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When it comes to Marvel Cinematic Universe scenes that people find hard to watch, people might point to Tony Stark’s death, the fight between Iron Man, Captain America and The Winter Soldier in Captain America: Civil War, and, of course, “the snap.” 

However, there’s another part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe that often gets overlooked, and that’s the TV shows like Agents of SHIELD.

That show in particular has one episode with a tough scene that fans praise to the skies, and that’s due largely to actor Iain De Caestecker. 

Who is Iain De Caestecker?

ELIZABETH HENSTRIDGE, CLARK GREGG, IAIN DE CAESTECKER
ELIZABETH HENSTRIDGE, CLARK GREGG, IAIN DE CAESTECKER | Eric McCandless/Walt Disney Television via Getty Images

De Caestecker is a Scottish actor who began his career as a child at the age of 9, appearing in the BBC short film Billy and Zorba. But his big break in his homeland came with the show Coronation Street, which is the UK’s longest-running soap opera. He appeared in more than 50 episodes in the early 2000s before the role was recast with an older actor. 

He went on to play the lead in two BBC series — the BAFTA-winning The Fades and Young James Herriot. The latter earned him a nomination for a BAFTA Scotland for Best Actor/Actress — Television. He did film work too, including the movies Filth and Not Another Happy Ending in 2013. Happy Ending got de Caestecker his second BAFTA Scotland nomination/

His biggest break yet came in 2013 when he landed the role of Leo Fitz on Agents of SHIELD on his first visit to Los Angeles. The character of Fitz is one of the science experts on the show, specifically as an engineering and weapons technology specialist. For someone on the tech side, he’s gone through quite a bit of trauma. 

What is the scene that MCU fans praise? 

On Reddit, fans got to talking about De Caestecker’s role on Agents of SHIELD, particularly in an episode called “Self Control.”

In that fourth season show, it is revealed that several key characters have been replaced by android decoys. Fitz and Jemma Fitzsimmons go through a particularly emotional arc as they try to suss out what’s real and what’s not. 

One fan on Reddit said: “I will never forget “Self Control” and how he was playing someone who was in love and trying to murder the person he was in love with.

Another added, “The scene with him and Jemma trying to figure out who was the LMD (Life Model Decoy) was insane. I just rewatched that scene today and the part when she’s killing LMD Fitz and he switches from going “Jemma it’s me” to this stone-cold stare is so crazy. “

Here’s how big of an impact the actor has had on at least one fan, who said, “Fitz is my favorite character in the show, and one of my favorite fictional characters of all time …. . I love him so much my wife agreed to name our (eventual) first son Leopold, for Fitz and King Leopold, because my son will be a king.”

What’s going on with Marvel’s TV shows?

Marvel’s movies have done extremely well for the most part, but the same cannot be said of many of its TV shows. While it’s television unit had successes with Agents of SHIELD and with Netflix shows like Jessica Jones and Daredevil, almost all of them have fallen by the wayside, as Disney/Marvel ramped up production of shows that will air on Disney+, including The Falcon and the Winter Soldier and WandaVision. 

Now, however, the pandemic has halted production on the Disney+ shows, with no new information as yet as to any modified release dates. For now, ironically enough, Agents of SHIELD is the last Marvel show standing for the moment, with the show wrapping up its seventh and final season, which starts May 27.

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