Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. · Season 7 · Episode 1
The New Deal
Hello and welcome fellow Marvel fans to the Snark
Industries podcast. I'm John. And I'm Remy. And
we invite you to join us as we work our way through
every Marvel TV show, movie, and crossover. Meaning
if there's a Marvel character on screen, it's
fair game. All categorized in the temporal order
of their setting. By the time we're done, we'll
have built a complete start to finish timeline
of the entire Marvel Cinematic Universe. To accomplish
this goal and to have a bit of fun along the
way, each episode will be split into two parts.
The watch party and the deep dive. If you're
hearing this, you found one of our watch parties.
This is where we sit down with you and experience
a piece of Marvel media together in real time,
celebrating the high points and poking fun at
the low ones, because that's what heroes do.
To get synced up, here's what you'll need to
do. Pull up the movie or episode on your screen
and pause it right as the Marvel logo is prominently
displayed. Then come back here and wait for the
three -tone countdown. On the third tone, press
play, and just like that, we'll be watching together.
Quick note, if your version includes ads, you'll
need to pause us during those breaks to stay
in sync. Once you finish watching along, we encourage
everyone to check out the deep dive as well,
where we will do an in -depth analysis of the
information we just consumed. Most importantly,
we want to thank each and every one of you for
joining us on this incredible journey. We're
not affiliated with Marvel in any way, shape,
or form. We're just fans who are passionate about
these stories and these characters and wish to
share them with everyone in a new and exciting
way. So, sit back, relax, and enjoy this episode
of Stark Industries. It's an old timey car. Yes,
it is. I don't know how to act being in a live
action now. 1931. Yeah, this is the first live
action of this show. Wow. Hashtag firsties. Those
guys are bad guys No, man They're obviously armed.
I think I'd be drawing my service weapons here,
officers. Yeah. Yeah, the dude literally has
a rifle in his hand. I feel like... Mm -mm. No
warnings. Oh, well, that wouldn't have mattered
anyway. Yeah, that was almost Terminator -style
right there. Where are the drugs going? Your
face. Oh, he's straight up taking it. Oh, that
ain't right. That's horrifying. Yeah. Body devils.
How original. Yeah. Yeah. Oh, oh. We're talking
LMDs. These aren't just... I'll bet that these
are LMDs. Oh, that's fun. I like that they did
it all old -fashioned. Noir. Yeah, noir. That's
a good word for it. Better than old -fashioned
-y. Ah, see? Look at that. Look at that. You're
so smart. I have my moments. Powered up. Wait,
so they're saying that Coulson is an LMD? Is
that what I just caught? Well, he's something.
That's what we get for starting with season one.
Or season seven. Yeah. Well, temporal, man. So
there you go. If you just wait, they'll tell
you. We've discussed this many times. I don't
like waiting. Because you have robot brain. So
he was. This really doesn't have the emotional
impact that it does when you're watching them
in order, I'll bet. And that is our dedication
to the cause. That's right. Wait, are we saying
that May died at some point? And Fitz? Oh, dude.
Spoilers. Yeah. No kidding. Well, I'm upset now.
Don't worry. It's not your ghostwriter. It's
the Robbie Reyes ghostwriter. Also known as the
worst one. I'm not getting into this argument
with you. Fair enough. Dude, she's really smart.
That would take a long time. Are you sure? I
know quite a bit. Who's that fool? Who's that
fool? Generic white guy one. I'm pretty sure
that's how he's credited. Back -to -back time
-traveling episodes. Yeah. Will they do it right?
Huh. Oh, May is still alive. Presumably. Possibly
in a coma. Or a coffin. Possibly a coffin. Eh,
I got my Tommy gun. Enoch. Why is that name familiar?
Hey, sir, I'd like some more. That's exactly
what popped in my head. It was hilarious. I want
to make just a drawer full of money. Well, rude.
Purple? That did not look purple to me. It's
just a tip. Just to see how it feels. How are
they still showing credits this far in? Right.
