Though the writing looked to be on the wall for Phil Coulson and company, word has it that Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.‘s fifth season may not be its final one, after all.
Just the other week, we told you that the Marvel show was “on the bubble” and its chances for renewal “could go either way.” Despite the rabid support from its very loyal fanbase, S.H.I.E.L.D. has always suffered from fairly sub-par ratings. That being said, the series has enjoyed probably its best two seasons in the past couple of years.
Infamously, S.H.I.E.L.D. didn’t have much in the way of its own identity in its first batch of episodes, but things have really turned around over the last little while. In particular, seasons 4 and 5 have demonstrated a lot of creativity, exploring Matrix-like alternate universes and even sending the team into space.
So, with all that in mind, it’s understandable why fans are keeping their fingers crossed for a sixth season. And while nothing official has been announced just yet, MCU Exchange is reporting that the show’s already been renewed and we can expect confirmation of that quite soon.
“Disney doesn’t want to lose another Avengers connection on network television,” says a source close to the production. “With the upcoming season 5 finale coming in May, expect a season 6 announcement which should give diehard fans some good news.”
Again, this remains a rumor for now, but it’d certainly make sense. After all, both Avengers: Infinity War and its currently untitled sequel will be giving the Marvel brand a huge boost over the next year or so (not that it needs it, mind you), and like the source says, Disney doesn’t want to lose another connection to the films with all that’s happening and about to happen in the MCU on the big screen. You have to imagine that if season 6 really is going ahead, the studio is surely already thinking of ways to tie it into Joe and Anthony Russo’s upcoming movies.
Whatever ends up happening, it seems that showrunners Jed Whedon and Maurissa Tancharoen are prepared for any eventuality. They previously revealed that the season 5 finale is being written with the idea in mind that it could also act as the series finale, as well. Still, obviously they’d like to make more Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D. and as such, you can expect the episode to drop some breadcrumbs for the much hoped for season 6.