Inhumans and
The Defenders,
S.H.I.E.L.D.’s less-than-stellar debut led to a quick disownment from its MCU parents. The intricately planned ties between the TV and film universes where quickly cut (you remember #Itsallconnected?) and
S.H.I.E.L.D. was set adrift, floating alone in the vast sea of cult sci-fi tradition.
And yet, it rocked. As soon as AoS shed its responsibility of carrying a universe on its shoulders that it wasn’t allowed to actually be a part of, it flourished creatively. If showrunners Jed Whedon and Maurissa Tancheroen had to be constantly avoiding the MCU’s toes, we almost certainly never would’ve gotten The Framework arc in season 4, or the campy masterpiece that was season 7’s time travel theme, or entire episodes devoted to elaborate mind palace reunions and alien drug trips on shady casino planets. Its ability to constantly come up from behind undoubtedly made