Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. finally revealed the truth about how Sarge is connected to the late Phil Coulson. The mystery of how Sarge looks like and is an exact DNA match for Coulson has been at the center of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. season 6. Sarge appeared from another world with his own team on a mission to stop Izel, who destroys worlds with alien parasites called the Shrike that turns host bodies into crystals. But last week’s episode, “Collision Course Part II”, ended with a true shocker: Melinda May suddenly murdered Sarge in cold blood!

Sarge’s resemblance to the beloved Coulson rattled all of his former teammates but May was especially incensed by the doppelganger. Melinda made it her mission to get to the bottom of who Sarge is and he took every opportunity to taunt her while claiming he had no idea who “Phil Coulson” is. However, Sarge did reveal he’s definitely an alien who is over 100 years old and Izel mocked him about wearing a “skin” and his inability to remember his true name. And, despite wearing Coulson’s face, Sarge proved he’s nothing like the late Director of S.H.I.E.L.D. - Sarge is utterly ruthless and was willing to betray and sacrifice his teammates Jaco, Pax, and Snowflake to kill Izel.

In this week’s episode, “Leap”, the answer to what Sarge really is and his connection to Izel were revealed. First, May didn’t kill Sarge because Izel has the power to possess people and she took over May’s body to shoot the Coulson double. However, Sarge not only didn’t die but he regenerated; Sarge came back more powerful than before. Meanwhile, Izel caused havoc in the Lighthouse as she jumped from body to body and took turns possessing Piper, Deke, Fitz, and Davis (whom she murdered), until she took over Mack. As Director of S.H.I.E.L.D., Mack has access to the secret room in the Lighthouse which contained the Gravitonium Containment Device built by Leo Fitz that contained the power of three Monoliths. Izel came to Earth looking for this device and the power it contains.

Meanwhile, the Gravitonium Containment Device is the reason why Sarge has Coulson’s body. In the Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. season 5 episode “The Real Deal”, Coulson (with the help of Deathlok) used the Device to seal the space-time rift into the Fear Dimension. However, because the Device contained the energy of three Monoliths - Space, Time, and Creation - the Device created a duplicate of Coulson and sent it across space and time. This double of Coulson landed in a realm of non-corporeal beings ruled by Izel. The being that became Sarge possessed Coulson’s duplicate body.

When that happened, Coulson’s memories overrode Sarge’s own memories and he came to believe that Izel killed his family, which spawned his mission to hunt and destroy Izel. Meanwhile, Izel left the realm and created the Shrike as a means to give her people corporeal forms but she still needed the power of the Monoliths contained in the Gravitonium Device to complete her quest. Further, Izel claimed that Sarge is confused by Coulson’s memories and that he isn’t truly trying to hunt and kill Izel but reunite with her.

Sarge then remembered his real name: Patchakutiq. Like Izel, the name Patchakutiq is Incan; it means “earth-shaker” or “he who overturns space and time” and archaeologists believe that Maccu Piccu was built for Patchakutiq. This indicates both Izel and Patchakutiq visited Earth in the distant past, possessing human bodies to pose as Incan Emperors who built the Incan empire.

However, Sarge refused to accept Izel and the truth about himself. Rejected once more by Sarge, Izel left him behind, took the Gravitonium Device, which she calls the Di’Allas, and escaped the Lighthouse in the body of Yo-Yo Rodriguez. Mack left with Izel aboard the Zephyr, ostensibly to try to protect Yo-Yo from the being otherworldly occupying her Inhuman body. By the end of the episode, Fitz equated the type of beings Izel and Sarge are with Ghost Rider, adding yet another wrinkle as Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. season 6 begins its endgame.

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Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. airs Fridays @ 8pm on ABC.