'Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.' Season 4: What happened in the midseason finale?

Before Netflix expanded the Marvel Cinematic Universe with acclaimed television shows like Daredevil, Jessica Jones and Luke Cage, ABC premiered Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Now in its fourth season, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. can count itself among the best comic book adaptations on the small screen. And for fans of the series, you are in luck, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. returns Tuesday, Jan. 10 at 10 p.m. Eastern, for the second half of season four. 

Since its second season, each season of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. has essentially consisted of two related but distinct parts. Season two began as a hunt for Hydra, but concluded with the beginning of the series' introduction to the Inhumans. Season three continued the Inhuman story, dealing with the rapid growth in the race's population and the resulting government fear of the powered individuals. The latter part of season three dealt with S.H.I.E.L.D.'s attempt to stop the most powerful Inhuman, Hive, who had occupied the dead Grant Ward's body and planned to create his own race of primitive Inhumans. 

Now, season four of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. has been perhaps the best one yet. The first part of the season saw S.H.I.E.L.D. legitimized for the first time since the events of Captain America: The Winter Soldier. Daisy Johnson began the season as a fugitive, and we were also introduced to the Robbie Reyes version of Ghost Rider, whose uncle ended up being a primary antagonist. But Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. will be going in a new direction when it returns.

What happened in the midseason finale? 

In the midseason finale of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., Phil Coulson and his team partnered with Reyes' Ghost Rider, Daisy Johnson and Director Jeffrey Mace (aka Patriot) to take down Reyes' uncle, Eli Morrow. It turned out Morrow had used the Darkhold to grant himself unspeakable powers, including the apparent ability to create matter. 

With the help of Ghost Rider, Yo-Yo, Daisy and Aida, the MCU's first Life Model Decoy, Phil Coulson was able to defeat Eli Morrow, seemingly sending him into another dimensional plane. However, in doing so, Ghost Rider was dragged down with him, suggesting we may have seen the last of Robbie Reyes — at least for now. When the dust settled, Director Mace reinstated Daisy Johnson, suggesting to the media that her vigilante activity was all part of an undercover operation for S.H.I.E.L.D. — a lie.

The midseason finale ended with the revelation that Aida appeared to have kidnapped Agent May, and replaced her with a new LMD. And this lead us to the latter half of season four, which has been given the subtitle, "LMD."

Midseason premiere synopsis and promo

The official synopsis from ABC for season four, episode nine of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. reads as follows: 

Though Coulson and May are growing closer, Coulson remains unaware of the dark secret May is hiding beneath the surface. Meanwhile, Aida is unrelenting in her search for the Darkhold.

You can check out the promo for Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s exciting return below: 

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