Marvel Guides

Expanded Guide: Iron Man 3

Viewing Order Placement

Iron Man 3 kicks off Phase 2 and takes place during Christmas several months after the events of The Avengers.

MCU Connections and Easter Eggs

• This movie opens with a flashback to a New Year's Eve party in Bern, Switzerland. During the party, Tony Stark runs into Ho Yinsen, the man who would go on to help him build the first Iron Man suit a decade later. In the first Iron Man film, Yinsen actually mentions meeting Stark during the party but he doesn't remember due to his drunken state.
• The character known as the Mandarin in this movie turns out to be a fraud. In the comics, the Mandarin is a real threat who draws his power from ten magical rings. In the short film, All Hail the King, it is revealed that the Mandarin is actually real and is the leader of the Ten Rings, the terrorist organization that kidnapped Tony Stark in the first Iron Man.
• Much of the film's plot revolves around Tony's PTSD due to the events of The Avengers.
• The fake Mandarin appears to kill an account from Roxxon, the shadowy company that has made several appearances throughout the MCU.
• Aldrich Killian notes that everything changed after Thor's arrival on Earth, which was when the existence of aliens became public knowledge in the MCU.
• A tattoo of Captain America's shield can be seen on Trevor Slattery's neck.
• The post-credits scene reveals that Tony has been recounting the events of the entire film to Bruce Banner, his new friend and fellow Avenger.

Expanded Guide: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Season 1 Episodes 1-7

Viewing Order Placement

This first set of episodes takes place after Iron Man 3 due to the involvement of Extremis, and before Thor: The Dark World, the aftermath of which is dealt with in episode 8.

MCU Connections and Easter Eggs

• The events depicted in The Avengers are referenced several times, and the episode opens with brief shots from battle between The Avengers and the Chitauri, now known as The Battle of New York.
• Agent Maria Hill, first introduced in The Avengers, interviews S.H.I.E.L.D. agent Grant Ward and introduces him to Agent Phil Coulson.
• Coulson, who was killed by Loki during The Avengers, has been mysteriously brought back to life.
• One of the power sources used in the Centipede device is Extremis, the flawed regenerative treatment seen in Iron Man 3.
• Coulson’s flying car, Lola, is a modern version of the vehicle Howard Stark first revealed in Captain America: The First Avenger.

• Coulson designates Skye as a S.H.I.E.L.D. consultant, just like Tony Stark was.
• S.H.I.E.L.D. classifies objects of unknown origin with the code 0-8-4. Coulson mentions that the last 0-8-4 turned out to be Thor’s hammer.
• The 0-8-4 is this episode is revealed to be a weapon created by Hydra and powered by the Tesseract, similar to the Hydra weapons shown in Captain America: The First Avenger.
• At the end of the episode, Nick Fury arrives on the Bus to chastise Agent Coulson for damaging it so soon.
• Several MCU characters and species are mentioned throughout the episode including Captain America, Loki, the Asgardians, and the Chituari.

• Hall blames the Chitauri invasion of New York on S.H.I.E.L.D.’s experiments involving the Tesseract.
• A reference is made to Coulson’s Captain America card collection which was featured prominently in The Avengers.

• May and Amador discuss how Coulson has changed since the Battle of New York.

• The Extremis serum is once again featured as a component of the Centipede device.
• There are references made to Captain America and Loki’s scepter.

• The virus featured in this episode originated from a Chitauri helmet that was retrieved in the aftermath of the Battle of New York.
• Coulson contacts S.H.I.E.L.D. agent Felix Blake who first appeared in the short film, Item 47.
• References are made to Iron Man and Captain America.

• Coulson’s team travels to the Hub and meets S.H.I.E.L.D. agent Jasper Sitwell who has previously appeared in Thor, The Avengers, The Consultant, and Item 47.
• Victoria Hand defends her lack of an extraction plan to Coulson by pointing out that Hawkeye and Black Widow never have extraction plans.
• On a map of The Hub there are references to A.R.M.O.R., EuroM.I.N.D., and H.A.M.M.E.R., the last of which is an organization partly run by Victoria Hand in the comics.
• This episode features the first mention of the Triskelion, the S.H.I.E.L.D. HQ that won’t be seen until Captain America: The Winter Soldier.