A lot of people. Don't turn him on again. I was
upset last time. Oh. Well, somebody else didn't.
You have Fury's black box from what year? I'd
like to know what's in there. Probably not. Now
kiss. And then when they take the face, it's
not like just the skull. It's a skin, a smooth
skin bubble. Yep. Dracula. Have come to suck
your blood. They got all their old timey hats
on. 1931. Hang on a second. That movie was released
in 1931. That poster wouldn't be that messed
up by then. Write a letter to your senator. Let
him know. I'm about to. Dracula was released
12 days before this. That poster is far too aged.
Well, thank God we got to the bottom of that
mystery. Good job getting clothes for the room.
He's a beaver. Well, damn. Get to a fistfight
right in the middle of the street. Mm -hmm. It's
the 30s. No one's gonna know. I knew I didn't
like that place. Sometimes you just gotta shoot
your shot. Yeah, I guess. That's a good look
from Coulson. That exact exchange is so commonplace
now. Yeah. Creepy guy says something creepy.
Badass woman says, I'm going to beat you up.
Yeah, that's true. Everyone's like, yeah, and
moves on. They didn't like his face. Swordfish.
The password is always Swordfish. Told you. I
told you. The password is always swordfish. So
that makes Critical Role also a Marvel property.
As I said, everything's Marvel. That was unpleasant.
Stabbed his face area. The area where his face
used to be. Enoch. Enoch. Why do I know that
name? Because they said it earlier. Well, it's
obviously cat Jonathan. Wow. My mama doesn't
even use my full Christian name. Are you as much
of a smartass to her? Yes. OK, I expected that
answer. Well, that's not good. Oh, that is good.
Oh, OK, well. I was with you. Yeah, it seemed
bad. It seemed like that's not something you
wanted in your system. The way she delivered
it. She needs to work on her bedside manner.
Right. So she's an inhuman. Man, I feel like
we've missed so much, like six seasons worth.
We'll get there. I'm Stubbs, the armless person.
No, that's awkward to say fingertips. As you're
showing her some new arms. What is it, the tip
that's a problem? Could be. Chill vibes at the
Swordfish Lounge. That's right. That doesn't
seem like a smart thing to do. Knock it back
a shot. Fries your insides. Short circuit in
the middle. Go ahead. Want to talk to the twins.
Well. Kind of say, you know, some attitude up
in here. Looks like a co -op. Well, you just
left him laying there. Mm -hmm. I don't think
that's what police captains do. Obviously. No,
man, why you got to make it so jamming that thing
into everyone's head? Let's sit, figure out what
their face used to look like. Shield technology,
man. Science. We don't ask questions about shield
tech. Hey, yo. Mm hmm. That smile afterward was
excellent. Just in here, absorbing people's faces
from their brains. Man. Get him quick. The trope
never ends where people with guns feel like they've
got to be one inch away from somebody before
they start shooting. It kills me. Yeah. Oh, well.
The face figure outer machine also works as a
good stabbing utensil. Well, I mean, anything
with a sharp point is a weapon, right? Pointing
goes in the bad guy. Yeah, there you go. I was
wondering why she wasn't doing her thing. Because
there's sticks in a dam. Yeah, but... In a dam!
Yeah, they killed a police officer and threw
him in the back of that truck. Everyone on Earth
knows how to hotwire a vehicle. Another common
trope. Well, obviously. You take the two wires
and you tap them together, right? That's all
you gotta do. Why do we even have keys when you
can just do that? It seems silly. Just have the
wires hanging out of the dashboard. Yeah. You're
dead. Your mother's dead. Your brother's dead.
If your intention was to kill those guys, why
would you let them walk all the way up to you
to grab your gun? What is wrong with people?
They dumb, man. Ooh. That suit, too. There he
is hazard Yeah, tell your kids to come at peace
when they lay in the floor unconscious. Yeah.
Good news. The stranger. That's how I feel watching
this episode. Aww. Oh, man. She also said stranger
or just strange. I want to know where Fitz is,
dude. No, he's safe. That's something. Yeah.
