Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. will premiere its sixth season tonight. But fans shouldn’t expect to see any kind of fallout from the Marvel Cinematic Universe. In the past, the show has tied into Captain America: The Winter Soldier and Avengers: Age of Ultron. But for this season, the producers opted to follow their own path “pre-snap,” per this interview with Collider.
“Part of it had to do with the question of when we’d air, truthfully,” explained executive producer Jed Whedon. “We had talked about summer, but there was always a chance that we’d get moved up to the beginning of the year. With the amount of characters and money and machine in place with [Avengers Endgame], we had to dodge it completely.”
“So, imagine if we had incorporated it, and then, at the last minute, the network was like, ‘You know what? We’d love to have this on in January,’” continued Whedon. “And then, all of a sudden, we’d spoil something. So, we made the decision to just be pre-snap, tell our story, and carry it forward. Hopefully, it will be satisfying and, in no way, a thing that bothers you about the show. We have our logic, but we don’t spend any time explaining it because we just wanted people to enjoy our story.”
Related; Watch a New Clip From the Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Season 6 Premiere
“It was a challenge, and we talked a lot about it,” added executive producer Jeff Bell. “If we came in and said it was five or six years later, there were just too many questions. There were too many words that we were not allowed to say, if that makes sense. So, that’s the decision that was made because we didn’t know [when we’d air]… So, the easiest way to not have to incorporate or dodge questions about that was for us to just make the decision that this season happens pre-snap.”
Even though the team isn’t facing Thanos’ wrath, they have their own problematic situation. Following Coulson’s death in season five, someone who looks just like him has appeared, he may be the show’s next big bad.
You can read more about the new season here. Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.’s premieres tonight on ABC. What are you hoping to see from the team this season? Let us know in the comments below!