Expanded Guide: Thor: The Dark World

Viewing Order Placement

While the scene where Thor returns Loki to Asgard takes place immediately following the events of The Avengers, the majority of the film takes place several months to a year later after Iron Man 3 and the beginning of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.

MCU Connections and Easter Eggs

• The creature Thor defeats on Vanaheim is a Kronan just like Korg, an ally he will befriend in Thor: Ragnarok.
• With the help of the Tesseract, Heimdall is able to repair the Bifrost, but not without chaos spreading across the realms. The beginning of this movie deals with the aftermath of both the first Thor and The Avengers.
• Odin notes that the Aether is one of a powerful set of artifacts that typically take the appearance of stones. This is our first hint of the existence of the Infinity Stones in the MCU.
• After Loki agrees to help Thor, he briefly takes the appearance of Captain America.
• While Erik Selvig is scribbling on a chalkboard, we see a number of notes including a reference to the "616 Universe," which had long been another name for the Marvel comic book universe before the events of 2015's Secret Wars.
• During the Convergence we see a glimpse of all Nine Realms, including Muspelheim, which is featured at the beginning of Thor: Ragnarok.
• In the post-credits scene, Sif and Volstagg deliver the Aether to a man known as the Collector, noting that it is not wise to keep two Infinity Stones together. The Tesseract is revealed to be one of the Infinity Stones, and the Collector says there are six in total.

Expanded Guide: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Season 1 Episodes 8-16

Viewing Order Placement

The beginning of episode 8 deals with the immediate aftermath of Thor: The Dark World, and episode 16 takes place right before the beginning of Captain America: The Winter Soldier.

MCU Connections and Easter Eggs

• The opening of this episode is a small crossover with Thor: The Dark World, as Coulson’s team is called in to help cleanup after Thor’s battle with Malekith and the Dark Elves in London. Some footage from the film is used.
• Coulson says Nick Fury told him that Thor went “off the grid.”
• This episode features another Asgardian living on Earth going by the name of Elliot Randolph. Coulson notes that he consulted with Randolph during the events of the first Thor movie.
• The main plot of the episode involves the team’s attempt to recover the Beserker Staff, an Asgardian artifact.
• Throughout the episode there are references to Vibranium, Mjolnir, the Chitauri, and the Hulk.

• This episode features multiple references to the Roxxon, a corporation that appears in several MCU movies and shows. A Roxxon gas station is shown and the particle accelerator at the center of the plot is owned by Roxxon.
• Fitz explains that they are not dealing with a ghost, but rather someone stuck between two worlds due to the recent Convergence as seen in Thor: The Dark World. We see a glimpse of the “hell” Tobias Ford is stuck in, which looks strikingly similar to Muspelheim, one of the Nine Realms.

• Raina reveals to Coulson that Project Centipede wants to know how he was brought back to life after being killed by Loki.
• Mike Peterson’s son has action figures of some of The Avengers.
• There are various references to Extremis, Hydra, and The Avengers.

• The device used to kill Edison Po is the same as the one Obadiah Stane uses on Tony Stark and members of the Ten Rings organization.
• Dr. Streiten reveals that the procedure to resurrect Coulson was directly ordered by Nick Fury.
• Nick Fury is seen in archive footage and there are references to agents Maria Hill and Jasper Sitwell.

• There are references to two villainous organizations, Hydra and A.I.M.
• Skye notes that Bucky Barnes, Steve Roger’s best friend, is listed on S.H.I.E.L.D.’s Wall of Valor.

• Coulson provides an update on Emil Blonsky, the soldier turned Abomination from The Incredible Hulk. He is currently being detained in Alaska in a cry-cell.
• Like the movies, this episode features a cameo by Stan Lee.

• The team discovers a corpse that is directly related to Coulson’s resurrection. This is later revealed to be a member of the Kree, a race of aliens later seen in Guardians of the Galaxy and Captain Marvel.
• There are references to the Triskelion, the Battle of New York, and Nick Fury.

• Lady Sif from Thor travels to Earth via the bifrost, and announces she was sent by Odin (currently a disguised Loki) to retrieve Lorelei.
• Lorelei is an Asgardian with the ability to control people’s minds. Sif notes that she escaped from Asgard’s prisons during the events of Thor: The Dark World.
• Agent Sitwell and Coulson have a discussion about Nick Fury’s current whereabouts.
• This episode marks the first appearance of the Dogs of Hell, a gang that will go on to appear in several MCU shows.
• Sif mentions a number of blue aliens who have visited Earth, including the Kree, Centaurians, and Frost Giants. Yondu from Guardians of the Galaxy is a Centaurian, and was shown visiting Earth in 1988 when he abducted Peter Quill.
• Throughout the episode there are various references to Loki, Thor, Dr. Erik Selvig, Odin, and Jane Foster.