You got a dead cop in the back of your truck.
And a cop. Good timing. Yeah, I was going to
say you didn't think of possibly fixing that
problem earlier. Juice joint. I'm going to use
that sometime. Do you want the best juice joint
in South Carolina? Oh. Kind of sounds dirty that
way. It does, doesn't it? The cappers. Oh, man.
Yeah, they're giving credit and shield ultimately
to FDR. Seems so. Interesting. Why are those
two random cops in there looking creepy? I don't
know. Keep putting the plates out. Swing. Swing.
What are you doing over here? Ripples and outweighs.
Everyone's so fancy. Right. Do they have a like
a closet? No, they took their ten dollars out
of that drawer and are billionaires now. OK,
but like if you brought ten dollars back from
2026, it wouldn't look like real money. Well,
yeah, everything in there was made to be. That's
why they had Tommy guns and stuff like that.
They've made it to where it looks appropriate
somehow. Fair enough, fair enough. That 3D printing
technology that S .H .I .E .L .D. has is pretty
good. Well, yeah, they just made some woman two
new arms, so they can at least make some old
-timey bills. I suppose we can expect they're
able to make that if they can make a couple of
arms. Yeah, answer my questions before I slap
you with my new arm. Oh, got it. Take some information.
You're a robot now. We're cool. Give her a high
five. Round of applause. Round of applause. Yep,
yep, yep. Quake, did you not go to school? That
would be pretty wild. It would be. Now we're
friends. We're going to find out in about three
seconds. This guy's having a seizure. Yes, we
are. Or this episode is going to end and we're
going to have to wait for the next one. Oh, no.
Oh, yeah. I wanted a gin martini. Lady in red.
Never a good sign. Oh, that's how that works.
This is the robot cyanide pill. Pretty much,
yeah. Tipple. One figure in history. Who are
you going back to meet? You know, that's a tough
one. I'm short -circuiting, just thinking about
it. I'm telling you. Lady in red dress. Yep.
Yep. I think he's overloaded now. Oh, that like
full on melty. Yeah, I thought it was just going
to be a circle board and smoke was going to come
out of his ears or something. But that was something
else. He goes full Wicked Witch. Yeah. Why you
wouldn't have followed FDR if if that was your
concern? If it didn't happen right then, it's
not going to happen. Obviously. Have you never
watched anything? Ruh -roh. To kill you. You're
gonna touch butts. Bah. Hmph. Okay, that didn't
answer my question. Try again. Oh. Oh. Luckily
they had that little man dialogue exchange other
than just killing him. Right. Kind of a. What
kind of villain would you be if you don't monologue?
Wow. Degradation. Hold tight. Yeah, just as strong
as you, fool. I'm also a robot. I hear that plugging
a thing into the back of their neck works really
well. After a while, sure. Her quake powers pretty
much knocked out the other dude instantly for
about a truck's ride. That was the level one
robot. These are the level five robots. OK, OK.
Did she really just say 1930s baseball reference?
You know, sometimes you just can't think of a
good thing to say. And so you just. Go a little
tongue in cheek. That's a little a little too
tongue in cheek for me. Applesauce. I'm going
to start saying that. Oh, applesauce. Malik.
Wait a second. I know that name. History repeats
itself. Mm hmm. See, again, if you just wait.
I. All right. You're right. This is a learning
experience. We're going to learn this together.
Not by the twenty seven hundred and ninety third
episode. Yeah, that checks out. I was going to
say that's where Mae was, wasn't it? But are
you? She's exorcist -ing up on the wall. Well,
there you go. I'm not sure why May is all shady
and everything, but here we are. She's been in
a tube getting touched by robot hands for however
long. All right. I guess that's that. We will
see you all over in the deep dive. Thank you
for joining us in this episode of the Snark Industries
podcast. To join the conversation and further
explore the Marvel Cinematic Universe with us,
head on over to snarkindustriespod .com. The
link will be in the show notes. But with that,
we will see you in the next adventure.
