Marvel on the Small ScreenLists about TV series based on the Marvel Comics superheroes and teams, from Jessica Jones to Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. to Hawkeye.
Vote up the 'Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.' story arcs that hold their own alongside the MCU movies.
One of the best aspects of Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. is that the series is structured much like the comic books it's based on. Each season follows an "event" storyline that builds up into the ones that follow. The result is a series that brings the fans back season after season to see what's going to happen next, which popular characters from the comics will make an appearance, and how closely the series relates to the books.
Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s story arcs are called pods, and most seasons have one large one while others have two to three. Pods have been described as "7-10 episodes [that feature] little 'enclosed plotlines' that formed a larger whole." This structure will continue as the show enters its sixth and seventh seasons. Each pod has its fans, but some are considered significantly better than others.
What Happens: "Agents of HYDRA" is the third and final pod from the fourth season. With the main characters stuck in Aida's framework, life looks rather different. S.H.I.E.L.D. has fallen while HYDRA has taken its place, and the woman in charge is none other than Aida, otherwise known as Lady Hydra within the Framework. At her side is Fitz, whose father is still around to lead him down a path of darkness as Aida's righthand man.
Coolest/Most Bad-Ass Moment: When the team finally escapes in a massive fight at the very end.
What It Sets Up: The inevitable confrontation with Aida in the real world. However, things aren't as simple as they used to be thanks to the Darkhold...
What Happens: In order to line up Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. with the rest of the MCU, "Uprising" is used to parallel the events of Captain America: The Winter Soldier. In that film, S.H.I.E.L.D. falls as HYDRA takes over, and "Uprising" shows the fallout of the destruction of S.H.I.E.L.D. from the perspective of the very agents of the organization that the series is based on.
Coolest/Most Bad-Ass Moment: Everything comes to a head when the Clairvoyant turns out to be none other than John Garrett, proving a traitor was among the agents all along.
What It Sets Up: "Uprising" doesn't directly set up another pod, but it does establish that the entire world has changed for Coulson and his agents. What will they do now that they have no backup, nobody to turn to, and the world out to get them?
What Happens: "Fallen Agent" closes out the third season with the prophesied passing of one of the primary Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. The group must take on Hive as the master plan is finally revealed to threaten all humans and Inhumans on the planet - but who will live and who will perish?
Coolest/Most Bad-Ass Moment: When Lash makes his way into Hive's lair to free Daisy and perishes in the fight. It's a brutal scene with ramifications extending well beyond the episode for Daisy and the rest of the characters.
What It Sets Up: With Hive finally out of the way, Daisy leaves S.H.I.E.L.D. and becomes the vigilante Quake. That new identity remains for the rest of the series into Season 5. With "Fallen Agent" over and done with, it's time to introduce some new blood with "Ghost Rider" in Season 4.
What Happens: In Season 4's second pod, Aida sets out on her quest to find the Darkhold. More and more people are turning into LMDs as her plan comes to fruition, which leaves the remaining people wondering who they can trust. Meanwhile, Aida develops the simulation that will become the Framework with Agent May as her guinea pig.
Coolest/Most Bad-Ass Moment: When May is stuck in a perpetual loop, Radcliffe modifies her memories of the rescue in Bahrain to have her save Katya Belyakov, which was her greatest regret.
What It Sets Up: "LMD" directly establishes the events that unfold in "Agents of HYDRA," which is the third pod of the fourth season.
What Happens: The Inhumans story arc isn't a pod, but rather, it's the beginning of a major subplot that continues for the rest of the series. "Inhumans" kicks off in the second season with the major developments occurring in episodes 11-22. The mysterious Obelisk has granted powers to Raina, Daisy, and others, causing the Inhumans to once again walk the Earth. Can Daisy learn her new powers without harming herself and others?
Coolest/Most Bad-Ass Moment: The monument decides to turn itself into a liquid right before swallowing Simmons whole and transporting her to parts unknown.
What It Sets Up: The search for Simmons and the revelation of Husk in what will become the "Fallen Agent" storyline.
What Happens: After being taken from a diner after finally getting out of the Framework, all but Fitz find themselves zapped to what appears to be a space station via a strange white monolith. When they awaken, they face a dangerous alien threat called the Vrellnexian. Eventually, it's revealed that they are on a habitat run by the Kree, the same race responsible for the creation of the Inhumans. It turns out that they aren't on a space station at all, but rather, they are in the future sometime after the Earth was wiped out, leaving the survivors to languish on the station run by the Kree.
Coolest/Most Bad-Ass Moment: The opening scene when the crew finds themselves in space and has to find a way to survive without knowing what's going on.
What It Sets Up: A return to the right time, the saving of the world, and the beginning of what will become the "Graviton" event.
