MCU: S.H.I.E.L.D. – Other Agents / Characters

Spoilers for all works set prior to the end of Avengers: Endgame are unmarked.

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Other Agents

Agent Mack

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/mack.png

Species: Human

Citizenship: American

Portrayed By: Bodie Newcomb

Appearances: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (appears in Episode 3: "The Asset")

A seemingly ordinary truck driver tasked with transporting Dr. Franklin Hall.

Big Badass Rig: He is a highly trained S.H.I.E.L.D. agent who drives a high-tech truck.
Crouching Moron, Hidden Badass: Seems like a stereotypical redneck trucker but is actually a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent.
One-Steve Limit: Averted; not to be confused with Agent Alphonso "Mack" Mackenzie, who's introduced in season two.
Punny Name: A truck driver named Mack, as in a Mack truck.
Vulnerable Convoy: He is attacked while transporting Dr. Hall.
What Happened to the Mouse?: His fate after S.H.I.E.L.D. civil war is not explained.

Agent Shaw

"I'm just having a hard time killing the people we once called friends."

Species: Human

Citizenship: American

Portrayed By: Charles Halford

Appearances: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (appears in Episode 7: "The Hub", Episode 17: "Turn, Turn, Turn")

A S.H.I.E.L.D. agent undercover in Siberia.

The Bus Came Back: He originally seemed to be a one off character, but comes back 10 episodes later during HYDRA's attack.
Foreshadowing: When the audience is led to believe that he, along with Hand and her faction, are HYDRA infiltrators, he is disgusted at the order to kill Coulson's team or any other of his fellow agents. This is one of the first indications that Hand's faction is Good All Along, as a HYDRA agent would not have been so sympathetic.
Nose Shove: He kept the intel he gathered hidden in a USB deep inside his nose.
One-Steve Limit: Averted, as he shares a surname with Deke Shaw (who, while not technically an agent of S.H.I.E.L.D., spends a lot of time around Team Coulson regardless). Of course, given that the latter is FitzSimmons' grandson from a Bad Future, Agent Shaw may be an ancestor from Deke's father's side.
The Mole: When he first appears, it's implied that he is going to torture Coulson for information but it's soon revealed that he too is a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent.
Torture Technician: He's undercover as an interrogator.
What Happened to the Mouse?: His fate since the S.H.I.E.L.D. Civil War hasn't been revealed.

Agent Mike Peterson / Deathlok

Agent Michael "Mike" Peterson / Deathlok

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/74992439e9709ab175f410884b1d8f73.png

"I could, you know? Be a hero."

^{Click here to see Mike as Deathlok}

Species: Enhanced human

Citizenship: American

Portrayed By: J. August Richards

Appearances: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (first appears in Episode 1: "Pilot")

"You said if we worked hard, if we did right, we'd have a place. You said it was enough to be a man, but there's better than man! There's gods... and the rest of us? What are we? They're giants... we're what they step on."

An ordinary guy with a son who mysteriously receives superhuman abilities thanks to "Project Centipede", attracting the attention of both S.H.I.E.L.D. and Skye. Mike is eventually transformed into Deathlok by HYDRA, and forced to work for them or else they will kill him and his son. S.H.I.E.L.D. manages to free him and his son when they take down John Garrett. He is later recruited into the resurrected S.H.I.E.L.D. by Director Coulson, working as a secret operative hunting down the remnants of HYDRA.