New York, 1931. The Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. have followed the Chronicoms back in time, and the mission is simple in stakes if not in execution: stop the robotic aliens from erasing S.H.I.E.L.D. before it ever exists. A reactivated Coulson LMD wakes into a world of speakeasies and Prohibition, the Chronicoms steal the faces of local police to blend in, and everything seems to point toward an assassination attempt on FDR, the man credited as the spark behind S.H.I.E.L.D.'s creation. A visit to Patton Oswalt's Koenig and a tense party set the stage for the hit, only for the team to discover the real target is Freddy Malick, a low-level worker whose survival is the thread that leads to the founding of Hydra. To save S.H.I.E.L.D., the team has to save Hydra, and that wild contradiction is left hanging as the first half of a two-part story.
Dive in further at https://www.snarkindustriespod.com/post/1931-ce-agents-of-s-h-i-e-l-d-season-7-episode-1-the-new-deal
Join the conversation at https://discord.gg/mJBCuxffF5
Hello and welcome, fellow Marvel fans, to the
Snark Industries podcast. I'm John. And I'm Remy.
And we invite you to join us as we work our way
through every Marvel TV show, movie, and crossover.
Meaning if there's a Marvel character on screen,
it's fair game. All categorized in the temporal
order of their setting. By the time we're done,
we'll have built a complete start -to -finish
timeline of the entire Marvel Cinematic Universe.
To accomplish this goal and to have a bit of
fun along the way, each episode will be split
into two parts, a watch party and a deep dive.
If you're hearing this, you found one of our
deep dives. This is where we slow things down
and take a more pragmatic, in -depth look at
a piece of Marvel media. We'll walk through the
full plot, explore connections to the wider MCU
and Marvel comics, highlight Easter eggs, unpack
lore, and of course, give you our own personal
thoughts and feelings. Although this episode
stands on its own, it is designed to complement
the watch party. So, if you haven't watched along
with us yet, we highly recommend starting there
first and coming back here for the full breakdown.
Most importantly, we want to thank each and every
one of you for joining us on this incredible
journey. We're not affiliated with Marvel in
any way, shape, or form. We're just fans who
are passionate about these stories and these
characters and wish to share them with everyone
in a new and exciting way. So, sit back, relax,
and enjoy this episode of Snark Industries. Hello,
ladies and gentlemen, and welcome to Snark Industries
Deep Dive. We just finished watching agents of
shield season seven, episode one, John, if you're
able, are you, can you tell us what that episode
was about? So fun to watch this out of place
from the rest of the series by a large margin,
but we have another time trial episode. And as
we are following through this story in the order
of setting, instead of release, uh, it falls
now in the year of 1931. Then we have the Agents
of S .H .I .E .L .D. having gone back in time,
following some Chronicoms to the past to try
and save S .H .I .E .L .D. from being stopped
before it starts. We have a scene in the beginning
where we wake up what immediately becomes evident
to be an LMD of Agent Coulson and everything
that kind of comes out of that. We also have
the Chronicoms themselves stealing the faces
of some... police officers as a disguise to be
able to navigate the 30s and fulfill their mission,
which becomes evident very quickly as they're
going in and trying to investigate this, that
these Chromacons are trying to kill FDR, who
is being ultimately credited in being the direct
catalyst in the founding of S .H .I .E .L .D.
here. Though he didn't start it himself, it's
his actions that led to it being formed. And
so after spending some time meeting some other
characters, including the amazing Patton Oswalt,
who had some great scenes there at a speakeasy,
they ultimately get entry into this big party
that is set up to be for FDR. And during which
we see the Chromacon sort of getting ready for
this assassination attempt. and everything else.
