Agents of SHIELD (SPOILERS)

[maczero]

The funniest thing about those predicting Ward will return to the side of the angels is that he's done something more despicable each episode. I imagine he'll be eating babies by next season.

[kalorama]

This scenario isn't too much different from how the Root character played out over the last two seasons of Person Of Interest. Granted, it wasn't my cup of tea but most of the show's fans seem really excited about the direction being taken, so it at least proves that it can be done without apparent serious ratings losses - perhaps even gains. Hell, it Root's case it was worse than working for the enemy, she was flat out psychopathic crazy, and the last few episodes she was effectively leading the team of good guys.

It's nothing like what happened in POI for the same reason it's nothing like what happened with Black Widow, because there were never issues of personal trust and betrayal involved in either case like there are in AOS.

Look, it might be different if Big SHIELD still existed and the whole thing was being micromanaged by bureaucrats whose only concern is the bottom line. The suits in corner offices who never set foot in the field might be willing to look at Ward as a usable asset and nothing more. But Big SHIELD is gone. For all intents and purposes, SHIELD is Coulson, May, Skye, Fitz, Simmons, and Tripplett, and they all have ample reason to stick a knife in Ward's eye if they ever see him again outside of a cell.

[Sub-Zero MKA]

Ward isn't working anywhere near SHIELD again. There's no way Director Coulson will let him back in. Obvious answer is that he'll be an independent agent who either helps or hinders the team every so often while working out his own agenda.

[Sighphi]

The funniest thing about those predicting Ward will return to the side of the angels is that he's done something more despicable each episode. I imagine he'll be eating babies by next season.

The whole love thing with Skye, not actually killing the scientist, and going stoopid needing orders is a pretty clear path to the return happening.

[Hiromi]

Yeah, Widow has some redeemable things going for her personality wise(clear sense of morality for one, a desire to to clean up the "red in the ledger bit), Ward came off as a flat out classical sociopath at the end. And I think ejecting Fitz and Simmons was very clearly meant to be him crossing the point of no return characterwise.

[Donald]

,,,not actually killing the scientist,...

Not SUCCEEDING in killing the scientist. A fine, but definite difference.

Ward will never rejoin SHIELD. End of story.

I can see Ward being recruited by Talbot to hunt down Coulson & Co. To stretch it even more, at the end of the Incredible Hulk Stark was talking to General "Thunderbolt' Ross about join the Avengers Initiative. We never saw him again. So Talbot drags Ward to Ross, and Ross gives him a choice: rot in prison or join his team to hunt down rogue SHIELD Agents. Prison or join Ross' "Thunderbolts".

[zhris]

re; the Koenigs...

I know some people have put out the theory that Billy is a LMD... I think they Eddie was too. The Koenig isn't a specific LMD, but a whole line of them, designed to be caretakers of secret SHIELD bases. That would explain the physical similarity, the lanyard fascination, etc. Kinda like a JARVIS, Bunker Edition.

[Daenarys Stormborn]

NOOOOOOOOOOO! My boy Ward might not be coming back...until the season 2 premiere where he's escaped: xd Well, maybe not that quick but sooner or later he'll be back.

Also, didn't anyone else get so many inhuman vibes you had to check you weren't going crazy? It was almost scary how many seemed to be in there! I can't wait for Blackbolt on the big screen, and some of the inhumans who have been featured in books over the years on TV.

Never would have guessed that the inhumans would be ushed to the fore on TV instead of the Big screen. Here we go! All that's let are some interdimensional demons from Doc Strange and shield will really be exploring!

[Sighphi]

Not SUCCEEDING in killing the scientist. A fine, but definite difference.

Ward will never rejoin SHIELD. End of story.

Do you not remember the scene? Garrett basically had to kick him over to get him to "kill" the scientist.
All they did is give him an easy out.
That scene did not play out at all like the dude was going to kill them.

