Daredevil: Born Again Season 2's finale dropped a surprise connection to Agents of SHIELD through a newspaper clipping that may tie back to the events of the ABC series' first season. Disney+'s reimagined continuation of Daredevil made it clear that the events of Marvel's Netflix series were canon to the MCU, but the same couldn't be said for other shows like Agents of SHIELD.
Despite that, Daredevil: Born Again Season 2's finale offered a glimmer of hope for diehard Agents of SHIELD fans by including a sneaky yet familiar Easter egg tied to ABC's Marvel show. In the show's final moments, BB Urich was seen in her office at the New York Bulletin, looking at various newspaper clippings on the walls.
Among the newspaper clippings in the background is a familiar front-page headline saying, "Cybertek Settles."
Some of the other headlines seen in the background include references to the Battle of New York and the Hulk's rampage in Harlem.
The full headline appeared in Daredevil Season 2, Episode 9, during a conversation between Karen Page and Matthew Ellison at the same New York Bulletin office.
Agents of SHIELD fans know that Cybertek played a crucial role in Season 1 of the series as a shady corporation working closely with Hydra to develop advanced cybernetic technology. The company was responsible for creating Project Deathlok, a program that turned Mike Peterson (J. August Richards) into a half-man, half-machine super soldier. The "Cybertek Settles" headline clearly referred to the key Season 1 storyline involving Michael Peterson.
It's worth noting that this exact prop was also featured in episodes of Daredevil Season 1 on Netflix, but this is the first time it's appeared in Daredevil: Born Again and in a Marvel Studios-produced project.
Fans should temper their expectations for a full Agents of SHIELD revival or major crossover in the future. Cybertek originated in Marvel Comics long before Agents of SHIELD existed, and there's no confirmation that this is explicitly the same Cybertek from the ABC show.
While the Clark Gregg-led series initially started as part of the MCU canon due to Nick Fury's appearance and direct ramifications from Captain America: The Winter Soldier and Avengers: Age of Ultron, later seasons diverged heavily due to having little to no references to Avengers: Infinity War (aside from the Thanos mention) and time travel shenanigans that completely separated them from the timeline.
What This ‘Agents of SHIELD’ Reference Truly Means
The Cybertek newspaper clipping in Daredevil: Born Again Season 2 appeared to be a deliberate Easter egg, a reward for longtime Marvel fans, including Agents of SHIELD diehards.
By bringing back this headline in a Marvel Studios production, it gives fans hope that a revival can eventually happen, especially after seeing Daredevil: Born Again and the return of the Defenders in Seasons 2 and 3 on Disney+.
In September 2022, Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige played coy about the canon status of Agents of SHIELD following the appearance of Clark Gregg's Phil Coulson in Captain Marvel:
“It was great fun to have Clark Gregg come back to the MCU in Captain Marvel...Everything else we'll just have to see.”
Given that the Defenders Saga already returned, it felt only natural for fans to hope Agents of SHIELD could be next on the docket. While the Cybertek Easter egg in Season 2's finale kept that hope alive and proved that the door isn't closed, many would agree that it will be a much longer, more deliberate process before fans see anything close to full integration for the ABC series.
Given that Avengers: Secret Wars is expected to lay the groundwork for a full-blown reset for the MCU, it provides a solid entry point for Agents of SHIELD to be part of canon once and for all, leading to many exciting storytelling opportunities.