It all is kind of building up to him dying, and
as they all rush to go save him as he's stepping
out to get into his wheelchair, which is hidden
because, of course, he was attempting to hide
his polio from the world, it turns out it's not
him. And one of the captured Chromacons who had
gotten to a little bit of a scuffle with Quake
earlier on revealed that the actual target is
a different person, a man by the name of Freddy,
who was a worker under Koning. Patton Oswalt's
character is mentioned before in the speakeasy,
and we don't really realize his importance until
this mark. And it turns out that the Chromicons
were actually not after FDR at all, but instead
were trying to kill this Freddy, who similarly,
though didn't found it himself per se, his direct
action leads to the formation of Hydra, which
then in turn, as a response, leads to the formation
of S .H .I .E .L .D. So in order to save S .H
.I .E .L .D., we have to save Hydra. appears
to be what they're trying to go for here. And
that is a wild way to go, but I'm here for it.
Ultimately, this is kind of a two -parter episode,
a TBD here. We go through the next episode, which
is next, temporally, fun enough, to see kind
of what happens. But that is the deep dive, the
breakdown, the synopsis of what happened in the
episode itself. How it ties into the MCU, obviously,
there's going to be a lot of ways. Once again,
before we are in a time travel episode, they're
going back to try to stop the prevention of ultimately
the agency that they all work for from even being
formed. Hydra, S .H .I .E .L .D. are thoroughly
ingrained, rooted into all of the MCU. The idea
that they wouldn't be there at all is huge in
implications as to how it all works. Oh, God,
we wouldn't have Cap. We wouldn't have anyone.
Anything. Yeah. That'd be huge. So many things
to change. I would have to imagine, given what
we know, unless they're once again kind of going
off script on timelines, that if these Chromacons
are successful, this would be another branch
into the multiverse. For sure. One where S .H
.I .E .L .D. and HYDRA did not exist at all.
But, you know, I'm a hopeful kind of fellow,
and I would like to think that they are going
to stop this from happening as if it never happened.
And it won't mess with anything at all and everything
will be OK. But we won't know that for sure until
next time. Yeah, so many different things tie
into the MCU in general. Probably too many to
name directly. Of course, the characters themselves
all tie in. Coulson, especially, even though
this is an L &D version, is there and prominent
from the very beginning. So in terms of the actual
MCU proper, we'll call it release. So a lot of
tie ins there. How about comic books specifically?
As far as comic books are concerned, it follows
the Jonathan Hickman's run in 2009 to 2011 of
Secret Warriors. That is heavily dealing with
the Malick family and their creation of. Hydra
itself. And of course, S .H .I .E .L .D. being
a direct response to Hydra, that's kind of the
crux of the episode. This also taps into Captain
America New Deal, which is actually the name
of the episode in question. And that was a 2002
Captain America limited series written by John
Nae Reiber. The fact that the episode was named
after this is returning us to the foundations
of what S .H .I .E .L .D. means. So definitely
not lifted directly from that comic, but... The
moral fiber of that comic, I think, is definitely
there. One quick clarification in terms of the
Malick family is obviously this Freddy character
is a Malick. Is that Freddy character specifically
someone that's in that comic series? Did you
did you see that in your in your research or
is this something that was made up for the show?
I believe that it's made up. I could be mistaken,
but I know that Gideon Malick is the one that
actually started the Council of Hydra. And so
one would assume that this is an ancestor of
his. The timing doesn't quite make a whole lot
of sense as far as Freddy wouldn't be able to
have a kid old enough to kick this off. And there's
also mention of a Wilfred Malick that expands
the lore as well. So I don't see any mention
of Freddy specifically. So outside of family
name, the Malick family is certainly involved.
Yeah, gotcha. Yeah, exactly. But to wrap up the
the comic references, we've certainly we have
to mention the Chromicoms. can be found in the
recorders. It's an alien race of sentient computers
that first appeared in Thor number 132 in 1966.
So these guys are pretty well ingrained in Marvel
history. Absolutely. Yeah. As far as Easter eggs
are concerned, that is about it. So overall,
what are your thoughts jumping in kind of blind
season seven? So definitely. And I'll, and I'll,
you know, go ahead and reveal now early that
I am a few seasons behind even this season on
agents of shield anyway. So. I feel like I have
some missing context for some of the nuances
of the inner character sort of interactions.