• Agent Jasper Sitwell mentions he is needed on the Lemurian Star, a S.H.I.E.L.D. ship that is featured at the beginning of Captain America: The Winter Soldier.
• Speaking of which, this episode takes place around the same time as Captain America: The Winter Soldier, and instead of a typical pre-credits scene the episode aired with a clip from the film featuring Nick Fury.

Expanded Guide: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Season 1 Episodes 17-22

Viewing Order Placement

This final stretch of episodes of season 1 takes place during the immediate aftermath of Captain America: The Winter Soldier.

MCU Connections and Easter Eggs

• This episode takes place concurrently with the end of Captain America: The Winter Soldier and, like the film, reveals that S.H.I.E.L.D. had been infiltrated by Hydra decades earlier, which leads to the collapse of the organization.
• Coulson and his team learn that while Captain America has defeated Hydra, Nick Fury is currently missing and presumed dead.

• Agent Koenig reveals that while Nick Fury is alive, that information should be kept a secret.
• There are references to the Triskelion, the Tesseract, Black Widow, Maria Hill, and Captain America.

• This episode involves Coulson saving the life of Audrey, a woman he was romantically involved with before his death at the hands of Loki. Audrey is first mentioned in The Avengers when Coulson tells Pepper Potts about the cellist he is dating.
• Agent Koenig makes Coulson’s team take a lie detector test, revealing it was designed by Nick Fury with the goal of it being unbeatable by anyone, including Black Widow.
• Koenig learns that Agent Triplett is the grandson of a Howling Commando.
• Marcus Daniels’ powers come from the Darkforce, otherworldly energy that is used by other characters including Whitney Frost and Tyrone Johnson, as seen in Agent Carter and Cloak & Danger respectively.
• Agent May enlists her mom, a former agent, to help her locate Agent Maria Hill.
• There are also references to Project Insight, President Matthew Ellis, Captain America’s shield, Nick Fury, Alexander Pierce, and Bruce Banner throughout the episode.

• This episode opens with Maria Hill, recently employed by Stark Industries, making a phone call to Pepper Potts. She mentions a creature called the Man-Thing, which is the first MCU reference to a popular Marvel Comics character.
• There are references to Tony Stark, Nick Fury, Alexander Pierce, Red Skull, and Black Widow.

• Coulson makes use of some of the Howling Commando gear Trip received from his grandfather.

• Nick Fury arrives to save Fitz and Simmons from drowning at the bottom of the ocean.
• Later, Fury aids Coulson in his battle against John Garrett, and brings along the Destroyer Gun first used by Coulson in The Avengers.
• Mike’s son has a Hulk action figure.
• Fury explains that he brought Coulson back to life because he too is an Avenger, and makes Coulson the new director of S.H.I.E.L.D.

Expanded Guide: Agents Carter Season 1 Episodes 1-8

Viewing Order Placement

The first season of Agent Carter takes place in 1946 shortly after the events of Captain America: The First Avenger. However, that movie leads directly into The Avengers, so placing the season in between those movies would really disrupt the intended viewing experience.

The second season of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. was aired in two halves and the story is structured in a way so that each half tells a different (but related) story. Agent Carter Season 1 aired in between each half, so it makes sense to keep it here not only because there is a natural break in the story, but because there are some flashback scenes involving Carter in the first half of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s second season that take place soon before Agent Carter Season 1.

MCU Connections and Easter Eggs

• Several scenes from Captain America: The First Avengers are shown throughout the episode.
• Howard Stark’s molecular nitramene formula involves the Vita-Rays that were used to create Captain America.
• Peggy uses a Vita-Ray detector that was designed by Dr. Erskine, the man who developed the super soldier program.
• Howard’s butler, Edwin Jarvis, is presumably the man that Tony named his J.A.R.V.I.S. artificial intelligence after. In the comics, Jarvis serves as a butler for The Avengers.
• Peggy meets a young Anton Vanko at Stark Industries, who is the father of Ivan Vanko who is seen at the beginning of Iron Man 2.
• It is revealed that the nitramene weapons are being produced at a Roxxon Oil factory.