Action Bomb: He very nearly explodes due to the Extremis in his system, like the previous user of Centipede. Unlike the former, Mike is spared from this fate.
Adaptational Attractiveness: In the comics Deathlok is extremely unattractive- his cybernetics cover almost the entire left side of his head (including a large, bulging, yellow eye), and his human parts are scarred and (Depending on the Artist) withered almost to the point of being zombie-like. In the series, he has some scarring on the right side of his face and head.
Adaptational Badass: In the comics, Michael Peterson is a normal human and not a Deathlok.
Adaptational Villainy: In the comics, Deathlok was a hero in the vein of RoboCop. At least in Season 1, Mike is an unwilling villain through Centipede having him cowed by the Explosive Leash they have in his eye socket, and not allowing him to see his son, Ace. After being freed from HYDRA he strikes out on his own, presumably to become an Anti-Hero like the comics version, and Season 2 shows he's been working as a One-Man Army shadow operative for Coulson since he assumed Directorship of S.H.I.E.L.D., cementing him back into the "heroes'" side.
An Arm and a Leg: Lost his right leg in the explosion at the end of "The Bridge". It's replaced with a high tech counterpart.
And I Must Scream: He knows he's a good man deep down inside, and he's more concerned about his son's well-being than anything even after becoming Deathlok, but he has to do HYDRA's bidding or else, especially considering what he had learned about another victim of the eye implant.
Anti-Villain: In the pilot, Coulson calls him a "good man with a bad break". From "T.R.A.C.K.S." to "The Beginning Of The End", he's only working with Centipede because of the eye implant.
Appropriated Appellation: He's known as "the Hooded Hero" because he wore a hood when he performed his Heroic Fire Rescue at the opening of the pilot.
Arm Cannon: Gets one in "End of the Beginning", specifically a two-shot mini rocket launcher. It also comes with a few extra gadgets.
Ascended Extra: He's returned as of "The Bridge" to work with Coulson and later becomes a Centipede Eye-drone. Not only that, see Composite Character below.
The Atoner:
- In "The Bridge," he's very ashamed of his past actions and eagerly works hard to be as much a force for good as possible to make up for them. Which only makes it worse when Centipede forces him to betray Coulson to save his son Ace.
- Walking away in the Season 1 finale implies that he is going to make up for the evil deeds he was forced to commit.
Bald of Evil: Sort of. He's not evil, just extremely unstable and being coerced.
Becoming the Mask: Garrett thinks this is the case in "Ragtag", after he punches a drug lord's head clean off. It's clear he's wrong about it, though; Mike is just venting in the few ways he can.
Big Damn Heroes: Saves Coulson and Hunter from the 'Real' S.H.I.E.L.D. in "Afterlife".
Big Eater: He mentions in "The Bridge" that he eats about four times the amount of food he used to, and when using his strength maybe ten times.
The Brute: A hitman for Garrett, albeit a very reluctant one.
The Bus Came Back:
- In "Afterlife", he returns as Coulson's reinforcements against the other S.H.I.E.L.D. It's revealed that he's been tracking high level HYDRA members for Coulson for months.
- Deathlok returns in "The Real Deal" to help Team Coulson, though he's apparently "gone solo" outside of helping S.H.I.E.L.D..
The Cape:
- At the start of his introduction, there's an explosion. While other people are running scared or taking pictures, he tells his son that someone needs his help and goes to work. Later on, he tells Coulson that his stalwart nature ("it depends on the kind of person you are") is why he can control the Extremis in his system. A combination of With Great Power Comes Great Insanity and bad circumstances make him an antagonist.
- When he returns in "The Bridge", he does everything he can to make up for his earlier mistakes.
Composite Character: As of "T.R.A.C.K.S.", he's the newest Deathlok, but isn't named after any of the known versions of him from the comics. As a Mythology Gag, his leg is labeled 5.0, and there were only four Deathloks in the comics. He's still this. Though one of the Deathloks' secret identity in comics is Michael Collins, there's a Michael Peterson, a young African-American, that appeared in an issue of Slapstick in 1992.
Cybernetics Eat Your Soul: The more he's been upgraded with equipment, the less he resists orders, but his love for his son stays as strong as ever. As soon as he's freed, he becomes a hero once more. If anything, he's just developed (pardon the pun) Nerves of Steel and become more stoic while on assignment.
