Clark Gregg has called Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D season 7 the “final” installment for the Marvel TV series.

On the promotion circuit for Captain Marvel, Gregg reminisced about his journey from one-off Agent Coulson to staple of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

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“Here I am, eleven years later!” he concludes. “We just started shooting the seventh and final season of Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D in Culver City, and it’s been an incredible ride.”

That turn of phrase — “seventh and final” — will certainly snag the ear of the many loyal fans of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. While there has been no confirmation (or acknowledgment) of the possibility that Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D will end with season 7, it seems likely that Gregg knows from whence he speaks.

Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D season 7 may very well be the team’s final adventure.

Further information from ABC and Marvel may be a while in coming, though. Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D is in a slightly odd position for the moment, having been renewed for a shortened season 6 after something of a dramatic and extended waiting period. (Many assumed that season 5 would be the Marvel show’s last hurrah — the finale of that season was even titled “The End.”)

The actual airing of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D 6 has been delayed until May, leaving fans a year behind the show’s production schedule. The show was unexpected renewed for a preemptive season 7 just before former ABC president Channing Dungey’s departure from the network, and as Clark Gregg mentions filming for that season is currently underway.

The suggested conclusion of such a beloved and embattled show as Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D will certainly come as an unpleasant surprise to its devotees. But should season 7 truly mean the end for Coulson and his steadfast crew, fans (this writer included) can — and should — find comfort in the fact that Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D has at least tripled expectations for its longevity. Constantly reinventing itself, defying definition, and surviving past low ratings and critical skepticism, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D and its fans should be proud of this little show that could.

Of course, Clark Gregg might be mistaken or making assumptions as to the show’s fate. But if it’s time to offer a spy’s goodbye, at least we know that Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D‘s time was deliciously, deviously, and delightedly well-spent.

Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D season 6 premieres in May on ABC.

Do you think ‘Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.’ season 7 might be its last?