Thanos Is The REAL Villain of Agents of SHIELD Season 5

SPOILERS for Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. and Avengers: Infinity War ahead.

The latest episode of Coulson's imminent death, a lot has been working against the agents.

Further, after the release of Marvel Studios' latest last week, the more Infinity War connections, and this week's episode certainly delivered. In fact, thanks to the revelations of "The One Who Will Save Us All," we now know Thanos is indirectly responsible for the main conflict of season 5.

In an earlier season 5 episode, "Rise and Shine," we learned that Marvel Comics villain Graviton) last week, meets with the Confederacy and learns of Thanos' attack from the Kree warrior Taryan. The key part of their exchange is as follows:

Taryan: Thanos, and his forces, have begun an assault on your world even as we speak.

Talbot: Well then, I’ve got to get down there with the Avengers and take on this Thanos.

Taryan: Thanos’ strength is unrivaled you will lose even with your powerful friends fighting alongside you. Though perhaps there might still be a way.

Adrian Pasdar as Talbot Graviton in Agents of SHIELD

Taryan convinces Talbot to search for more Gravitonium in order to give himself more power, hinting at how Graviton could destroy Earth and keep the time loop in tact. Though we don't know exactly what will happen in the Hydra's Destroyer of Worlds project, it stands to reason the Mad Titan is the true villain of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. season 5.

Of course, we know that Graviton never takes on Thanos in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, since the Mad Titan doesn't actually set foot on Earth until the end of the Battle of Wakanda. (The timeline of exactly how Infinity War fits into Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. is murky, but it's likely that battle hasn't started yet in the show's continuity.) However, we can trace the main conflict of season 5 back to Thanos. His impending attack is used to set events in motion that lead to the destruction of the Earth. Not to mention, his imminent arrival in "The One Who Will Save Us All" incites Graviton's thirst for power.

Whether or not Graviton is truly the one to crack the Earth apart in his quest for more Gravitonium, Thanos is still the ultimate villain of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s latest season. Considering how massive of an event Avengers: Infinity War proved to be - both within the MCU and the real world - it makes sense for the Marvel TV series to tie into the film more closely than previous Marvel Studios releases. What that means for the remaining episodes of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. season 5 and what happens to the team after Thanos snaps his fingers, though, and remains to be seen.