Cyborg: As of "T.R.A.C.K.S.", now that he has a robotic right leg to replace his missing one. As of "End of the Beginning", more than 95% of him has been transformed underneath the surface of his skin.
Decoy Protagonist: His first scenes in the show are a showcase of heroism and extraordinary ability when he saves someone from a burning building. Skye even lampshades it and expresses a desire to be his sidekick. If it wasn't for the title of the show, many viewers might be led to think that he's the main character.
Defeat Means Friendship: He's excited to work with The Team that shot him. Justified in this case as the shot stabilized his serum and he wants to be a hero.
The Dog Bites Back: "The Beginning of the End" sees him defeating Garrett with a rocket and a stomp to the face.
The Everyman: He was the most ordinary of Joes who was down on his luck and behind on his bills before he got his powers.
Expy: With the new backstory, he's basically Winter Soldier without the movie involvement.
Face–Monster Turn: Zigzagged Trope from the first to the last episode of season 1. Narrowly averted in the pilot thanks to the Sanity Slippage from the Extremis being stabilized. Played straight as of "T.R.A.C.K.S.", as he's been forced into becoming Deathlok. Then defied when he assists Team Coulson as soon as he's freed.
Give Him a Normal Life: More than anything else, Mike wants his son to be safe and happy, and he's all too aware that he can't provide that.
Guest-Star Party Member: When he re-appears in "The Bridge", he's temporarily drafted into the team to help them against Centipede's new super soldiers.
Healing Factor: Courtesy of Extremis he heals quickly.
Heel–Face Revolving Door: Though not entirely of his own volition - he would have stayed firmly on the Face side if not for being captured by Centipede.
Heel–Face Turn: He quickly turns on Garrett upon learning that S.H.I.E.L.D. had taken his son back from HYDRA.
Hero of Another Story: He spent the bulk of season 2 on a mission assigned to him from Coulson. He was tracking Dr.List, one of HYDRA's heads, and monitoring his activity. If Marvel Studios ever wants to make a Deathlok mini-series, that would provide plenty of material.
Hero's First Rescue: Mike's heroic debut was climbing up the side of a burning building to rescue a woman trapped in the top floor.
I Did What I Had to Do: Inverted in "The Bridge"; when he surrenders Coulson to Centipede against his will, Coulson's the one to reassure him that in doing so, he did the only thing he could do to ensure that nobody got hurt.
I Have Your Wife: This is used by Raina to force his cooperation in "The Bridge". In "Nothing Personal", he notes that S.H.I.E.L.D. being disbanded has left his son vulnerable, which is on top of the Explosive Leash currently in his eye socket. By the time of "Ragtag" it's revealed that HYDRA has now captured his son, leaving him even more under their control.
Imported Alien Phlebotinum: He's got a mixture of alien technology, gamma radiation, super soldier serum and Extremis running through his body.
Impossibly Cool Clothes: Fitz-Simmons give him a bodysuit that monitors his vitals, protects him from bullets, and is very comfortable.
Instant Expert: Here is a justified use of the trope. After his return, Mike is able to upload all of the data on a S.H.I.E.L.D. quinjet and expertly pilot in under a minute through his cybernetic eye.
In the Hood: Wore one during his original rescue, hence the "Hooded Hero" moniker.
Jumped at the Call: In "The Bridge" he is ecstatic to be recruited by Coulson and can't wait to get into the field and start helping people.
Knight Errant:
- At the end of season one finale is currently hitting the road to do good to make up for his actions.
- He lands back in the main story in Season 2, by rescuing Coulson and Hunter from "Real" S.H.I.E.L.D.'s forces and piloting the quinjet out of there. Turns out he's been working for Coulson for a little while to atone.
The Knights Who Say "Squee!": Based on his first scene in "The Bridge", he's taken 'Captain Rogers' as his role model in superheroing.
Made of Iron: Being hit with a shotgun blast to the chest doesn't do much to him apart from knock him over a rail owing to the sheer blast, and he gets back up afterwards.
Never Found the Body: Appears to be blown up in "The Bridge", after spending the entire episode trying to atone for his prior insanity, and even more specifically trying to "make up for things" and save Coulson after Centipede forced Mike to betray him in a Sadistic Choice. As it turns out, he was taken alive by Centipede, and his right leg was left behind so S.H.I.E.L.D. would have something to find.
Nice Guy: Before his Start of Darkness, he was a friendly and humble guy who wanted nothing more than to provide for his family. He returns to this in his second appearance.
