- "Nothing hurts me anymore. Not after what he did to Agnes."
"What happened?"
"Fitz. I begged him not to, but he killed her right in front of me. She was all I had. How could he do that?" - ―Holden Radcliffe and Daisy Johnson[src]
The Murder of Agnes Kitsworth was the result of an open confrontation between S.H.I.E.L.D., HYDRA and Holden Radcliffe.
Background[]
- "There's nothing we can do to sustain her in this life."
"It doesn't matter. In the Framework, her consciousness will live forever." - ―Aida and Holden Radcliffe[src]
Leo Fitz, Phil Coulson, Alphonso Mackenzie, Melinda May and Jeffrey Mace were kidnapped by Aida and replaced by Life-Model Decoys, prompting Jemma Simmons and Daisy Johnson to infiltrate the Framework in order to retrieve and rescue their friends. However, what they found was a world where fundamental changes to the kidnapped agents' lives had separated them and resulted in HYDRA establishing a dictatorship.
On account of the unexpected dystopia they had stumbled upon, they tried to go back to the real world in order to figure out a plan; however, Aida had sabotaged their backdoor, leaving them trapped. Upon learning that Holden Radcliffe, the creator of the Framework, was also present in the virtual reality, Simmons and Coulson took a Quinjet piloted by Grant Ward and went to Ogygia, an island where the fallen scientist lived with his girlfriend Agnes Kitsworth.[3]
Murder[]
- "He killed Agnes. Fitz killed her."
- ―Jemma Simmons[src]
Holden Radcliffe is threatened by Jemma Simmons, Phil Coulson and Grant Ward
Grant Ward, Jemma Simmons and Phil Coulson quickly found Holden Radcliffe playing in the gardens of his new residence. Simmons confronted him about the events which had taken place in the Framework. Fearing that they might be discovered, Ward suggested to take Radcliffe with them and go back to the Playground. However, Simmons would not listen and continued interrogating Radcliffe, asking him about how they could escape the alternate reality. Admitting that it was nearly impossible, Radcliffe explained that Agnes Kitsworth and himself were truly trapped in the Framework since their physical bodies were deceased. Therefore, the Framework was the only possible life for both of them.
The conversation was interrupted by the arrival of the Zephyr One, which transported Madame Hydra, The Doctor and several HYDRA agents. Radcliffe told the S.H.I.E.L.D. agents to hide while he dealt with the HYDRA team. Madame Hydra remained with Radcliffe while The Doctor took two men to search for the subversives they were looking for after receiving an alert indicating that the non-flying area of Ogygia had been breached.
The Doctor confronting Agnes Kitsworth
Radcliffe confronted Aida about what she had done with the Framework, leading to a world where HYDRA had put in place a reign of terror. When Radcliffe accused Aida of lying, she answered using the exact same words he had told her days before, that sometimes a lie could save lives. In the meantime, The Doctor found Agnes Kitsworth and brought her before Madame Hydra and could not help but notice her exact resemblance to the head of HYDRA. Madame Hydra explained that Radcliffe came from "the other side" and that he had enslaved her, triggering The Doctor's anger towards him, and accused the fallen scientist of planning to replace Madame Hydra with copies.
The Doctor threatening to kill Agnes
Distressed, Radcliffe tried to explain to The Doctor that neither Kitsworth nor himself represented a threat to HYDRA. Disbelieving him, The Doctor took the weapon of a HYDRA agent and threatened Kitsworth with it, telling Radcliffe that he had to convince him if he wanted his girlfriend to live. Unbeknownst to them, they were watched by Grant Ward, Jemma Simmons and Phil Coulson. Ward had a shot at The Doctor but Simmons refused to let him kill him since it would also mean the death of the body in the real world.
The Doctor shoots Agnes
Radcliffe further explained the situation to The Doctor, trying to get him to remember details of their past friendship in the real world. When The Doctor mentioned Simmons, Radcliffe mentioned how deeply she and Fitz were in love in the real world. However, all these attempts were to no avail as The Doctor claimed that his work in HYDRA was his true nature and, to make his point, he murdered Kitsworth in cold blood right before Radcliffe's eyes.
Upon seeing this, Simmons stood from her hiding spot and screamed in horror while Radcliffe was utterly shocked. The HYDRA operatives exchanged bullets with the S.H.I.E.L.D. agents, leading to the death of 4 HYDRA agents. Ward, Simmons and Coulson then returned to their Quinjet and left Ogygia while Madame Hydra and The Doctor took Radcliffe into custody at the Triskelion.[3]
Aftermath[]
- "Was she an enemy of the state?"
"Yeah. I believe she was."
"So what's the problem?"
"What if I didn't need to kill her?" - ―Alistair Fitz and Leo Fitz[src]
Holden Radcliffe was captured and imprisoned at the Triskelion, in a cell adjacent to Daisy Johnson's. Since he had nothing else to lose after the death of Agnes Kitsworth, Radcliffe told Johnson about a backdoor he had built in the Framework and that Aida could not remove,[4] thus ensuring the later rescue of all the S.H.I.E.L.D. agents who were trapped in the alternate reality, except Alphonso Mackenzie[5].
The assassination of Kitsworth heavily traumatized both Jemma Simmons and Leo Fitz. While the former was well aware that the Leo Fitz she saw in the Framework was not the real person she loved in the real world, she was deeply affected by the sight of her boyfriend shooting an innocent woman in cold blood;[4] as for the latter, he only realized the horror of his deeds once he was out of the Framework, and this murder, alongside with the death of the Patriot, made Fitz have doubts about his true nature that he believed could be evil.[5][6]
References[]
- ↑ Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.: 4.07: Deals With Our Devils
- ↑ Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.: 4.11: Wake Up
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.: 4.17: Identity and Change
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.: 4.18: No Regrets
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D: 4.20: Farewell, Cruel World!
- ↑ Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.: 4.21: The Return