S02.E19: The Dirty Half Dozen

[FinnishViewer]

I am perfectly fine with that, as bouncers couldn't keep me away from the movie on opening day. It's the reverse, needing to have followed this series to know what's going on in a MCU film, that I'd have a problem with.

I also doubt that somebody is interested in and likes watching this series but is not interested in seeing Age of Ultron.

[NossohSeven]

I also doubt that somebody is interested in and likes watching this series but is not interested in seeing Age of Ultron.

Disagree. Theaters are filthy and overpriced for what little they deliver. Rather watch the series and read the reviews of the movies while socializing in more pleasant places.

[Donny Ketchum]

Now that you got what you wanted, @APSimpson, could you PLEASE STOP ASKING FOR IT?  This episode pretty much confirmed that this will NEVER, EVER happen again on a permanent basis, if the reactions May, Skye, Fitz, and Simmons were of any indication.

 

And Coulson forgiving him?  *Scoffs*  I don't think even he does.  I think he had a cell ready for Ward just like Ward himself thought.  He may have been the easiest on him, but I don't think that equals forgiving him.  Oh, but you're welcome to keep dreaming.

[Llywela]

I'm confused. This is the pre-Ultron episode? Is Ultron not out in America then? 'Cause it's already out here, I've seen it - and call me naive, but I just assumed America would get it first!

 

I guess I learned something new today!

[MDKNIGHT]

Age of Ultron opens in US theaters Thursday or Friday.   I'm not going this weekend.  I never go opening weekend it is too frantic.

 

Man when Jemma says If I ever see you again I'll kill you she means it. ...Ata girl.  I wish she'd had a second gizmo ready when he had the nerve to try to take the moral high ground.  He's as deluded as Cal. Actually I hate Ward a lot more than Cal.  I think Cal genuinely snapped at seeing his beloved wife flayed and finding his daughter gone.  Ward's sob story was BS.  And let"s not forget Cal hasn't murdered his own. 

 

I seriously think they've made Skye  a heck of a lot more likeable.  Has she always been genre savvy?  She's a computer hacker so of course she'd know Sonic the Hedgehog but Ioved she referenced Candy Man and expected everybody else to know it. So glad everybody is still happy she shot Ward.

[Agent Dark]

Age of Ultron has been in out in Australia/NZ (and Europe/Asia I think?) for nearly a week now.  I haven't had a chance to see it yet (going tomorrow :)) but this episode was a good lead up to it.  Also just re-watched Captain America 2 last night, and the mid-credit tag with Strucker and Dr List (List is the guy in this episode) was another good little refresher.  The lab SHIELD raided in this episode definitely resembled the lab in that CA2 tag.

Edited April 29, 2015 by Agent Dark

[Tim Thomason]

I don't think Coulson "forgives" Ward, or anything like that. I think he just doesn't take it personally. Ward, to Coulson, is definitely an enemy of SHIELD and an enemy-at-large, but Coulson's willing to use anything and anyone as a tool to help further the agenda of his agency.

 

Unlike Skye, Fitz, and Simmons (and oddly, May), he's willing to let things roll over him, knowing that he's in the business of secrets and espionage. He was downright chummy throughout the episode with Gonzales, a guy who just coup d'etat'd him, and pointed out that he was perfectly fine with May after last year's blip of spying on him for Fury.

 

In a way, his attitude mirrors that of Hunter, who understands that Mac did what was in the best interests of his loyalty (Real SHIELD). Hunter's taking things with Bobbi personally, of course, because that wasn't necessarily about business and was connected to their past interpersonal relationship surrounding their marriage and divorce. I suspect we'll see more of the Hunter/Bobbi dynamic in the future, although maybe not on this show.

[Sarnia]

I also doubt that somebody is interested in and likes watching this series but is not interested in seeing Age of Ultron.

(raises hand shyly) (please don't throw tomatoes).