Obliviously Evil: His Sanity Slippage leads him to believe that his Jumping Off the Slippery Slope is his Superhero Origin.
Oh, Crap!:
- After he discovers that Centipede had recaptured him. And he's missing a leg. And he has an eye implant.
- After becoming Deathlok, other people suffer this the moment they learn he's in the area.
One-Man Army: When Hunter learns that the reinforcements Coulson calls in "Afterlife" is just one person, he replies "that's not reinforcements, that's a gravedigger!". After Mike takes out two quinjets full of S.H.I.E.L.D. agents with only minimal assistance, he learns that one man is indeed all the back up they need.
Papa Wolf: He deeply loves his son. Even being transformed into a mostly-cyborg killing machine doesn't change that.
Phlebotinum Rebel: Once HYDRA's control over him is broken, he quickly turns on them.
Psycho Serum: The Centipede has a side effect of Sanity Slippage, making him more violent. Really, what did they expect if they used the same stuff that created the Hulk?
Punch-Clock Villain: In "Nothing Personal", he admits to Skye that he's more concerned about Ace's safety and well-being than anything and only serves HYDRA so that nothing will happen to his son. After Ace is freed, he turns on HYDRA.
Put on a Bus: Nowhere to be seen in Season 3. The last time we saw him is after HYDRA removed most of his cybernetics. He returns in Season 5 to lead a bunch of S.H.I.E.L.D. agents to the Lighthouse and saves Coulson from the manifestations of the Fear Dimension.
Scars Are Forever: Despite his Centipede powers, the burn scars on his face remain.
Scary Black Man: As he grows closer and closer to his Super-Power Meltdown. In his second appearance, the serum's side effects are completely gone, and he's friendly and affable again.
Small Role, Big Impact: The first Case of the Week, but also shown that the people behind his powers, the Centipede group, was still out there, continuing where they left off. Later averted when he returned in a bigger role.
Super-Power Meltdown: Narrowly averted, by way of Ward using the Night-Night gun. "The Bridge" reveals that being tranquilized at just the right moment fixed his meltdown problems permanently.
Super Prototype: Mike is one of the very first of Centipede experiments, but is the strongest.
Super-Strength: Due to the Centipede group's serum, or rather the Extremis aspect of it, he is far above human in strength.
Super-Toughness: Able to withstand serious blows without any injury, though it's implied that he can die from a headshot. His later upgrades make his durable enough to resist all but a few places being shot.
That Man Is Dead: He claims that Mike Peterson is dead in "End of the Beginning", having given up on the hope that he might be freed or ever see his son again.
Took a Level in Badass: In Season 2. His return is marked with a new costume which looks much better than the original, EMP rockets to complement his more lethal payload, and a tech overlay that lets him upload and learn new tech systems like the S.H.I.E.L.D. quinjets.
Trapped in Villainy: Like Akela and The Englishman before him, and by the same method. After Project Centipede is destroyed, he becomes free again.
Two-Faced: The result of being caught in the explosion at the end of The Bridge. Presumably the only reason he's even alive to begin with is because of the Super Serum in his blood.
Unskilled, but Strong: Unlike most S.H.I.E.L.D. agents, he has no formal combat training, and is a mere factory worker when the series begins. However, through his Super Serum and later cybernetic upgrades he becomes a force to be reckoned with, effectively the inverse of the Badass Normal agents seen throughout the series.
Villain of the Week: Though not the reason for the problems with Centipede, he's the primary face of it to the S.H.I.E.L.D. agents.
Walking the Earth: At the end of "Beginning of the End", instead of turning himself in or reuniting with his son, he decides that he has to make up for his bloody actions and hits the road, telling Skye that they can keep an eye on him through his eye implant.
We Can Rebuild Him: After being caught in a bomb planted by Centipede, he's turned into the cyborg Deathlok.
Woobie, Destroyer of Worlds: Given all the trouble that he's been through, it's hard not to feel sorry for him, even as he starts having a psychotic breakdown.
Wrong Genre Savvy: He's obviously aware of the old tropes, claiming at one point during the pilot that the events unfolding around him are the elements of a typical Origin Story of a superhero. However, his Origin Story ends up being that of an Atoner Anti-Hero, played out over the entire season instead.

