Quake's Return Risks Breaking MCU Canon

Chloe Bennet's Quake return could break the Did Kang Destroy The Agents of SHIELD Timeline?

Chloe Bennet's Quake Doesn't Fit With MCU Canon

Agents of SHIELD Quake Avengers Endgame Iron Man Time Travel

Agents of SHIELD and Chloe Bennet's Quake have a complicated history when it comes to fitting into the MCU canon. Despite the show originally being sold as a Marvel TV show that was directly tied to the movies and featuring some MCU film actors early on, later seasons veered further away from the franchise's main canon and story. This included clumsy connections to Thanos that did not fully align. Agents of SHIELD stepping away from major MCU connections gave the show freedom to tell its own story, but it also meant that it became increasingly difficult to explain how the show could be set in the main MCU timeline.

Quake's story on Agents of SHIELD is a microcosm of the disconnect between Marvel TV and Marvel Studios. Originally known as Skye, Chloe Bennet's character was later revealed to be Daisy Johnson and an Inhuman. Her terrigenesis gave her superpowers so she could become known as Quake. Agents of SHIELD explored Daisy's connection to the Kree experiments and made her a global superhero even recognized by the Sokovia Accords. However, the MCU movies ignored many of these developments, even going as far as completely scrapping plans for an Inhumans movie and abandoning Ms. Marvel's Inhuman origin.

Bringing Back Agents Of SHIELD's Quake Is Great (Even If It Hurts Canon)

The MCU using Agents of SHIELD's Quake again could create plenty of canon questions, but it would also be well worth the trouble. Chloe Bennet proved to be a terrific choice to play Daisy Johnson, as she really grew into the role over the course of seven seasons. Agents of SHIELD took notice of her rise and how much audiences liked her by continually increasing her role. Quake proved to be one of the show's best characters by the time it was all over, thanks to her maturation into a leader and resiliency in the face of difficulty. Chloe Bennet's performance is largely responsible for Quake becoming so beloved.

There is also plenty of room to continue Quake's story after Agents of SHIELD season 7. She was last seen leading a team of SHIELD agents in space, but the comics also point to how much greater of a role Chloe Bennet's character could have. Marvel Studios bringing Quake back to the MCU would allow some of those storylines to unfold while also giving Bennet the chance to work with other major actors in the franchise. This could include Chloe Bennet and Samuel L. Jackson sharing the screen again after doing so in Agents of SHIELD season 1. Seeing her story continue is worth the canon questions that would come.

How Quake Could Return Without Breaking MCU Canon

There is an easy way for Chloe Bennet's Quake return to happen without breaking MCU canon. Phase 4 introduced the idea of variants existing across the multiverse. There are already theories that Agents of SHIELD's later seasons took place in branched timelines or that the entire series exists in a different universe. While Agents of SHIELD viewers will likely be more satisfied with Chloe Bennet's return if her Quake is the same version from the Marvel show, it is possible that the star will play a Daisy Johnson variant instead. This would allow the main MCU timeline to have its own version of Quake free from Agents of SHIELD's canon.

Chloe Bennet playing a Quake variant in her MCU return is arguably the most likely option too. This appears to be what Marvel Studios did when bringing Daredevil and Kingpin into the MCU after the Netflix shows. Just as Daredevil and Kingpin are similar to their Netflix counterparts but have a few cosmetic and tonal changes, Daisy Johnson's MCU return could follow the same formula. This would confirm that Agents of SHIELD is not main MCU canon, but the show could still work as a loose guide for Daisy's MCU backstory.

More: Agents Of SHIELD Is Still Marvel's Best TV Show (Even After Phase 4)