[This post contains SPOILERS for Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.]
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For its third pod, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. season 4 has ventured into the Framework – an artificially created world said to fix everyone’s biggest regrets. The world within the Framework is vastly different than the real world of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, as Hydra is looked upon as the law abiding enforcement division of the government, while Inhumans are outcasts. Although only the main cast of characters from the show are actually living in this world (the rest are simply programs), what happens within the Framework is very real.
Even though Holden Radcliffe previously used the Framework to allow Agnes (the inspiration for Aida’s look) to cheat death, it didn’t last long. Even if her physical body had not previously failed, her death within the Framework would’ve carried over to the real world. Bottom line: Agnes is dead in all known worlds, and her death may not be the last of this season.
In the most recent episode, Fitz killed Agnes to spite Radcliffe and prove his loyalty to Madame Hydra. Showrunners Maurissa Tancharoen and Jed Whedon spoke to EW about the character’s demise and what it means for the rest of the characters. Even though it’s not the real world, the Framework has been set up in a way that if someone dies within it, they die in the real world. And so, Agnes’s death may just be the tip of the iceberg.
If another character is going to die before the end of the season, it will be fascinating to see if it will be one of the core cast members or not. May, Coulson, Daisy, Fitz, and Simmons have been with the show since the beginning. Their deaths would have major implications moving forward if the show is renewed for season 5. Losing someone like Mack may be difficult as well, whereas Mace would not feel as earned, and Radcliffe will be gone once they leave the Framework regardless.
“The Framework is a dangerous place. I think it’s safe to say that, if an innocent woman can be killed by one of our main characters, no one is safe.”
This could be another opportunity for the show to kill Ward, but this time sending him out on as a good guy, something that would be rather poetic after dying as a bad guy twice already. The difficult one could be Aida, as she exists and lives within and outside of the Framework simultaneously. Even if she dies in this world, her programming would likely continue on in the real world. Clearly the showrunners have no shortage of options in figuring out who else could die in the Framework, so the cast could be drastically altered by the time the team makes it out alive.
Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. continues Tuesday April 18 with ‘No Regrets’ at 10pm on ABC.
Next: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.: Identity and Change Review & Discussion
Source: EW