The Koenigs

A Badass Family of S.H.I.E.L.D. Agents who report straight to the Director. Fury trusted them enough to let them know he faked his death after the HYDRA Coup and put them in charge of the secret bases he set up in case of emergencies. They rarely go out into the field, although they are more than capable should they be called to action.

Almighty Janitor: They mostly look after secret bases - which are used either to rebuild the organization or house weapons and tools that are only brought in as a last resort.
Ambiguously Human: While Eric was human, his identical brothers have the exact same mannerisms as he so there's been a lot of (In-universe!) speculation on what they actually are. It's eventually clarified that the brothers are just identical quadruplets, or at least that's what they told an inquisitive Red Shirt. The subsequent reveal that they also have an identical grandfather, who was interested in robots, heavily suggests that the previous reveal that they are perfectly normal humans was not true.
Back Up Twin: We don't know exactly how many brothers there are; but we do know there's a sister somewhere. According to Trip, Billy namedrops a new twin all the time.
Badass Family: Being a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent seems to be the family business.
Crouching Moron, Hidden Badass: They may look more like desk jockeys than secret agents but don't let that fool you - they are S.H.I.E.L.D. agents after all who report directly to Coulson (and previously Fury).
The Gadfly: They love teasing people with different possible explanations for being multiple (13?) perfectly identical (robot?) brothers.
Geek: They really like their video games and geeking out about other badass agents.
Generation Xerox: They are (almost) all quirky S.H.I.E.L.D. agents who had a hand in the LMD program, just like their quirky grandfather, who developed an interest in robotics after meeting Enoch and is implied to be a future member of the SSR. And they're all played by Patton Oswalt.
Heterosexual Life-Partner: All of them are very close and often play Call of Duty online. They took Eric's death very hard.
Incorruptible Pure Pureness: Implied Trope. Fury trusted them to look after his secret bases and let them know he was faking his death.
Inexplicably Identical Individuals: Eric, Sam, and Billy act more like clones than brothers.
Mythology Gag: It's revealed that there's a Koenig sister. In the comics, Eric does have a sister, Ilsa.
Rules Lawyer: All of them are a strickler for the rules - and one of those rules is that you have an ID lanyard with you at all times.
Shoo Out the Clowns:
- Their quirkiness and overall weirdness provided some levity during their brief tenure on the show, but they were quietly phased out as Season 2's Inhuman plotline kicked into gear, with no further mention or appearances even though the two surviving brothers are still with S.H.I.E.L.D. until Season 4, missing entirely Season 3.
- Billy Koenig is dead in the Framework's reality, to show how much Crapsack World it really is. There's no mention of the other Koenigs, assuming they exist at all in this reality.

Agent Eric Koenig

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/eric_keonig_aos_5417.jpg

Species: Human

Citizenship: American

Portrayed by: Patton Oswalt

Appearances: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (appears in Episode 18: "Providence", Episode 19: "The Only Light In the Darkness")

A Level Six agent in charge of "Providence", a secret base in the Canadian wilderness, set up by Nick Fury as a failsafe in case S.H.I.E.L.D. was compromised.

Adaptational Nationality: Changed from German in the comics to American in MCU.
Badass Family: With his brothers and fellow S.H.I.E.L.D.agents.
Basement-Dweller: In a manner of speaking. While he doesn't live at home, Koenig fits the type as he is likely the only person residing in "Providence". His isolated assignment has allowed him to rack up some major time on Call of Duty with his brother.
Crouching Moron, Hidden Badass: He may look more like a desk jockey than a secret agent, but don't let that fool you. He was hand picked by Fury himself to watch over a secret base. When he notices the readings are off when Ward's in the lie detector, he immediately grabs a gun and keeps pushing Ward for more direct answers to his questions regarding HYDRA, and doesn't seem scared in the slightest. He also threatened Coulson in regards to revealing Fury's survival, without flinching.
Fanboy: His welcoming of Coulson can be compared to Coulson's own welcoming of Captain America.
Forgotten Fallen Friend: Averted. He's brought up in the Season 3 penultimate fall episode.
Geeky Turn-On: After Skye hacks the NSA's satellites, he says he understands why Ward likes her so much.
Incorruptible Pure Pureness: Implied Trope. If Nick Fury, someone with major trust issues, trusts him to run his super secret, if-all-else-fails base, then he's gotta be pretty darn trustworthy. Hell, he's in that VERY exclusive club that knows Fury's still alive after the events of Captain America: The Winter Soldier.
Killed Off for Real: Ward kills him after he starts to uncover too much about his allegiance with HYDRA. Skye finds his body, so he's definitely dead.
Mauve Shirt: He's the only person residing at Providence who hasn't been on the show up until now. Take a guess what happens.
No Social Skills: Smooth is not a word you'd use to describe him.
Properly Paranoid:
- Given that HYDRA just launched a coup from within S.H.I.E.L.D. itself, he's understandably reluctant to trust the rest of Coulson's team until they've been properly vetted. When he sees Skye about to call Ward, he snaps at Coulson for allowing her to call a number at a secretive army base.
- Not only does Koenig distrust the rest of the team, he also hides from them the fact that Nick Fury's still alive, only trusting Coulson with the information. Smart call, especially since it was revealed that Ward is with HYDRA.
Rules Lawyer: He's quite adamant about sticking to Fury's rules, including keeping the team besides Coulson Locked Out of the Loop about Fury's own survival. He also is willing to give Team Coulson some new clearance cards but in due time, as he is beginning to trust them. Turns out that this was a very good call on his part. Had he shared that with the entire team, HYDRA would have found out as well about Fury's survival once Skye called Ward.
Secret-Keeper: One of the few people in the world who knows Nick Fury is alive after Captain America: The Winter Soldier.

