team through Earth’s history, but his new robotic form met its end in this instalment. As ever, Coulson went out sacrificing himself for the greater good.
He confronted the Chronicom Seer Sibyl and discovered that the time-travelling race wants Earth for themselves as they believe that they deserve it due to their fleeting lives and fear of death. Coulson argued for the strength of mankind, before adding that “dying is kind of [his] superpower.” He then blows himself and the rest of the Chronicoms in the vicinity up. It seems unlikely that even the LMD Coulson could survive that.
Of course, his friends brought him back to life once, so they can probably do it again. As such, it feels like we’ll see Coulson again on the show before it ends. However, losing him is a massive blow for the team in the immediate future, especially as Mack and Deke were also lost in time in this episode, and it’ll be interesting to see who takes up the leadership position until either Mack or Coulson return.
Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. has six episodes left of its seventh and final season and you can catch them Wednesdays on ABC.