I have no intention of going to see the movie, and I haven't seen any of the previous ones. I enjoy the series (more this season actually) but not invested enough for more. I know that I probably miss out on some refrences, but I feel that I'm getting enough of what is going on to enjoy the series on its own (and I also pick up a lot by reading this forum!).

Do you think I should just stop watching? Am I the only alien?

[Chaos Theory]

Who would have guessed at the end of the first episode that by the end of the second season that Skye (That is NOT her name!) would become such a fascating character and Simmons would become a badass.

[Raja]

Disagree. Theaters are filthy and overpriced for what little they deliver. Rather watch the series and read the reviews of the movies while socializing in more pleasant places.

 

 

Age of Ultron has been in out in Australia/NZ (and Europe/Asia I think?) for nearly a week now.  I haven't had a chance to see it yet (going tomorrow :)) but this episode was a good lead up to it.  Also just re-watched Captain America 2 last night, and the mid-credit tag with Strucker and Dr List (List is the guy in this episode) was another good little refresher.  The lab SHIELD raided in this episode definitely resembled the lab in that CA2 tag.

Most big franchise these days open overseas first the thinking is that the American audience is more likely to go out with the crowds and increasingly in premium theatres  rather then engage the pirate and watch a free bootleg at home

[DeLurker]

(raises hand shyly) (please don't throw tomatoes).

I have no intention of going to see the movie, and I haven't seen any of the previous ones. I enjoy the series (more this season actually) but not invested enough for more. I know that I probably miss out on some refrences, but I feel that I'm getting enough of what is going on to enjoy the series on its own (and I also pick up a lot by reading this forum!).

Do you think I should just stop watching? Am I the only alien?

Nah, me too.  I've liked the movies I have seen on tv - maybe 2 or 3 of them, but I like the series independent of the movies.  I miss some of the references, but not a big deal to me.

 

I don't buy Skye as a character achieving that level of fighting skill in this period of time, but damn it was well choreographed and Chloe Bennett did a good job.  And one take?  That blows the mind.

 

St. Agnes must be the patron saint of Bad Asses.

 

I loved Cal talking about Raina - how she is manipulative, deceitful and can't be trusted, but he had some good times with her.  Oh Cal, you really are my favorite nutter of all time.

 

ETA:  To eliminate made up words and rules of grammar.

Edited April 29, 2015 by DeLurker

[Primetimer]

The original team gets reunited before everything gets shoved aside to advertise a movie that's opening on Friday. Finally, it gets some publicity!

Read the story

[Sakura12]

I guess St. Angus really teaches endurance to their kids. 

 

Raina's exposition for the Avengers plot was hilarious. I was wondering if they were going to set up the big robot attack. 

[APSimpson]

I'm still not really clear how Ward got back. Weren't they in the arctic? How did Ward get away and get back on the street? It's not like he flew back with the team.

[MrWhyt]

I'm still not really clear how Ward got back. Weren't they in the arctic? How did Ward get away and get back on the street? It's not like he flew back with the team.

Hydra obviously had their own means of getting to and from the base, it's not that egregious of a hand wave to assume he stole one of their jets/helicopters/flying unicorns and used that to escape.

Edited April 29, 2015 by MrWhyt

[ottoDbusdriver]

Hydra obviously had their own means of getting to and from the base, it's not that egregious of  hand wave to assume he stole one of their jets/helicopters/flying unicorns and used that to escape.

 

But the weird part is that before the SHIELD jets that bombed the Arctic Hydra facility had even returned to base Ward had managed to steal one of Hydra's jet/helicopter/flying unicorn, return to what looked like a major city (complete with traffic lights, street lights, and restaurants with patios), ditched the jet/helicopter/flying unicorn and was casually walking down a street to make a phone call to Coulson.

[APSimpson]

Hydra obviously had their own means of getting to and from the base, it's not that egregious of  hand wave to assume he stole one of their jets/helicopters/flying unicorns and used that to escape.