• In this episode we meet Hugh Jones, the one time CEO of Roxxon Oil.
• The episode features scenes that take place during the recording of a fictional radio show, the Captain America Adventure Program.

• There is a reference to Captain America’s shield.

• Howard tricks Peggy into stealing a vial of Steve Rogers’ blood from the SSR.

• In a flashback to 1937, we see one of the earliest incarnations of the Red Room program that will go on to produce numerous Russian spies, including Black Widow.
• During a mission to Russia, the SSR enlists the help of the Howling Commandos led by Dum Dum Dugan.
• Peggy and Dugan spend some time discussing their experience fighting in World War II alongside Steve Rogers.

• Peggy learns more about the Red Room program.

• Dr. Ivchenko is revealed to be Johann Fennhoff. In the comics, Fennhoff sometimes goes by Dr. Faustus, and regularly comes into conflict with Captain America. In the opening flashback he can be seen reading the book “The Tragic Life of Doctor Faustus.”

• Howard tells Peggy that Captain America was his greatest creation. Also, the scene where she is speaking to him while he’s flying a plane mirrors the ending of Captain America: The First Avenger.
• Peggy decides to pour the rest of Steve Rogers’ blood into the river so that it can never be used for nefarious purposes.
• Fennhoff is imprisoned with Arnim Zola, and it is implied he teaches him his mind control techniques, which form the basis of the Winter Soldier program.

Expanded Guide: Daredevil Season 1 Episodes 1-13

Viewing Order Placement

The Marvel Netlfix shows typically only reference the events of The Avengers, making them a little harder to place than some of the other shows. While they make no reference to each other, I place both Daredevil and Jessica Jones season 1 in between the first two Guardians of the Galaxy films because they all take place around 2014, and because I attempt to put roughly 20-30 MCU episodes in between each movie when possible to spread things out evenly.

MCU Connections and Easter Eggs

• This episode features the first appearance of the New York Bulletin, a newspaper that will go on to be featured in several MCU series.
• Several characters refer to “The Incident,” which is another name for the Battle of New York, which is the Chitauri invasion depicted in The Avengers. The destruction caused by the battle is actually the reason why much of Hell’s Kitchen is currently being rebuilt.

• Carl “Crusher” Creel, the boxer Jack Murdock fights later reappears as super-powered villain known as The Absorbing Man in the Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. episode “Shadows” and several other episodes.
• This episode features the first appearance of Claire Temple, a nurse who will go on to appear in several other series including Jessica Jones, Luke Cage, Iron Fist, and The Defenders.
• Claire works at the fictional hospital Metro-General, which appears in several other series as well as Doctor Strange.

• James Wesley makes references to both Iron Man’s armor and Thor’s hammer.

• Claire asks Matt if he is a billionaire playboy, likely a reference to Tony Stark.
• News footage from WHiH World News is shown, a news station that makes several appearance throughout the MCU.

• The front page of a newspaper can be spotted that shows the Duel of Harlem, the battle between Hulk and Abomination in The Incredible Hulk.
• Flashbacks reveal Matt lived in Saint Agnes Orphanage for a time after the death of his father. This is the same orphanage Daisy Johnson/Skye grew up in.

• Foggy makes a joke about himself being Captain America.
• The logo on the drugs is the same as that of the Steel Serpent, an enemy of Iron Fist.

• Foggy makes a reference to a Greek girl that Matt dated in college. This is later revealed to be Elektra.
• In Ben Urich’s office we get another look at old newspapers that covered the events of The Incredible Hulk and The Avengers.
• Matt and Foggy leave their old law firm during a case involving Roxxon Oil, a company that has made appearances in Iron Man, Agent Carter, Cloak & Dagger, and elsewhere throughout the MCU.

• A reference to Cybertek, the villainous organization from Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., can be seen in a newspaper.
• The heroine going around Hells Kitchen is officially named Steel Serpent, the same as Iron Fist’s sometimes rival.

• A photograph of Stan Lee can be seen hanging on the wall in the police station.

Expanded Guide: Jessica Jones Season 1 Episodes 1-13

Viewing Order Placement

The Marvel Netlfix shows typically only reference the events of The Avengers, making them a little harder to place than some of the other shows. While they make no reference to each other, I place both Daredevil and Jessica Jones season 1 in between the first two Guardians of the Galaxy films because they all take place around 2014, and because I attempt to put roughly 20-30 MCU episodes in between each movie when possible to spread things out evenly.