Yeah. But overall, I enjoyed this. I still, and
of course, hopefully to see the conclusion before
I can draw a full good stance on things. With
it being time travel once again, and could be
mucking up timelines once again, I'm a little
apprehensive. But like I said, I like to be a
hopeful man. We're going to hope that it all
works out in the second part of this blast from
the past of the Agents of S .H .I .E .L .D. show.
I did enjoy this. You know, I thought it was
fun, kind of interesting to see a good plot twist.
I did not see that coming in terms of them trying
to eliminate Hydra from being formed first. And
that was their way of going after S .H .I .E
.L .D. I thought that was a very interesting
way to do it. Took me by surprise. So it was
fun. No, it was. It was good. One of the one
of the better episodes that I can remember of
the show itself, to be honest. Oh, wow. OK, I
kind of sit in the same boat. I think I pulled
the plug on agents as well. I didn't pull the
plug. I kind of just faded away. Maybe season
four or five. So I've seen a good chunk of it.
I know who most of these characters are. There
were some unfamiliar faces. So I'm kind of kind
of sitting there, too. That being said, I did
enjoy it. I like time travel stories. I like
when things mess with the past, fix things. We've
discussed this a number of times. You don't say.
Yeah, to me. But yeah, to me, this was fun. I
really like Coulson. I really like Daisy. Mac
is cool. There are some characters that I was
expecting to see that I didn't. May being one
of them, but she was another. She was there,
but not the May that we're familiar with. So
kind of bummed not to see that, but also curious
to see where she's going. But overall, I enjoyed
it. Fun episode, but I'm with you. I got to see
the second part to really put my stamp on it.
We're in limbo, but not for long. Yep, not for
long. But yeah, we will see you for the next
episode when we finish out this storyline. Indeed,
we will. Thank you for joining us in this episode
of the Snark Industries podcast. To join the
conversation and further explore the Marvel Cinematic
Universe with us, head on over to snarkindustriespod
.com. The link will be in the show notes. But
with that, we will see you in the next adventure.
Snark Industries makes its first jump into live-action with the Season 7 premiere of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., a time-travel episode that lands in 1931 as the team chases the Chronicoms into the past. The full plot gets walked through, from the reactivated Coulson LMD to the face-stealing Chronicoms to the central twist that the real target was never FDR at all, but a Malick whose actions lead to the birth of Hydra, and by extension, S.H.I.E.L.D. itself. Comic roots are traced through Jonathan Hickman's Secret Warriors run and its focus on the Malick family, with the episode title nodding to the 2002 Captain America: The New Deal limited series and the Chronicoms reaching all the way back to a 1966 issue of Thor. Both hosts come in admittedly behind on the show, but both walk away pleasantly surprised, calling it one of the stronger episodes they can remember while reserving final judgment until the two-parter wraps up.
Dive in further at https://www.snarkindustriespod.com/post/1931-ce-agents-of-s-h-i-e-l-d-season-7-episode-1-the-new-deal
Join the conversation at https://discord.gg/mJBCuxffF5
Synopsis
Jemma Simmons has just revealed to Mack and Daisy that she and Enoch, with Fitz's engineering, built a Chronicom-LMD hybrid of Phil Coulson. Daisy activates him before Mack can object. The new Coulson comes online with memories through the Framework, plus two years of updates Jemma has loaded, and learns, in rapid succession, that he is a machine, that Fitz is missing for reasons Jemma refuses to explain, and that the team is now aboard a time-jumping Zephyr stranded in 1931 New York City. The Chronicoms have gone back in time to dismantle SHIELD before it exists, and the team followed them into the past through what Fitz called a "Tide." Three Chronicom Hunters have already assumed the identities of corrupt NYPD officers by erasing their faces, and have set their sights on a target at a political fundraiser for New York Governor Franklin D. Roosevelt.
