The cast of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. season 3 teased life-altering choices and amusing possibilities at San Diego Comic-Con.
Uncertainty was a theme among the cast, who spoke to Hypable after their panel at the recent pop-culture convention. Many of the actors admit that their characters’s once-firm convictions have been shaken by recent events — even relatively new characters will be struck with this internal confusion.
Luke Mitchell (Lincoln) suggests that the Inhuman spark-plug may be pulled in two directions after the Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. season 2 finale.
“I don’t think Lincoln knows exactly where he stands in terms of his allegiances to S.H.I.E.L.D. or Inhumans,” Mitchell says. He also acknowledges that there will “probably be some residual tension carrying over into season 3” between Lincoln and the agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. — whom his people very recently attempted to annihilate.
Henry Simmons agrees on the issue of potential tension, though he’s aware that divisive opinions are not new for his character. Mack stuck around because “he loves the team,” Simmons says, “but he’s still skeptical about people with powers.”
In fact, Simmons speculates that the only way to truly break down Mack’s prejudice is to give him powers himself, to which we are inclined to caution being careful what he wishes for.
Another character who will find herself at a crossroads in Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. season 3 is Bobbi Morse — a prospect which Adrianne Palicki finds exciting.
Related: Secret Warriors are coming to Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. season 3!
“You finally see her vulnerability,” she says of the conclusion of season 2. “The cracks start to show, and I’d love to see more of that.”
Palicki believes that Mockingbird’s physical straits will even leave her questioning her future with S.H.I.E.L.D.
“She’s going to have life-changing injuries,” the actress says, and a lot of unexpected downtime in which to consider her options. “I think it’s going to be a really vulnerable place for her,” Palicki predicts.
And even the unshakably loyal Agent May will be asking herself difficult questions about her life as an agent.
“I think you see May needing to take a little break, take a vacation, and trying to figure out her life with Andrew,” she says. Wen considers Garner to be the love of May’s life, and the unexpected second chance to reunite with him will leave loyalties uncertain.
“It’s going to be a struggle for her between [Andrew] and going back to S.H.I.E.L.D.,” Wen admits. “Because as much as she is a soldier and she’d want to do anything for S.H.I.E.L.D., there’s a part of her questioning who’s right and who’s not right.”
Just about the only actor who is not conflicted about their character’s future is Brett Dalton, who still firmly believes that Ward is “the anti-hero” instead of the villain of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. season 3.
“I think that he feels like this is all coming from a good place,” Daltons says. “And look… how many times has Coulson been wrong? There are a million things that Coulson could do better, and every yin needs it’s yang.”
As for the specifics of Ward’s goals for heading Hydra, Dalton alludes to changes in the epically evil organization.
“This is a new Hydra,” he says. “We’re rebranding.” And when asked about potentially recruiting a team of his own Inhumans, the actor just grinned.
“I mean, who knows?” he smiled. “Who knows?”
Related: Elizabeth Henstridge breaks down Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.‘s shocking finale
Meanwhile, Elizabeth Henstridge continues to grapple with her own uncertainty about Simmons’s future — though expressed confidence in the writer’s plan for Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. season 3.
“The writers are always playing with where characters are and the dynamic of the whole group,” she says. “[Fitz and Simmons] have our own little dynamic, just the two of us, and they’re definitely playing with that. They’ve both been on their own journeys.”
“I wish I could tell you what happens in season 3,” Henstridge laughs. “We have absolutely no idea! But I’m very excited to see where their relationship goes.”
For his part, executive producer Jeph Loeb — the man who does have the answers to these burning questions — remains intensely coy about The Simmons Situation. He does, however, offer a touch of emotional context.
“As you can imagine, the person who’s going to be hit hardest by this is Fitz,” Loeb says. “What is he going to do about it? We’ve seen Fitz having to conquer an enormous physical problem in his own personal life, and as we saw as the season went on, he became stronger and stronger.”
Confronted with Simmons’s disappearance — or possible death, Loeb says that Fitz’s options remain open. “Faced with this, what’s going to happen to him?” the executive producer teases. “Is he going to take a downward spiral, or is he going to take that strength and go to a new place? So that’s just the beginning.”
Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. season 3 begins on Tuesday, Sept. 29 at 9:00 p.m. on ABC.