I can see Ward being recruited by Talbot to hunt down Coulson & Co. To stretch it even more, at the end of the Incredible Hulk Stark was talking to General "Thunderbolt' Ross about join the Avengers Initiative. We never saw him again. So Talbot drags Ward to Ross, and Ross gives him a choice: rot in prison or join his team to hunt down rogue SHIELD Agents. Prison or join Ross' "Thunderbolts".

Ha, that would be cool.

[gwangung]

Do you not remember the scene? Garrett basically had to kick him over to get him to "kill" the scientist.
All they did is give him an easy out.
That scene did not play out at all like the dude was going to kill them.

Could be. Remember, they escaped because that module was multi purpose--used on subs and elsewhere...which Ward would know.

[dupersuper]

I loved that moment. "I know how it works."

Actually it was "I know what it does", a nice callback to Avengers.

[AJBopp]

It's nothing like what happened in POI for the same reason it's nothing like what happened with Black Widow, because there were never issues of personal trust and betrayal involved in either case like there are in AOS.

Umm...I think you need to watch the last few episodes of season 1 and first few of season 2 of PoI again. Personal trust and betrayal by Root was the entire story arc.

[vitruvian]

You're overthinking it. That scene was hilarious , because just when you thought , uh-oh , it's not over yet - the big bad villain is getting an upgrade and going on a monologue about being unstoppable , he gets turned into goo.

Coulson's disregard for the body of the SHIELD agent or technician who Garrett evidently offed remains callous and out of character, though. And that appears to be deliberate; there wouldn't have been a body on the floor if it wasn't in the script, and they had to choose to shoot it that way.

So, no, I don't think noticing the details that they bothered to write in constitutes overthinking anything.

[vitruvian]

Eh, I have a lousy head for time zones. PoI comes on at 9 in my area, AoS comes on at 7. So now it looks like PoI will come on right after AoS.
Guess I'll be giving up The Mindy Project next season.



Yeah, a crossover could never happen but I'd love to see it too. I'd just spin it that Root happens to be a cellist when not doing the whole thing for the Machine, which would really make it interesting when Coulson finds out what she's really like. Play on the whole double lives thing, Coulson being believed dead and the cellist is really crazy Root. But then you'd have to explain why she'd have led that double life. Eh, could never work, but it'd make fun fanfiction.

I prefer clones ala Orphan Black, I think. That way we could work in Winifred Burkle as well. It even makes sense that some of the Acker line would go into science and computing, and another into music, since there's a known association between the parts of the brain that are wired for excellence in music and mathematics.

Heh, maybe Decima could be behind that as well. Of course, it'll backfire when they think they've spotted Root (for some reason not hiding under the spoilers:

new identity the Machine crafted for her

end of spoilers), and it turns out to be Illyria, God-King of the Primordium.

Possibly fourth. Technically first in terms of age.
It'd go:
1. Zola algorithm (those computers were from what, 60s? 70s?)
2. The Machine (response to 9/11, came online mid/late 00s)
3. JARVIS (I guess he counts as AI)
4. Samaritan (on now, bwahahahaha!)
and future:
5. Ultron

Ah, good catch with JARVIS. Not sure why I forgot that, given I've read some good fics where JARVIS and the Machine form a strange friendship.

[vitruvian]

This kind of bothers me. SHIELD does not belong to Fury or Coulson. While it's not 100% clear who runs it -- the United States or some international organization -- the money to support it is gone. Heck, even the "Bus" does not belong to them. Yeah, I know they're going to be outlaws, but I hope this issue is addressed and not swept under the rug.

Sandy Hausler

Fury couldn't have all those black sites around with the Koenig brothers staffing them if he hadn't established some major shadow bank accounts as well. Presumably, the keys (or cube) to the mansion include the needed info like Swiss bank account and wire transfer numbers.

If Fury ever really does go down, wouldn't be surprised if it was Al Capone style, at the hands (or spreadsheets) of forensic accountants, and with charges of embezzlement and fraud rather than espionage or treason.