 

Thanks. Yeah, it was just so fast, like what just happened? I guess it wasn't relevant really to explain all that in the episode.

 

Wonder what they do/where they go with Ward now? Will he be back for the two hour finale?

[Raja]

Was it just me or did the FX for the bus attack on the Hydra base and the close up of Skye's hand to hand fighting look better then Captain America's fight in the Avengers trailer on the TV screen?

[Sakura12]

Watching that scene again, Skye didn't do that much ass kicking, she mostly did a lot of shooting. It's not so much her fighting skills that got better, it's her aim that got much better. 

[Kobo Duram]

Disagree. Theaters are filthy and overpriced for what little they deliver. Rather watch the series and read the reviews of the movies while socializing in more pleasant places.

 

Filthy?   Where do you live?

 

I understand that some people may feel its overpriced, but $15 to go to see Avengers in IMAX 3D is worth it to me.   I absolutely love going to the movies in theaters.

 

My local theater is kept very clean, has reserved seating, and is a pleasent all around experience.

[AndySmith]

Not buying Skye being that good.

 

Well, she is the most special snowflake that ever snowflaked. EVER.

 

This episode hightlights a problem of being a part of the cinematic universe on TV, it will never really contribute much to the movies' narrative, but just coast along the fringes of it.

 

Anyway. I'm just here for May and Coulson.

Edited April 29, 2015 by AndySmith

[Tarasme]

Liked it ok- It is very difficult for me to be patient with the pacing as I'm still waiting for something similar to last year. I LOVED last season's run up to the finale. All hell broke loose with about, what, 6(?) episodes of action, plot twists, and momentum. This season, I feel like I'm holding my breath waiting for the dam to break.

 

Bobbi- her conversation with 33 was extremely unnerving. Her acknowledgement that they'd met before- for which she did NOT clarify whether she meant within S.H.I.E.L.D. or during her time as a Hydra mole- and her deep sincerity tripped every single foreshadowing sensor I have. Bobbi's "I'm everyone's best friend" attitude plus Ward's "Kara is where she's supposed to be" has my hackles all up. I'm gonna feel super stupid if it turns out Bobbi's transparent in her actions.

 

I'm glad they took a beat to flesh out May's mistrust of Coulson. It didn't make sense that she so quickly dismissed his need to compartmentalize intelligence and had her panties twisted that he'd kept something from her. Until he pointed out that it was his secret involvement with Andrew that really had her upset. Now I get it- still feels shoehorned but I can accept that motivation on her part.

 

Poor Mike. I hope he's better off with Gonzales than he was with List but I have my doubts.

 

Not sure how I feel about Jemma. All her personal feels are going to get her or someone she cares about killed. Ward still had value as an asset when she went after him. To rise to total badass status, she'll have to be able to suck up the vengeance until such time as he's totally outlived his usefulness then pounce when he's not looking. All she did was help him understand, and prepare for, her as a threat. I think that's why he was disappointed- because she didn't think it through so that she could succeed.

 

I'm watching again tonight- 

[FurryFury]

That was fun, but not as fun as I hoped. Still, a good episode and I'm always up for more Ward/the team. Their reactions made a lot of sense.

 

Has Simmons killed anyone before? Her non-reaction at killing Bakshi surprised me. I mean, he's a bad guy, but still.

 

That fight scene with Skye was really well-done, I loved it.

 

Hunter accepting Mac's apology was the first time I didn't dislike him. But so not looking forward to him and Bobbi, he just drags her down.

 

I don't want to waste money on cinemas (plus I don't live in an English-speaking country and I hate dubs), but I can't imagine waiting for the DVD release. Well, I'll take the third option, I guess.

[Raja]

That was fun, but not as fun as I hoped. Still, a good episode and I'm always up for more Ward/the team. Their reactions made a lot of sense.

 

Has Simmons killed anyone before? Her non-reaction at killing Bakshi surprised me. I mean, he's a bad guy, but still.

