The fifth season of the American television series Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., based on the Marvel Comics spy organization S.H.I.E.L.D., follows Phil Coulson and other S.H.I.E.L.D.
The season was produced by ABC Studios, Marvel Television, and Mutant Enemy Productions, with Jed Whedon, Maurissa Tancharoen, and Jeffrey Bell serving as showrunners.
Despite consistently low viewership, critical reception of the season was positive, with many commending the series for its ambition, in particular praising the futuristic space setting during its first half and its exploration of time travel.
Coulson's deal with Ghost Rider was also revealed, which was to have the Kree serum that revived him after his death be burned off, resulting in his chest wound slowly killing him.
[58] By killing Fitz in "The End", but revealing there was another still in space journeying to the future, Bell noted it helped solve "the one time loop problem we had".
"[59] Main cast members Clark Gregg, Ming-Na Wen, Chloe Bennet, Iain De Caestecker, Elizabeth Henstridge, and Henry Simmons return from previous seasons as Phil Coulson, Melinda May, Daisy Johnson / Quake, Leo Fitz, Jemma Simmons, and Alphonso "Mack" Mackenzie, respectively.
[62] Also returning from earlier in the series are Joel Stoffer as Enoch,[28] who was simply credited as "silhouetted man" in his previous appearance,[63] and Lola Glaudini as Polly Hinton.
[35][36] Additional returning actors include Brian Patrick Wade as Carl Creel,[31] J. August Richards as Mike Peterson / Deathlok,[38] Spencer Treat Clark as Werner von Strucker,[33] Zach McGowan as Anton Ivanov / The Superior,[34] Reed Diamond as Daniel Whitehall, and Raquel Gardner as Carla Talbot,[39] along with Briana Venskus and Maximilian Osinski as S.H.I.E.L.D.
[31][32] Ruth Negga and David Conrad reprise their roles as Raina and Ian Quinn, respectively, in a flashback sequence set during the events of the season one finale, "Beginning of the End".
[67][38] Younger versions of Jasper Sitwell and Wolfgang von Strucker also appear, portrayed by Adam Faison and Joey Defore, respectively.
[70] Also in October, other newcomers were revealed, with Eve Harlow as Tess, Coy Stewart as Flint, and Pruitt Taylor Vince as Grill.
[29] Other recurring guests for the season include Dominic Rains as Kasius, Florence Faivre as Sinara, Jay Hunter as a Kree watch commander, Tunisha Hubbard as Ava,[28] Shontae Saldana as Candice Lee,[31] and Peter Mensah as Qovas.
[72] The opening for "Orientation" is reminiscent of the sequence for "4,722 Hours", forgoing the title card and having the typeface silently fading onto the screen.
By using the same company, Bauer felt they were able to expand upon the development and "headache" that went into creating Misty Knight's arm, to make a better, more comfortable and durable prop for Rodriguez.
Gregg also received a deeper appreciation for some of the other departments on the series he normally does not encounter on a regular basis and the work they contribute to each episode.
[81] The scene for Fitz and Simmons' wedding in "The Real Deal" was filmed in "a very remote location" in Placerita Canyon State Park.
The music in the season was inspired by the films Heavy Metal (1981), The Black Hole (1979), Blade Runner (1982), Akira (1988), and The Terminator (1984).
"[87] In November 2017, Whedon said that the season would not have moved the characters to space if the recent MCU films like Guardians of the Galaxy Vol.
"[52] Whedon added in March 2018 that the then-upcoming release of Avengers: Infinity War would similarly "open a new playground" for the series to explore.
[90] It is revealed that the consciousnesses of Franklin Hall and Ian Quinn had been absorbed by the element, eventually merging with Talbot when he enters the Rebirth chamber and becomes Graviton.
[58] In the episodes, the threat of Thanos becomes the driving force of Talbot's character arc as he plans to join the Avengers in defending the Earth.
He said "Part of what happened was, they changed the release date... we move at a different schedule than they do and so suddenly everything was a week earlier, and so we had to make some adjustments and that's how we end up with our story."
[92][83] A shortened version of the footage was released by ABC and Marvel on November 26, 2017, as a sneak peek before the season premiere later that week.
[94] The executive producers, main cast members except Gregg, and Ward appeared at WonderCon on March 24, 2018, to promote the remainder of the season and answer fan questions.
Megan Thomas Bradner, Vice President of Development and Production, Live Action at Marvel Television, called reaching 100 episodes "quite a feat... and it felt special enough to share with the fans that got us here.
By working with some of our favorite comic artists, we felt we could show a large variety of meaningful moments and the characters that helped get us to a 100."
program and a drug from a half-dissected Kree alien corpse, the moment Grant Ward revealed he was a Hydra agent by killing Victoria Hand, and Fitz giving Simmons the last remaining oxygen tank and declaring his love for her in the season one finale.
[101] It is set to run for 22 episodes,[43] with a short hiatus for the airing of the 2018 Winter Olympics between "Past Life" and "All the Comforts of Home".
He continued, "The great thing about Friday night for these shows is it gives three days of downtime for a lot of these younger viewers to be able to catch up on it.
firing on all cylinders, especially during its stellar 'Agents of Hydra' arc in the Framework, then this is the look of a show that knows it has mastered its storytelling, and is confidently expanding the scope of its ambition.