Marvel’s Agents of SHIELD’s upcoming seventh season has been confirmed to be its last. It’s been a show that’s had an uphill battle from the start but has managed to win over a passionate fanbase.

Agents of SHIELD premiered on September 24, 2013, on ABC. The Marvel Cinematic Universe, at the time, was still young but, with the success of the first Avengers film, expectations were high for this show. It was ambitious to revive a dead character to star on his own network show, but it was a risk that eventually paid off because of the show’s characters and ambitious storylines.

Characters

Credit: ABC and Marvel Television for Marvel’s Agents of SHIELD — (L-R) Phil Coulson (Clark Gregg), Melina May (Ming-Na Wen), Elizabeth Henstridge (Jemma Simmons), Daisy Johnson/Quake (Chloe Bennet), Leo Fitz (Iain De Caestecker), Elena Rodriguez/Yo-Yo (Natalia Cordova-Buckley), and Mack MacKenzie (Henry Simmons).

The characters are the heart of this show. Clark Gregg as Phil Coulson feels like a naturally charismatic leader. The writers have done a good job of developing this character who wasn’t even supposed to be alive.

Ming-Na Wen as Melinda May is awesome. She’s the second in command agent with a hard exterior who eventually opens up more. Her action scenes are usually intense with her impressive hand to hand combat.

Chloe Bennet as Daisy Johnson/Quake (originally Skye) is the fan favorite. She started off as an outcast who eventually became one of the most prominent Inhumans in the universe. There’s always satisfaction in watching her use her Quake powers. Bennet plays her character convincingly, as she always struggles with some personal demons.

Iain de Castecker and Elizabeth Henstridge as Leo Fitz and Jemma Simmons play quite possibly the most adorable couple on television. Their quick-witted intelligence and the way they play off each other is one of the show’s many highlights. Their love for each other is so convincing to the point where it’s not easy to watch them have their issues.

Other characters like Hunter, Bobbi, Mack, Yo-Yo, and Deke Shaw are great, as well. Every actor deserves credit for fully embracing their roles and disappearing into the characters. The character interactions feel natural, and everyone plays off each very well. There are charming heartfelt moments along with some heartbreaking ones, as well. The reason those moments work so well is because it’s clear the show prioritizes the characters before anything else. When those crazy moments happen, everything is amplified because you care about the characters. .

Villains

WESTWOOD, CA – MAY 19: Actor Brett Dalton attends the premiere of Global Road Entertainment’s “Hotel Artemis” at Regency Village Theatre on May 19, 2018 in Westwood, California. (Photo by Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images)

The villains on this show are fantastic and always give the team a hard time.

Grant Ward’s betrayal was done so well, and he was truly evil until the end. Brett Dalton played a convincing boy scout agent at the beginning that was slowly revealed to be a HYDRA agent with some serious inner demons. His transformation into Hive was interesting because Dalton as an actor was able to go all out for it.

Aida, the villainous Life Model Decoy in Season 4 was amazing. She got Life Model Decoys to infiltrate the SHIELD team, fought them from within, and trapped them in a simulation called The Framework where they were convinced that was their true life. Aida’s villainous accomplishments have surpassed even most of her film counterparts.

Villains like Ward and Aida are so good because they are given the same treatment as the protagonists and their actions always personally affect the team. Each season has time to flesh out its villain making them well-rounded characters that can constantly be at odds with the protagonists.

Ambition

This show from the very beginning has never been afraid to take chances.

Hydra

Marvel’s Captain America: The Winter Soldier..Maria Hill (Cobie Smulders)..Ph: Zade Rosenthal..© 2014 Marvel. All Rights Reserved.

The Hydra takeover in the back half of season one that directly connected to Captain America: The Winter Soldier is one of the biggest turnarounds a show could ever have. It went from an episodic spy show to a serialized thriller with constant twists and turns. Every episode after the Hydra revelation had a sense of urgency that made every single moment intense. The show has been consistent since, but that turning point will never be forgotten.