 

That fight scene with Skye was really well-done, I loved it.

 

Hunter accepting Mac's apology was the first time I didn't dislike him. But so not looking forward to him and Bobbi, he just drags her down.

 

I don't want to waste money on cinemas (plus I don't live in an English-speaking country and I hate dubs), but I can't imagine waiting for the DVD release. Well, I'll take the third option, I guess.

My take is that besides the line where Coulson alerts "spoiler alert" Fury to assemble the Avengers the Agents plot will not be as tied in with the movie as The Winter Soldier was. Yes it will clear some things up SHIELD versus Real SHIELD wise but the promos suggest Agents is going 

harder on the Inhumans story and not dealing with the Ultron thing

[Bruinsfan]

I don't buy Skye as a character achieving that level of fighting skill in this period of time, but damn it was well choreographed and Chloe Bennett did a good job.  And one take?  That blows the mind.

I suppose if Chloe Bennett can learn how to do the stunt choreography in a similar amount of time, I have to accept that it's possible for Skye to have learned to actually handle herself that well in a fight with intensive training from May.

[33kaitykaity]

Count me among the pleased to see the team back together again.  I think everyone could figure out a way to deal with Ward on a recurring basis, not necessarily forgiving him for his dastardly deeds while acting as mole for Hydra, It would be a rich source of conflict to go on through next season.  Yes, I agree, the actor does scruffy really, really well, and for me the anti-heroes are always more fun to watch.  

 

Times like these movie premieres are when I'm glad that I'm agnostic on the other parts of the Marvel universe.  

[Julie23]

I never see movies on opening weekend, so although I will eventually see the Avengers movie, I won't see it before next week's Shield, so I really hope they aren't THAT tied together. I enjoy them as "related", but not "integrated" stories. I was happy with this episode, although a bit surprised that May really was mad at Coulson and "joined" Not!Shield for reals it seems. Skye/Daisy was more enjoyable this episode that she has been in a long time. I think her story works so much better when she is with her Shield buddies, than alone or at Camp Inhuman.

[Raja]

I suppose if Chloe Bennett can learn how to do the stunt choreography in a similar amount of time, I have to accept that it's possible for Skye to have learned to actually handle herself that well in a fight with intensive training from May.

Since we can't see their human engineering skill a la James Rockford on a short con to get away in the modern action not talk era TV/movie spies can always beat special operations soldiers even if the spy is middle aged or the spy is as skinny as a runway super model in hand to hand fighting.. Their pistols can defeat any body armor. I don't see how Skye is much differ then her sisters and brothers in fictional etertaiment

[Emily Thrace]

And Coulson forgiving him?  *Scoffs*  I don't think even he does.  I think he had a cell ready for Ward just like Ward himself thought.  He may have been the easiest on him, but I don't think that equals forgiving him.  Oh, but you're welcome to keep dreaming.

 

I don't know if its dreaming Coulson was certainly willing to work with him this time around.  Although I don't think its so much that Ward has forgiven Ward as much as he has accepted what Ward did and isn't angry anymore.   I think Coulson has accepted that season 1  Ward doesn't really exist and sees potential in the real Ward that he's come to know. I don't think of it as so much forgiveness and that Coulson  wants to go back to where things were but he has accepted what Ward has done and wants to move forward. I don't think Coulson is at the point where Ward is family again but I do think he cares about Ward and what happens to him.  I think if it would solely up to Coulson and he had full control of SHEILD  Ward would be back on the payroll. Maybe not a part of the the direct team but a friendly in the field much like Mike was.

 

One of the more consistent notes about Coulson is that he is very optimistic about people and what they can be. It showed up in how he handled Raina and Hunter as well.  He can be unrealistic like in Raina's case but I actually find it one of his most  endearing qualities.