Mack, Coulson, Daisy, and Deke go undercover in period clothing. Following the lead of the murdered officers, they trace the Chronicoms to Ernest "Hazard" Koenig's speakeasy, the Krazy Kanoe, where they bluff their way inside posing as Royal Canadian Mounted Police. There they meet Koenig, who operates under the SSR codename "Gemini," and discover that the Chronicoms' real target is not FDR but one of Koenig's employees: Wilfred "Freddy" Malick, a young man living on charity whose father, a HYDRA patriarch, recently committed suicide. A HYDRA operative named Viola has arranged for Freddy to deliver vials of what is later confirmed to be an early version of Dr. Erskine's Super Soldier Serum, destined for Johann Schmidt. The Chronicoms want Freddy dead to eliminate HYDRA and, with it, the chain of events that will eventually produce SHIELD. The team intervenes, because to save SHIELD, they must first save HYDRA.
Reality Designation
This story takes place in the main continuity: 199999
Reality numbers are Marvel's official designations.
Where a universe has no official number we follow the Marvel Database and use its Temporary Reality Number (TRN-1092). Where there is neither — official or temporary — at the time we watch it, we assign a Snark Industries number of our own (SI-001).
Characters in the Episode
Milestone: Revived as an LMD, travels to 1931, and meets FDR
A Chronicom-LMD hybrid built from Coulson's last Framework scan, reactivated by Daisy at the top of the episode. Adjusting to being a machine while immediately being thrown into 1931 New York.
Friendly Chronicom ally. Monitors May's condition and scans local radio frequencies for Chronicom activity. Impresses Koenig by inventing a cocktail on the spot and is hired as the Krazy Kanoe's new bartender.
Milestone: Gets her friend back as an LMD, travels to 1931, and meets FDR
Activates the Coulson LMD over Mack's objections. Goes undercover at the FDR event and saves Freddy when the Chronicoms make their move.
Milestone: Meets the team that will change his life
Owner of the Krazy Kanoe speakeasy and ancestor of the present-day Koenig siblings. SSR asset operating under the codename "Gemini." Identical in appearance to every Koenig the team has ever known.
Milestone: Travels to 1931
Director of SHIELD. Deeply uncomfortable with LMDs and with the entire situation, but leads the ground mission into 1931 regardless.
Milestone: Is given the vile that will change his life
A young man working at Koenig's speakeasy, living on charity after his HYDRA-affiliated father's suicide. The Chronicoms' true target. Accepts Viola's serum delivery job, setting the season's central mission in motion.
Milestone: Awakens from her coma
In stasis for most of the episode following her near-fatal injuries. Wakes on her own near the end, observed by Enoch from below as she silently climbs the Zephyr walls.
Milestone: Gets new, synthetic arms
Confined to the Zephyr by Mack because she still has a shrike inside her. Receives new organic-looking prosthetic arms from Jemma that can pass for human and have tactile sensation.
New York Governor, hosting the political fundraiser that serves as the episode's central set piece. A non-speaking presence at the party.
Milestone: Travels to 1931
Sent into 1931 to purchase period-appropriate clothing for the team. Ends up driving Freddy to his delivery point while the others deal with the Chronicoms at the FDR party.
The architect of the new Coulson and the team's current time-travel plan. Refuses to reveal Fitz's location, citing security. Interrogates the captured Chronicom to identify the real target.
Koenig's enforcer at the Krazy Kanoe. Confronts Coulson and Mack before Koenig steps out.
Milestone: Passes off the vile and is shot
A HYDRA operative with ties to the Malick family. Approaches Freddy at the FDR party and tasks him with delivering vials of the Super Soldier Serum. Shot by the Chronicoms during the confrontation.
Comic Roots
Where the episode's people and places come from on the page.
