Perhaps the reason that Captain America: The Winter Soldier. For five seasons, it was hard to deny that Agents of SHIELD was canon. Now, however, with Kang on the way, Marvel Studios might finally be able to explain why Agents of SHIELD was never canon in the first place.

Kang can be anyone, anywhere. He has the power to disrupt timelines or wipe them away completely with the TVA under his control. As such, it’s conceivable that Agents of SHIELD’s timeline will come to be known as a branching timeline, one that Kang or He Who Remains destroyed because it threatened the stability of time, the universe, or his power. Though this explanation might initially feel contrived, it’s certainly better than the MCU refusing to acknowledge Agents of SHIELD’s existence and would allow for some of the show’s characters to surface in the MCU’s so-called “sacred timeline” without having to outright ignore their history in Agents of SHIELD.

Related: Who Is Kang the Conqueror? The MCU's New Big Bad Explained

Why Kang Can Explain Every "Missing" Marvel Show

Antman and the wasp quantumania Kang Quantum Realm City

Agents of SHIELD isn’t the only older Marvel TV show plagued by questions of canon status. The Marvel Netflix shows are under the same scrutiny, especially now that Vincent D’Onofrio and Charlie Cox have reprised their Avengers: Endgame. The Marvel timeline has become ever more complicated with the introduction of the Multiverse, but in this case, it might also be the MCU’s saving grace.

Though Kang hasn’t been seen much in the MCU so far, certain variants of his have already had quite an impact. He Who Remains being killed by Sylvie in the in Loki. Kang The Conqueror could have easily wiped out these realities to enforce his own conquest or even as part of He Who Remains’ effort to contain the multiverse.

The MCU Needs To Use The Multiverse To Justify Its SHIELD Cut

Coulson's Team in Agents Of Shield

Of all the “missing” Marvel TV shows, Agents of SHIELD’s non-canon status is the hardest to swallow. Until season 6, the series followed the events of the movies closely, but the aftermath of MCU's Sokovia Accords, for instance, and Phil Coulson’s resurrection was a continued plotline from The Avengers. Important MCU characters also guest starred on the show, including Maria Hill, Nick Fury, and Lady Sif.

Given Agents of SHIELD’s earlier dedication to following the MCU timeline and expanding the audience’s view of what it would be like to live in a world populated by superheroes, the MCU now needs to use all the narrative tools at its disposable to give the show the recognition it deserves. The multiverse may sometimes act as an overly easy way to untangle complicated canon situations, but in this case, it is wholly deserved. Agents of SHIELD encomes some of Marvel TV’s strongest storytelling, and the MCU’s disregard for it can no longer be excused when it is in the midst of the unfolding Multiverse Saga.

Next: Every Time Agents Of SHIELD Referenced The MCU

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