When Agents of SHIELD returns in September, there’s going to be one big question that needs to be answered: who is Skye’s father and how does he tie into the unresolved mysteries from season one?
We don’t know much about the character yet (although we caught a small glimpse at the end of the season finale), but now we do know who will be playing him: Kyle MacLachlan, aka Agent Cooper in Twin Peaks, and less ominously, the Mayor in Portlandia.
He’ll be playing someone known as “The Doctor,” although Marvel has officially confirmed that this character is Skye’s dad.
So who is this guy, and what will he mean for the series?
Here’s what we know so far:
- Skye’s dad looks like a human, although we only see him from behind. He appears to be covered in burns/wounds, and is bathing in a dark, blood-like liquid.
- Skye is a 0-8-4, an object of unknown origin, and was found in China by a SHIELD team.
- Skye’s parents have been described as “monsters,” and wiped out an entire village trying to get to her.
- Skye reacted very differently to GH-325 than Coulson did.
With all of that information in mind, here are five theories on who “The Doctor” might actually be.
1. A Skrull
We analyzed the crap out of potential Skrull involvement in Agents of SHIELD season two here, but here’s the SparkNotes version:
- The alien-looking diagram that’s appeared multiple times in the series now, most recently being drawn by Coulson at the conclusion of last season, includes characters from the Skrull alphabet.
- The Skrull are a race of aliens in the Marvel comic book universe that once went to war with the Kree (who recently made their movie debut in Guardians of the Galaxy).
- Arguably their most well-known comic book storyline was Secret Invasion, wherein they used shapeshifting powers to take the place of many superheroes and villains, as part of a long-term invasion plan.
Putting all of that together, what if Skye’s dad is a Skrull? Human-mimicking powers or technology could explain why he appears human, and Skye being half-alien might be the reason why she reacted to GH-325 the way she did.
A popular fan theory right now is that Skye will become the MCU’s version of Abigail Brand, a comic book character who heads up SWORD, a sister-organization to SHIELD that focuses on extraterrestrial threats. In the comics, Brand is half-alien and has some energy based powers because of that, which could explain why Skye’s dad looked all burnt up.
2. An Inhuman
Marvel has previously debunked this rumor, stating they had no current plans to introduce the Inhumans. The reason why I included it then is because earlier this week, Vin Diesel, who recently voiced Groot in Guardians of the Galaxy, posted a very strange Facebook message.
In it, he wrote, “I get the strange feeling that Marvel thinks I’m Inhuman,” capitalization his. Well that’s a bit on the nose, right?
Stepping back in time for a bit, in 2013 Diesel reported that he had met with Marvel to discuss, “a fresh IP (Intellectual Property) that would come out in 2016 or 2017, and potentially launch the third phase.”
Soon after, he was cast in Guardians of the Galaxy, which obviously wasn’t a 2016/2017 release or a Phase Three film. Many fans have speculated that Guardians’ Groot won’t be Diesel’s only Marvel role, or even his most important one.
Instead, many think he could be playing an Inhuman, possibly even their leader, Black Bolt.
We’re getting pretty far away from Skye here, so how could this all connect?
Simply put, the Kree. In the comics, the Kree experimented on humans in an effort to create super-powered mutant soldiers. The result of these experimentations were the Inhumans, who went on to create their own society separate from the rest of humanity.
To put a little bow on this theory, the Kree created the Inhumans as part of their war effort against the Skrull.
Given that it’s very likely the blue guy used to create GH-325 was a Kree, living Kree were featured prominently in Guardians of the Galaxy, and the alien diagram has Skrull writing on it, this theory is starting to make a scary amount of sense.
Perhaps Skye’s parents are Inhumans, and that dose of GH-325 will lead to her superpowers being unlocked?
3. The Mandarin
This is my favorite theory at the moment, although I admit it’s a stretch. In Iron Man 3, the Mandarin turns out to be a fraud, an actor paid by Aldrich Killian to mask AIM’s operations. However, in the Marvel One-Shot All Hail The King, it’s revealed that both the Mandarin and his Ten Rings organization are very real. It’s even hinted that the Mandarin, or at least the title, is hundreds if not thousands of years old.
Skye being discovered in China seems like a good place to start for this theory. In the comics, the Mandarin is Iron Man’s greatest foe. He’s a scientist and martial artist who draws immense powers from ten rings, crafted from alien technology recovered from a crashed spaceship.
The connection between the Mandarin and aliens could be a great way to tie Agents of SHIELD into the larger universe that Guardians of the Galaxy opened up. It would also tie up the loose plot threads that All Hail The King introduced, which likely wouldn’t be otherwise addressed any sooner than Iron Man 4 (which is still years away).
However, the fact that a Caucasian actor was cast for this role could be a sign that this isn’t the direction Marvel is taking things, unless the Mandarin is simply a title that is passed down to each new leader of the Ten Rings. I’d be okay with that personally, if only to get some closure to this whole Mandarin business.
4. Dracula
Skye’s dad appeared to be bathing in a bathtub full of something that looked like blood, so let’s throw Dracula into the mix for shits and giggles (if only because I’d really love an MCU Blade movie).
If you’re not too familiar with the comics, Dracula is a very real character in the Marvel universe; and yes, he’s a straight up vampire. He most recently had a decent-sized appearance in 2011’s Fear Itself event.
It’s a bit silly though right? Introducing vampires to the MCU would be an even bigger stretch than a talking raccoon and his tree friend in my opinion, so this seems fairly unlikely.
5. Gustav Brandt
Gustav Brandt is not a particularly important character in the Marvel universe, but his daughter Mantis has some very interesting connections to Agents of SHIELD‘s Skye.
Both Mantis and Skye were abandoned as children, Skye in China and Mantis in Vietnam. Instead of being left at an orphanage though, Mantis was given to the Priests of Pama, a sect of the Kree, and trained in martial arts. On her 18th birthday, she was given false memories of living as an orphan in Vietnam, to hide her alien training.
In addition to her Kree connection, Mantis is also affiliated with Peter Quill and the Guardians of the Galaxy, and has had run-ins with characters like the Collector and Thanos.
It’s not hard to see how Skye’s backstory might make her a likely candidate to be the MCU’s version of Mantis. With a few tweaks, the character has the potential to tie Agents of SHIELD into the larger Marvel universe in some really interesting ways.
If Skye doesn’t turn out to be half-alien, Gustav Brandt and Mantis might be a theory worth watching.
