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"Everything is his S.H.I.E.L.D. The government, behind you Director, behind Nick Fury, Stark, all of it, stands Agent Coulson, quietly pursuing his alien agenda."
Anton Ivanov to Jeffrey Mace

The Man Behind the Shield is the fourteenth episode of the fourth season of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. and the sixth episode of the LMD pod.

Synopsis[]

Mace fights for his life while Coulson and team find themselves in a deadly cat-and-mouse game as they attempt his rescue.

Plot[]

Leo Fitz and Jemma Simmons present a small version of the Framework to S.H.I.E.L.D. agents to explain them the kind of trap in which Melinda May is imprisoned, saying that Holden Radcliffe likely built a much more powerful version of the alternate reality. Afterwards, they receive word that the Patriot Suit's GPS signal has been spotted in Nome, Alaska. They fly to the new destination where they find the suit but no Patriot.

They also discover a wall covered with newspaper articles and photographs retracing the life of a single individual: Phil Coulson. Daisy Johnson explains that a picture of a mining facility in Russia could link Coulson and Anton Ivanov, who bought the facility. In the past, Coulson was sent to this facility on a S.H.I.E.L.D. mission with May.

The S.H.I.E.L.D. teams heads to Russia, with Alphonso Mackenzie and Fitz arguing about the latter's responsibility in their recent problems. On site, Coulson remembers his mission during which he had to retrieve an 0-8-4 with a much more joyful May since it was before the Rescue in Bahrain. They were discovered by SVR soldiers while cracking a safe. Coulson tried to negotiate with the Russian soldiers, only for being taken away for interrogation while May escaped the compound. Fortunately, May returned and rescued him after retrieving the 0-8-4.

The Man Behind the Shield 12

Anton Ivanov interrogates Jeffrey Mace

Jeffrey Mace is imprisoned in a naval base in Krasnoyarsk Krai. He manages to break free of his chains and tries to escape but quickly confronts Ivanov. Without his super strength, Mace is quickly overpowered by Ivanov and brought back in his cell, where the Superior interrogates him. He then leaves the cell with Aida and tells her that each one of them has a purpose, even Mace. Meanwhile, Coulson and his team find the safe that he and May cracked in the past and discovers the skeletons of several SVR soldiers, with one skull containing a ringing cell phone.

Coulson takes the call and finally speaks with the Superior, who blames him for the deaths of the soldiers who were in the same SVR unit as Ivanov. Ivanov then tells Coulson that Mace and May will suffer the same fate than his former colleagues. After hanging up, Ivanov tells Mace about his theory of Coulson having engineered all the alien-related events that occurred on Earth in the past few years.

The Man Behind the Shield 3

S.H.I.E.L.D. assaults Anton Ivanov's base

The S.H.I.E.L.D. team returns on the Zephyr One, where they try to locate Mace and May. Using the intel provided by Ivanov, they learn about the Krasnoyarsk Krai naval base. They immediately fly to the base and infiltrate it, with Fitz and Simmons taking over the communications room while Coulson, Johnson and Mackenzie search for their friends.

Coulson quickly encounters Ivanov, who tells him the story of his unit which was executed for not being able to retrieve the 0-8-4. However, Coulson dismisses his speech as being irrelevant to him since he only cares about finding Mace and May. Coulson then lets Johnson fight Ivanov while he leaves. Coulson and Mackenzie find Mace, who is being beaten up by several Watchdogs.

Though Ivanov is a tough opponent, Johnson is able to overpower him thanks to her Inhuman powers and buries him under a pile of rubble. Meanwhile, Fitz and Simmons learn that Aida is present at the base. Simmons decides to go to her with James Davis while Fitz remains in the communication room. While their communications are briefly cut, Simmons figures out that Aida fled with the submarine. The S.H.I.E.L.D. agents finally gather and Coulson orders to leave and go back to the Playground.

AIvanov-BloodyWounded-S4E14

Aida retrieves Anton Ivanov's body

However, Simmons struggles to understand the timetable of the mission, feeling that something does not seem right. While sharing these impressions with Fitz, she receives an alert from a Life-Model Decoy detector of the base which indicates that Coulson, Mace, Johnson, and Mackenzie have apparently been replaced by androids while battling the Watchdogs in Russia. Meanwhile, Aida retrieves Ivanov, who is barely alive, and Coulson's LMD reactivates May's LMD.

Cast[]

Main Cast:

Guest Stars:

Appearances[]

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External Links[]

Season One Pilot0-8-4The AssetEye-SpyGirl in the Flower DressFZZTThe HubThe WellRepairsThe BridgeThe Magical PlaceSeedsT.R.A.C.K.S.T.A.H.I.T.I.Yes MenEnd of the BeginningTurn, Turn, TurnProvidenceThe Only Light in the DarknessNothing PersonalRagtagBeginning of the End
Season Two ShadowsHeavy is the HeadMaking Friends and Influencing PeopleFace My EnemyA Hen in the Wolf HouseA Fractured HouseThe Writing on the WallThe Things We Bury...Ye Who Enter HereWhat They BecomeAftershocksWho You Really AreOne of UsLove in the Time of HYDRAOne Door ClosesAfterlifeMelindaThe Frenemy of My EnemyThe Dirty Half Dozen ScarsS.O.S. Part OneS.O.S. Part Two
Season Three Laws of NaturePurpose in the MachineA Wanted (Inhu)manDevils You Know4,722 HoursAmong Us Hide...Chaos TheoryMany Heads, One TaleClosureMavethBouncing BackThe Inside ManParting ShotWatchdogsSpacetimeParadise LostThe TeamThe SingularityFailed ExperimentsEmancipationAbsolutionAscension
Season Four The GhostMeet the New BossUprisingLet Me Stand Next to Your FireLockupThe Good SamaritanDeals With Our DevilsThe Laws of Inferno DynamicsBroken PromisesThe PatriotWake UpHot Potato SoupBOOMThe Man Behind the ShieldSelf ControlWhat If...Identity and ChangeNo RegretsAll the Madame's MenFarewell, Cruel World!The ReturnWorld's End
Season Five Orientation Part OneOrientation Part TwoA Life SpentA Life EarnedRewindFun & GamesTogether or Not at AllThe Last DayBest Laid PlansPast LifeAll the Comforts of HomeThe Real DealPrincipiaThe Devil ComplexRise and ShineInside VoicesThe HoneymoonAll Roads Lead...Option TwoThe One Who Will Save Us AllThe Force of GravityThe End
Season Six Missing PiecesWindow of OpportunityFear and Loathing on the Planet of KitsonCode YellowThe Other ThingInescapableToldjaCollision Course Part OneCollision Course Part TwoLeapFrom the AshesThe SignNew Life
Season Seven The New DealKnow Your OnionsAlien Commies from the Future!Out of the PastA Trout in the MilkAdapt or DieThe Totally Excellent Adventures of Mack and the DAfter, BeforeAs I Have Always BeenStolenBrand New DayThe End is at HandWhat We're Fighting For
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