‘Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.’ Winter Premiere Preview: Are Coulson and Robot May About to Hook Up?

Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. left for its winter hiatus with the image of Agent May being held captive by Dr. Radcliffe’s robot assistant, putting an end (for now) to the Ghost Rider story. We sat down with the cast and some of the executive producers to talk about that cliffhanger and what it means for the rest of the Marvel universe.

The LMDs

Season 4 is broken up into three segments: The first was devoted to the Ghost Rider story and, when the show returns Jan. 10, the second will revolve around LMDs, or Life Model Decoys. They’ve been around the Marvel comic universe for decades — exact robot replicas used to safeguard and protect important people. In Episode 8, however, we learn that Aida (Mallory Jansen) has kidnapped and replaced Agent May (Ming-Na Wen) with a duplicate without anyone knowing.

Unlike Ultron or even Vision, says executive producer Jeff Bell, these LMDs “are not omniscient. They don’t have access to all knowledge and all information and all other machines” in the way that the robots from the movies do. “How much they know and how their agendas are mixed with their own emotions and those sort of questions are what we’re going to dive into,” adds Jed Whedon, who also executive-produces the show.

That leaves a lot of room for evil — and possibly good — intent for Aida and the May LMD. Jansen suggests that her robotic self is inherently good. “She was programmed to protect people,” she says of Aida’s taking a bullet meant for Fitz (Iain De Caestecker). Perhaps the kidnapping was simply a misguided attempt at helping?

Wen doesn’t disagree that the robot may have everyone’s best interests at heart, but she’s not so sure about her creator. She says that Dr. Radcliffe is the culprit. “To apprehend May and have already planned out and created the LMD May — I don’t think he went through all that trouble for s**ts and giggles.”

Of course, none of this factors in whatever influence the Darkhold may have had over the situation…

The Darkhold

Delving into the world of magic seems like a *ahem* strange move for a show rooted in science and superspies. But, says Whedon, “the Marvel rule is that magic is science we don’t understand.”

The Darkhold (a tome with more than 40 years of comic book history) opens doors to other worlds — worlds with, perhaps, different laws of physics. “Anytime there’s something that, on another show, would be wave-of-the-wand magic, we can chalk it up to ‘Oh, it’s from another dimension.’ Or, as Bell puts it: ‘Aliens might just look like demons to us.’ But the vengeance demon might be named Larry in his world, and there might be a lot of other guys with flaming heads walking around saying, ‘Good morning, Larry,’ and that’d be normal.”

With Aida’s use (and, so far, we don’t know how the book has used her) of the book, S.H.I.E.L.D. is now free to delve into “magic,” since it’s just a misunderstood energy that some have some control over. That includes Aida and Dr. Strange, but there have also been mentions that the Darkhold is tied to the Darkforce — with which both S.H.I.E.L.D. agents and Agent Carter have had many dealings. When asked if Peggy may make another appearance after the cancellation of her eponymous show, Whedon joked, “There’s a 38 percent chance. I can’t tell if that’s a lot or a little.”

#Philinda

Neither Wen nor Clark Gregg was willing to confirm or deny that Coulson and May enter into a romance anytime soon, but the last episode left strong hints that something was about to happen. When Coulson was trapped in the other dimension and made invisible, muses Gregg, “He got to be exposed to [May’s] feelings in a way that I think makes him question his own. You throw some LMDs into the mix, it’s going to get a little wacky. But it’s certainly on the table in a new way — them as a romantic item.”

Sometimes it feels as if couples need extra dimensions to get together on the show. Gregg is quick to hop on the notion. “I want to say that love is its own alternate dimension. Once you go in there, you never come back,” he says with a grin.

The Patriot

In the comics, Jeffrey Mace is one of Marvel’s oldest heroes — debuting in 1941 as the Patriot and even, at one point, taking over as Captain America. In the show’s continuity, he’s an Inhuman, and that’s all we really know. Jason O’Mara suggests that there’s much more in Mace’s history to be told. “That’s the mystery: How long has he been Inhuman? He talks about going through Terrigenesis, but when did that happen? … How long has he had these powers?”

We know that Mace saved many lives at the signing of the Sokovia Accords, which took place during Avengers 2. Because so many instances of Terrigenesis took place in the recent past due to the fish oil contamination, it seems likely that he gained his powers recently. But what if he’s been an Inhuman for years? Jiaying hid her Inhuman sanctuary, Afterlife, for decades. What if Mace was the inspiration for the American Super Soldier project? It would certainly make him more qualified for the role of S.H.I.E.L.D. director than his current PR-heavy policies would suggest.

Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. returns with new episodes on Tuesday, Jan. 10 at 10 p.m. on ABC. Watch clips and full episodes of MAOS on Yahoo View.