The emblem for Strategic Air Command (SAC) appears on the walls of the missile base. SAC was disestablished in 1992 after the end of the Cold War. They did control ICBMs, as seen in this episode. However, they are now controlled by Global Strike Command (GSC).
This episode was originally believed to be titled Forgiven.
"Absolution" originally aired on ABC on May 17, 2016, and according to Nielsen Media Research, was watched by 3.03 million viewers.
Noelle Ann Mabry, Frank Moran, Ralph Lammie Jr.: Contestants on the "reality" web series Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.: Academy (2016) make appearances as S.H.I.E.L.D. agents.