The vials Viola delivers to Freddy are confirmed by the Disney Wiki and borne out in subsequent episodes to be an early formulation of Dr. Abraham Erskine's Super Soldier Serum, destined for Johann Schmidt. In the MCU, this serum transforms Schmidt into the Red Skull (Captain America: The First Avenger, 2011). In comics, the serum was introduced in Captain America Comics #1 (1941) by Joe Simon and Jack Kirby. Setting its delivery chain in 1931, two years before Hitler's rise to power and a decade before Schmidt receives it, extends the MCU's HYDRA timeline backward in a way the films never did.
Patton Oswalt previously played four identical Koenig siblings (Eric, Billy, Sam, and Thurston) across Seasons 1 through 4 of AoS. Ernest "Hazard" Koenig is their ancestor, establishing the family as a multi-generational SHIELD/SSR institution. In Marvel Comics, Eric Koenig is a former HYDRA agent who defects to join Nick Fury's Howling Commandos, first appearing in Sgt. Fury and his Howling Commandos #27 (1966) by Roy Thomas and John Severin. The show's Koenig lineage is a significant expansion of that single comics character into an entire dynasty.
Gideon Malick was a primary villain in AoS Season 3, a senior HYDRA leader and worshipper of Hive. Freddy Malick, his father, is a show-original character but is rooted in the comics' HYDRA mythology. In comics, Gideon Malick appears in the Secret Warriors series (2009-2011) by Jonathan Hickman as one of HYDRA's hidden heads. The show's portrait of HYDRA as a 1930s organization financing through bootleggers and corrupt political networks is a dramatic expansion of the MCU HYDRA backstory established in Captain America: The First Avenger.
LMDs have been part of Marvel Comics since Strange Tales #135 (1965) by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, where they were introduced as SHIELD technology used to protect Nick Fury from assassination. AoS introduced LMDs in Season 4 and here takes the concept further by merging LMD technology with Chronicom hardware to create a genuinely new kind of synthetic being in Coulson's body.
The SSR was established in the MCU in Captain America: The First Avenger as the wartime intelligence organization that eventually became SHIELD. Agent Carter (2015-2016) explored its post-war history. Ernest Koenig's role as an SSR asset under the codename "Gemini" is a new addition, placing the organization's informal roots in 1931, predating the wartime SSR by roughly a decade.
Recommended Reading
Where to go next if the episode left you wanting more.
The wartime debut of Captain America and the Super Soldier Serum. Essential context for understanding what the green vials represent in the MCU timeline and why their 1931 delivery chain matters.
First appearance of Life Model Decoys in Marvel Comics, introduced as SHIELD technology to protect Nick Fury. The conceptual origin of what Jemma and Enoch built in Coulson.
First appearance of Eric Koenig, the comics ancestor of AoS's Koenig family. A quick single-issue read that shows where the Koenig lineage begins on the page.
Introduces Gideon Malick as a high-level HYDRA operative, providing the comics context for the Malick family's generational HYDRA ties depicted here through Freddy.
Marvel Comics tie-in to the film. Covers the early SSR and HYDRA history that Season 7 is now building backward from.
The Snark File
Easter eggs, callbacks and technical tidbits.
The Episode's Title - "The New Deal"
It references FDR's historic New Deal legislation, enacted after his 1932 election. It also refers to SHIELD's own new arrangement, a rebuilt team, a new Coulson, and a new kind of war. Coulson makes the pun himself during the episode. It also shares a name with a 2003 Captain America novel but has little relation.
The Zephyr's period-appropriate title card
The "Marvel's Agents of SHIELD" title card in the opening is rendered in a 1930s animated cartoon font, matching the visual language of Depression-era theatrical shorts.
Ernest Koenig's SSR codename is "Gemini"
A reference to the twin, consistent with his descendants all being identical. The codename implies his SSR relationship predates SHIELD's formal founding by decades.
The green vials are the Super Soldier Serum
Confirmed in subsequent episodes to be an early Erskine formulation. Freddy's delivery connects the 1931 criminal underworld directly to the creation of the Red Skull and, downstream, to the creation of Captain America.