[ChelseaNH]

So Coulson had an epiphany that keeping secrets is bad, promised to do better, and went right back to keeping secrets.  I think the whole "secrets are bad" thing was stupid, given his job, but why is he keeping these particular secrets?  May was his monitor while he was dealing with his compulsions.  Why wouldn't he tell her that he was seeing a therapist?  Therapy is a good thing.  And so what if his therapist is her ex-husband?  Andrew was an eminently logical choice.  To think he can't tell her because she's a wimmin who gets all emotional about her ex is just so -- ick.  And why can't he tell her that he's looking for Loki's scepter?

 

Idiot plotting makes me cranky.

 

Wasn't her end game getting transformed?

So time for a new end game.

 

I'm gonna feel super stupid if it turns out Bobbi's transparent in her actions.

I think Bobbi is fundamentally kind and would like to help Kara -- but she also wants to keep an eye on her.

[xqueenfrostine]

I think Coulson has accepted that season 1  Ward doesn't really exist and sees potential in the real Ward that he's come to know. I don't think of it as so much forgiveness and that Coulson  wants to go back to where things were but he has accepted what Ward has done and wants to move forward. I don't think Coulson is at the point where Ward is family again but I do think he cares about Ward and what happens to him.  I think if it would solely up to Coulson and he had full control of SHEILD  Ward would be back on the payroll. Maybe not a part of the the direct team but a friendly in the field much like Mike was.

 

But he still called Ward a "bad option" as recently as two weeks ago (or in show time probably only a couple of days), so I don't think it's so much that Coulson sees potential in the real Ward and wants to work with him as it was that Coulson didn't have a lot of options available to him in terms of getting into Hydra and is pragmatic enough to form temporary alliances despite their bad history.  Had he still had access to all of SHIELD at the time he contacted Ward, I think he probably would have tried other options first.  

 

Also, I think Coulson telling Ward that he wanted to mind-wipe him Tahiti style is a pretty clear sign that, no he isn't interested in the New Ward and wouldn't trust him enough to put him on the payroll.  At least not without some involuntary altering of Ward's personality and identity.

Edited April 29, 2015 by xqueenfrostine

[ottoDbusdriver]

Watching that scene again, Skye didn't do that much ass kicking, she mostly did a lot of shooting. It's not so much her fighting skills that got better, it's her aim that got much better.

 

Plus it made it look like Skye was invincible to gun fire -- seriously, none of those henchmen were able to get off a headshot or a shot to the leg with all those bullets flying around whereas Skye was Annie Oakley taking them down with mostly single shots.  And there were portions that looked very fake-fight staged.

[Cekrypton1]

So Ward is basically Spike, pre-chip, pre-soul. Just a dangerous person who shows up to vaguely menace the group.

[ohjoy]

Did anyone else think Firefly/Serenity when they were pretending to be debris falling from the bus in order to avoid being truly shot down?

 

No one? Oh good, me neither. Carry on.

[justjoan]

 

Poor Mike. I hope he's better off with Gonzales than he was with List but I have my doubts.

 

With Gonzales calling him "that thing"? I'm also doubtful.

[miracole]

Skye's Sonic and Candyman references were made of win. 

 

Love crazy Ward. I cracked up at him telling May that the way of her dealing with her issues was him. I think I saw the fire shoot from her eyes.

 

I love Raina everything. Couldn't stop laughing at how quickly she went from broken to probably planning a coup. Also I really like that her hoodie has flowers on it.

 

[cali1981]

. 

 

I don't think it was just Skye's vibrations that jumped Lincoln's heart....it looked like she manipulated it so she could feed off of his electricity.  There was a zap in there, like a charge paddle.  Not sure how she did it, but guess the training up on Afterlife is top notch.

 

.

That was soooo cool.  Skye is now a portable defibrillator unit!  She may find herself hanging on the wall in an office building with an Emergency sign above  her if she's not careful.

[Tarasme]

 

Why wouldn't he tell her that he was seeing a therapist?  ... Andrew was an eminently logical choice.  To think he can't tell her because she's a wimmin who gets all emotional about her ex is just so -- ick.