A network TV show connecting to a blockbuster that was in theaters at the time is unheard of. It made the MCU feel even bigger than before, and it’s one of the only times SHIELD felt really connected to the films. Samuel L. Jackson and Cobie Smulders reprised their roles respectively as Nick Fury and Maria Hill. It was such a joy to see these MCU heavy hitters interacting with the cast.

Transforming Grant Ward, a boy scout agent, into a villain is still one of the show’s best twists to date. It was so unexpected, but it made his character so much more interesting. The reaction of the characters when they figured it out was so heartbreaking because it looked like they lost a family member.

Inhumans

MARVEL’S AGENTS OF S.H.I.E.L.D. – ÒCollision Course (Part II)Ó Ð No time for the team to play catch-up, thereÕs a planet to save on ÒMarvelÕs Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.,Ó airing FRIDAY, JULY 12 (8:00-9:00 p.m. EDT), on ABC. (ABC/Mitch Haaseth)CHLOE BENNET, JEFF WARD

After Hydra’s takeover, SHIELD. didn’t spare any time introducing something else that would change the show moving forward.

Remember when Daisy was just Skye? It was truly insane that the writers were covering that up to eventually be revealed as Quake, one of the most important SHIELD agents in Marvel. And from then on they introduced their version of Inhumans, which are people who have Kree DNA meaning they are capable of possessing powers after they go through Terrigenesis. Inhumans are outcasts of society, similar to mutants, and all have these unique powers.

The introduction of Inhumans made this universe’s lore so much deeper. They’re people out there with amazing abilities that opened up many interesting storytelling possibilities. It was interesting how they explored the ramifications of that and it’s something the films still haven’t touched. It’s unfortunate that the Inhumans show focusing on the royal family turned out the way it did, but the Inhumans on SHIELD are still special.

Ghost Rider

MARVEL’S AGENTS OF S.H.I.E.L.D. – ABC’s “Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.” stars Gabriel Luna as Robbie Reyes aka Ghost Rider. (ABC)

Introducing Ghost Rider, a fan-favorite supernatural hero, into this show could’ve been a disaster. But with quality character work, he fit right into the show. Gabriel Luna as Robbie Reyes/Ghost Rider stole every scene he was in with his charisma and intensity. It was also nice to see a Latino character take on the rider mantle which offered an interesting take on the beloved character. The special effects for the flaming skull looked great, especially for TV. It’s awesome that he has his own show coming up on Hulu as it is more than well deserved.

Uphill Battle

When the show premiered in 2013, a lot of fans expected it to be on par with the Marvel films off the bat. Over 12 million people watched the series premiere expecting the Avengers on TV, but that expectation was unfair due to growing pains and limitations. Fans agree that the first half of season one was rough but, once the Winter Soldier crossover happened, many agreed that the show improved exponentially, and it has been consistent since.

Nowadays, the show averages around 2 million viewers per episode, but the fact that it averages those numbers on Friday nights is impressive. Most people aren’t tuning in to serialized shows on network TV on Friday nights, so the people watching are definitely passionate. The show struggled with ratings, and its renewals after each season were never guaranteed. It reportedly does well on DVR recordings and internationally which helps boost its case for renewal.

It’s not a show for everybody because it takes place in an already established universe that has to play within the limitations of what Marvel allows them to do. While the first season felt very connected to the MCU films, later seasons feel very much like their own thing. That isn’t a coincidence because Kevin Feige and Marvel Studios have severed ties with Marvel Entertainment, the production company behind SHIELD., the Netflix shows, or anything else not coming Disney Plus.

The fact that SHIELD has the ability to consistently stay interesting without those Marvel Studios resources is quite miraculous. It’s not a Marvel Studios spectacle, but rather a character-driven action/adventure show with ambitious storylines that explores the lesser-known parts of the constantly expansive Marvel Universe. There’s never been anything quite like it, and there probably won’t be when it ends after season 7.