Excited to dive into the Framework? We’ve seen Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. 4×16 and have a few hints for what’s in store!
Origin story, sort of
“What If…” returns Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. to its roots, in more ways than one. There’s mistaken first impressions, a labyrinthine bureaucracy really into its own hierarchy, and even a menacing doctor jabbing needles into people for no good reason.
But of course, the world has turned upside in Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. 4×16. The episode peddles in a deliberate kind of vertigo, turning familiar memories chillingly strange, and even destructive. The instinct to trust the institutions and people we meet can be overwhelming, but Daisy and Jemma quickly learn that this would be a mistake.
“This isn’t the Framework,” one character observes. “This is hell.”
Ward has returned in peak
One critical element of this brave old world is the return of Grant Ward, as near to his original incarnation as he has ever been. Smirking, secretive, and smart, Ward serves as Daisy’s accidental tutor on her bleak new Hydra-dominated reality. It’s infuriatingly delightful to see him again — though Daisy doesn’t have quite the same response.
(Also, he is still built like a Greek statue. In case you were wondering.)
Friends in high — and low — places
As the closing moments of “Self Control” revealed, Agent May’s new reality has landed her at the top of the Hydra-controlled Triskelion. She’s also not alone there. Other familiar faces also play frighteningly critical roles in the ugly regime, exposing personal capabilities and ambitions we never suspected.
But whether top-tier or concerned citizen, everyone’s life has been stained by Hydra in Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. 4×16. And some of those stains will be harder to scrub out than others.
Let’s tell a story
But while “What If…” is deeply dedicated to its fictional self, the episode is even more profoundly interested in our own real world. In the dystopian reality of the Framework, Inhumans are demonized and hunted. Individual liberties are bluntly suppressed. Truth itself is debased and mutated.
And those who object? Well, they just happen to be known as the Resistance.
Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. 4×16 turns our own reality into a story. It’s not just the characters and spaces who seem familiar — it’s the battle lines they draw, the imagery and terminology they chose.
Ripped from the headlines, or just our own anxieties, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. marries the surreal to the terrifyingly realistic. With “What If..,” it prepares to embark on a tale that seems more relevant than ever.
Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. 4×16, “What If…” airs Tuesday, April 4 at 10:00 p.m. on ABC.