 

I can see why Coulson- or anyone- would for very personal reasons choose to not divulge one is seeing a therapist.

 

I guess I should be phooey-ing on tPtb for using May's issues with Coulson colluding with Andrew as the core of the reason she was upset but it makes sense to me and doesn't seem overly sexist to think that she would be touchy about any secretive involvement with Andrew. Just as it makes sense to me that Coulson wouldn't tell anyone- not singling out May- that he was seeing Andrew in Andrew's professional capacity. :::shrugs:::: I don't know- they've tried to show us May's emotional depths and rounded her character. That roundness includes sensitivity relating to all things Andrew. I'm not too bothered by it.

[ChelseaNH]

I can see why Coulson- or anyone- would for very personal reasons choose to not divulge one is seeing a therapist.

 

Except Coulson had already told May the very personal reasons he'd being seeing a therapist about -- his strange compulsions.  It's like telling someone "I hear voices" but then hiding the fact that you're seeing a therapist about it.  Wouldn't they want you to see a therapist?

[kitlee625]

I think what bothers me about the reveals about Coulson's secrets is that they built them up as these big mysteries, and then solved them in the simplest ways possible. Theta protocol? Avengers. Coulson is hanging out with May's ex? Therapy. It's not that I didn't see them coming, rather that I saw them coming but thought the answers were too easy for the show.

 

On a similar note, I'm kind of disappointed that the concerns about Coulson and the "trust no one" style of SHIELD leadership are all being swept under the rug. Before long, all the "good" SHIELD agents will fall into line, and the "bad" doubters of Olmos SHIELD will be revealed to be evil in all their xenophobic, let's experiment on Inhumans glory. It annoys me because I like when there's conflict on a show and shades of grey, and I was hoping that this Olmos SHIELD storyline would be used to re-examine Coulson's SHIELD. I do like Coulson, but should we just take at face value that Coulson always has to lie to keep everyone else in line? For example, he tricked Simmons into working on new hardware for Mike Peterson. Why bother lying about that? Simmons likes and trusts Mike. He just now lied to May about trying to find the scepter. Again, why? We don't have any reason for her to say "wow Coulson, I think Hydra should keep control of a magical weapon able to control minds." He may have the right to keep these kinds of secrets as director of SHIELD, but frankly it doesn't totally make sense why he is.

Edited April 29, 2015 by kitlee625

[kennyab]

Except Coulson had already told May the very personal reasons he'd being seeing a therapist about -- his strange compulsions.  It's like telling someone "I hear voices" but then hiding the fact that you're seeing a therapist about it.  Wouldn't they want you to see a therapist?

 

All sorts of reasons, the biggest being expectations others might have about your progress. "How was your last session? Any big revelations? Have they put you on any meds? You skipped a week? Why? You're going back, right?" And even if others are cooler than that, there's the problem of putting more expectations on yourself once you've let others know, feeling that you owe them progress. Therapy is a very private issue, and sometimes people need to do it in secret. If Coulson felt more comfortable seeing someone without other's eyes on him, more power to him.

 

I think what bothers me about the reveals about Coulson's secrets is that they built them up as these big mysteries, and then solved them in the simplest ways possible. Theta protocol? Avengers. Coulson is hanging out with May's ex? Therapy. It's not that I didn't see them coming, rather that I saw them coming but thought the answers were too easy for the show.

 

I don't believe that Theta protocol was about calling in the Avengers. My feeling is it's some kind of emergency preparedness plan that Fury started and Coulson's carried out. Why would they need hundreds of bunks just to call the Avengers? It's some network that Fury/Hill/Coulson have been building, and Hill wanted to make sure that it was in place before calling the Avengers, as an Avengers-level threat usually ends up in lots of destruction. Since they're building up a SHIELD/Other!SHIELD/Inhumans war, I think we still have more to see about it and that it'll factor into the last couple of episodes.