MCU Connections and Easter Eggs

• This episode marks the first appearance of Luke Cage, who will go on to star in his own show as well as The Defenders miniseries.
• Like Daredevil, Jessica Jones lives and works out of Hells Kitchen.

• Jessica goes to Metro-General Hospital, the same hospital where Claire Temple and Stephen Strange work at.

• On her radio show, Trish reasons that a man with Kilgrave’s powers isn’t so weird in a world with aliens and superheroes.
• A fan asks Trish to sign their Patsy Walker comic book which resembles an actual issue of the Patsy Walker comic series that Marvel published in 1950.

• Jessica is attacked by a woman who blames her for the death of her mother during the Avengers battle with the Chitauri.
• Jessica tells the woman to find the flag waver and the big green guy, a reference to Captain America and the Hulk.

• A child is seen dressed up as Captain America.

• There is a reference to Angela Del Toro, who is the costumed hero White Tiger in the comic books.

• There is a Stan Lee cameo in this episode in the form of a photograph hanging in the police station.
• Officer Brett Mahoney, who first appeared in Daredevil, makes another appearance.
• An issue of the New York Bulletin newspaper can be seen with a headline about the Union Allied corruption scandal, as seen in Daredevil season 1.

• WHiH World News, a network that has appeared in numerous MCU properties, makes another appearance.

• Claire Temple assists Jessica in caring for an injured Luke Cage while leaves to battle Kilgrave.
• Claire mentions her experience helping individuals like Luke Cage, referring to Daredevil.

Expanded Guide: Captain America: The Winter Soldier

Viewing Order Placement

As this movie begins, Steve Rogers has been working for S.H.I.E.L.D. for a couple of years since The Battle of New York, placing the movie roughly in 2014 after Iron Man 3 and Thor: The Dark World.

MCU Connections and Easter Eggs

• This film opens with a rescue mission aboard the Lemurian Star, a S.H.I.E.L.D. vessel. Agent Jasper Sitwell, who is a prisoner on the ship, mentions that his presence is required on board on the previous episode of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.
• Natasha wears an arrow shaped necklace, in reference to her former S.H.I.E.L.D. partner and fellow Avenger, Clint Barton (Hawkeye).
• Fury notes that Tony Stark helped redesign the helicarrier propulsion engines after getting a closer look at them, a reference to scene in The Avengers when he gets caught inside one of these turbines.
• The Captain America museum exhibit is narrated by President Matthew Ellis, who first appeared in Iron Man 3.
• Senator Stern, who butted heads with Tony Stark in Iron Man 2, returns and is revealed to be a member of Hydra.
• Agent Sitwell mentions that Project Insight can predict potential threats to Hydra like Bruce Banner and Dr. Stephen Strange.
• While the Project Insight carriers are locking onto their targets, a brief shot shows that Tony Stark in Avengers Tower is on the list.
• In the post-credits scene, we learn that Hydra has acquired Loki's staff and has been using it to experiment on people. The experiments have yielded two promising results, a pair of twins with powers that will be further explored in Avengers: Age of Ultron.

Expanded Guide: Daredevil Season 2 Episodes 1-13

Viewing Order Placement

Season 2 of Daredevil picks up a little less than a year after the first season. It may take place before Avengers: Age of Ultron, but because there is no reference to the movie it's hard to say, so it works nicely in the gap between that movie and Ant-Man. The season starts at the end of summer and the epilogue takes place during Christmas.

MCU Connections and Easter Eggs

• This episode features a biker gang, the Dogs of Hell, who first appeared in Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. season 1.
• There is a reference to District Attorney Samantha Reyes who first appeared in the season finale of Jessica Jones season 1. Reyes will go on to make several appearances this season.
• Frank Castle makes his first appearance in this episode. He will go on to be featured in his own show, The Punisher.

• The Punisher kills several members of the Dogs of Hell.
• Stan Lee’s picture can be seen hanging in the police station.

• Claire tells Foggy that she got in trouble for going against hospital policy to assist Luke Cage.
• The Punisher causes an explosion at the Dogs of Hell headquarters.