 

He just now lied to May about trying to find the scepter. Again, why? We don't have any reason for her to say "wow Coulson, I think Hydra should keep control of a magical weapon able to control minds." He may have the right to keep these kinds of secrets as director of SHIELD, but frankly it doesn't totally make sense why he is.

Again, this is a Fury/Hill/Coulson thing. I'm willing to give them until the end of the season to flesh this out more, as I think they've earned it as this point. But I'm guessing that Fury is at the top of this food chain, and he's the one who gave Coulson the gag order. If Coulson's not at liberty to divulge information about the mission as a whole, then just saying that he thinks the base might have some information about the scepter doesn't necessarily help his case with May. She may see it as obsession with the weapon Loki used to kill Coulson/Coulson's existential crisis that's fueled everyone's paranoia about him. Maybe she'll go along with it, but she's already primed to distrust his actions in relationship to his death and resurrection, hence his comment about not wanting to risk the swing vote. If it's about saving Mike and a powered person from Hydra torture, that's easy enough for her to go along with. But he's in no position to even give the impression of tilting at windmills.

 

ETA: I don't think everyone knows that Loki's scepter can be used to control people. I can see that Fury et al don't want that information getting out, even within the SHIELD community. So without Phil being able to spill that intel (again, I'm guessing under Fury's direction), his desire to go after it would seem even more insane/obsessive to everyone in the room.

Edited April 29, 2015 by kennyab

[kitlee625]

That's true, there certainly could be more to it, and I hope that's the case. They certainly gave a lot of quick/easy answers for Coulson's resurrection only to drop the real bomb on us halfway through season 1, and to have repercussions of that action spill into season 2.

[Raja]

They blew up 616, i just got it.

[kennyab]

Yeah, I had totally forgotten until last night that the Bus was SHIELD-616 -- that explosion was some big, awesome, meta nerdery on the parts of the writers.

[DeLurker]

They blew up 616, i just got it.

Please share cause I have no idea why that is relevant.

[kennyab]

Please share cause I have no idea why that is relevant.

 

Marvel comics has a multiverse, with different variations of Marvel comics taking place in different universes, each with its own number. The main Marvel universe that most of its published comics take place in is numbered 616. Others are the "Ultimate" universe, which was a reimagining of Marvel properties in modern times, the 1492 universe, which has all of the characters set in the Virginia Colony before the Revolutionary War, and the 2099 universe, a potential future of the Marvel universe (at the time of its creation, a bit over 100 years).

 

They're having a big event in the comics right now called Secret Wars in which all of those universes are "ending" and characters from each universe are all being put on one planet called Battleworld to see which universe gets to survive. So Marvel's been touting the destruction of the main 616 universe for a while now. And the show just blew up SHIELD 616.

 

The Marvel cinematic universe is actually Earth-199999. But that's pretty unofficial, and the MCU is off-limits for the current comic storyline (cartoons, such as the 90's X-Men, however, are being included in the event).

 

ETA: Our universe, if you're curious, is 1218.

Edited April 30, 2015 by kennyab

[Raja]

Or in other words forget your deep Marvel history even more than before we will be seeing stories independent of all those comics collections

[ChelseaNH]

the biggest being expectations others might have about your progress

 

This isn't about generic "others," this is about May.  Who is already monitoring his behavior and his state of mind at his specific request.  He assigned May oversight of a particular area, and then withheld pertinent information.

[paigow]

Can Mike Petersen get an Iron Patriot suit? Pretty sure Stark Industries can afford it.

[Raja]

Can Mike Petersen get an Iron Patriot suit? Pretty sure Stark Industries can afford it.

Tony don't roll like that. If Rhodes wasn't his friend that War Machine armored suit would have gone the way all the drones in Ironman II and III did.

It is a MCU weak point.They seem to forget others have tech beyond Stark and what Hydra got from the SHIELD civil war.

Edited April 30, 2015 by Raja