• Elektra wants Matt to go with her to a meeting with representatives from the Roxxon Corporation.
• Marci tells Foggy that District Attorney Reyes is going after vigilantes and tried to prosecute Jessica Jones.
• A newspaper can be seen with the headline “Stark Tower Ruined During Battle of NY.” Another paper with the headline “Cybertek Settles” is a reference to the organization featured in Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. season 1.
• There is a reference to Jeri Hogarth’s law firm, Hogarth, Chao, and Benowitz.

• There is another reference to the Roxxon Corporation.

• There are references to the Dogs of Hell and the Roxxon Corporation.

• There is a reference to the Roxxon Corporation.

• A newspaper can be seen reference the Duel of Harlem, the battle between the Hulk and the Abomination.
• There are references to Stark Tower, the Roxxon Corporation, and the Dogs of Hell.

• Claire is chastised for her role in both helping Luke Cage and the attack by the Hand, leading her to quit her job at Metro General.

• Jeri Hogarth offers Foggy a job at her law firm, and tells him he may have a future providing legal assistance to vigilantes.
• Frank returns home and leaves with a CD labelled Micro. This is a reference to the hacker first mentioned by Skye in Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. season 2 and who will first appear in The Punisher season 1.

Expanded Guide: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Season 2 Episodes 1-10

Viewing Order Placement

Season 2 picks up months after the events of Captain America: Winter Soldier and the end of Season 1. This season was aired in two halves and is structured in a way so that episode 10 serves as the finale to the first half of the story, which is why it is divided this way in the guide.

MCU Connections and Easter Eggs

• The episode opens with a flashback to 1945 featuring Agent Carter alongside Howling Commandos Dum Dum Dugan and Jim Morita, first seen in Captain America: The First Avenger.
• The scene involves a raid of the last known Hydra base, placing it soon after Captain America’s defeat of the Red Skull. During the raid, they find the alien Kree corpse that was involved in Coulson’s resurrection decades later.
• Carl Creel, the “Absorbing Man,” was once a boxer who fought Jack Murdock, Daredevil’s father.
• There are references to Howard Stark, Nick Fury, and the Red Skull.
• Coulson’s team is working out of an old Strategic Scientific Reserve base, and the SSR logo can be seen adorning the walls.

• Coulson has a picture of Peggy Carter in his office.

• Daniel Whitehall has a model of the Valkyrie, the Hydra bomber that Steve Rogers crashed in order to save New York City.
• The Faustus Method, a technique Hydra uses to mind control people, is related to the Winter Soldier program and likely named after Johann Fennhoff, a.k.a. Doctor Faustus, the villain from Agent Carter Season 1.

• This episode features the photostatic veil, a piece of cloaking technology first used by Black Widow in Captain America: The Winter Soldier to impersonate a member of the World Security Council
• In May’s phone contacts we see she has Black Widow’s number as well as Jimmy Woo, the agent who was tasked with enforcing Scott Lang’s house arrest after the events of Captain America: Civil War.

• There is a reference to the Red Skull.

• The episode opens with Talbot talking about the Chitauri invasion of New York.
• There are references to the SSR, Red Skull, and Clint Barton.
• Maria Hill’s name can be seen on a file.

• There are references to Iron Man, Captain America, the Roxxon Corporation, the Triskelion, Nick Fury, and Wolfgang von Strucker.
• Skye mentions that she knows a hacker named Micro. This is likely the same Micro who goes into hiding and assists Frank Castle in The Punisher.
• President Matthew Ellis is mentioned in a newspaper.

• We witness the moment Daniel Whitehall, then Werner Reinhardt, learned of the death of Red Skull in 1945.
• Agent Carter interrogates Reinhardt, who reveals he knows about blue aliens that have visited the Earth. This is a reference to the Kree.
• We learn that in 1989, S.H.I.E.L.D. double agent Alexander Pierce was responsible for freeing Reinhardt.
• There is a reference to the Tesseract, Asgardians, Howling Commandos, Faustus, and Nick Fury.

• Agent Morse compares Coulson’s leadership to that of Nick Fury’s, and he tells her there was a reason why Fury made him the new director of S.H.I.E.L.D.
• Raina reveals more about the Kree to Skye.

• This episode reveals several aspect of Kree culture, including a hidden city on Earth and the Terrigen crystals used to transform human subjects into Inhuman.
• There is a reference to Dum Dum Dugan and the Howling Commandos.