Agent Billy Koenig

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/billy_koneig_aos_2603.jpg

Species: Human

Citizenship: American

Portrayed by: Patton Oswalt

Appearances: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (first appears in Episode 22: "The Beginning of the End")

A Level Six agent in charge of "the Playground", a secret base set up by Nick Fury as a failsafe in case S.H.I.E.L.D. needed to rebuild from the ground up. His brother, Eric, is the agent who was put in charge of Providence.

Ambiguously Human: Is implied to be a robot. "Hot Potato Soup" reveals that no, he's not a robot, although he did work on the original LMD program.
Backup Twin: Although he was mentioned before appearing, there was no indication he was also a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent or Eric's twin. Which is really is just the tip of the iceberg for how surprisingly similar they are.
- It turns out there's several Koenig brothers, with Sam Koenig appearing in a SDCC special teaser.
- Triplett claims that Billy introduces a new brother into the mix every time they speak and that each brother is described in exactly the same way. Triplett spends a lot of time trying to rationalize it all in his head, and he practically has a Heroic BSoD when he sees Billy and Sam together.
Badass Family: With his brothers and fellow S.H.I.E.L.D. agents.
Chekhov's Gunman: Eric mentioned that he spent most of his time playing Call of Duty with his brother, which always seemed odd since he was in a top-secret base. It's less odd when we find out said brother was also in a top-secret base.
Dead Alternate Counterpart: The Framework version of Billy died revealing the location of the Playground to S.H.I.E.L.D., allowing them to use it as their secret base.
Heterosexual Life-Partner: With his brothers. He's very upset over Eric's death.
Rules Lawyer: Like his brother Eric was at Providence, Billy is stringent about maintaining regulations in the Playground, especially when it comes to the ID lanyards.
Suspiciously Similar Substitute: Both in-universe and out. He greets Coulson with the exact same speech as his identical twin brother.
- Lampshaded by Fitz in the Season 2 opener "Shadows", claiming he was their new "golden boy". With Fitz not being what he was once was, Billy is the only person that has been shown that could do some of the stuff like Fitz has done.

Agent Sam Koenig

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/sam_koenig_695.png

Species: Human

Citizenship: American

Portrayed by: Patton Oswalt

Appearances: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (first appears in Episode 31: "...Ye Who Enter Here")

A Level Six Agent just like his brothers Billy and Eric. He first appered in a special SDCC 2014 video, before appearing in the show proper in "Ye Who Enter Here". He's in charge of the Theta Protocol. He has a crush on Bobbi.

Ambiguously Human: Billy jokes that he's a robot. Well, at least, Trip thinks he's joking... It's eventually clarified later in "Hot Potato Soup" that he's not actually a robot.
Billy: All the excitement fried [Sam's] circuits. His cooling system kicked in and he's recharging his batteries.
Annoying Younger Sibling: Billy considers him this due to his fanboy reaction to getting to meet agents like May and Morse.
Back Up Twin: Looks just like his brothers, he is exactly like Eric.
Badass Family: With his brothers and fellow S.H.I.E.L.D. agents.
Early-Bird Cameo: First appears in a promotional video for season 2 at San Diego Comic-Con in July 2014, before finally appearing in the show proper on the December 2nd episode "Ye Who Enter Here".
Has a Type: Sam is explicitly attracted to women who can kick ass.
Heterosexual Life-Partner: With his brothers. He's very upset over Eric's death.
Insistent Terminology: He keeps referring to Daisy Johnson as "Agent Quake" in "Hot Potato Soup", even after she expresses her dislike of the name.
Secret-Keeper: It is revealed in "Scars" that he was in on Coulson's Theta Protocol.
Suspiciously Specific Denial: When he mentions that there are Slash Fics involving Daisy and Black Widow, he says that he's never read any of them, but he's aware that the stories and associated drawings are quite "steamy". Daisy looks like she wishes she could unhear that.

Agent L.T. Koenig

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/koenig_lt.jpg

"Agent L.T. Koenig. Sorry about kicking your candy ass."

Species: Human

Citizenship: American

Portrayed By: Artemis Pebdani

Appearances: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (appears in Episode 78: "Hot Potato Soup")

The older sister of the Koenig brothers, and the one who recruited them into S.H.I.E.L.D.

Action Girl: To be expected of the sister of the Koenigs, as she easily overpowered Agent Davis. In fact, she trained the brothers.
Adaptation Name Change: In the comics, Eric Koenig's sister was named Ilsa Koenig. Then again, Ilsa Koenig was also a member of the German Resistance and Nick Fury's lover during World War II, so maybe it's not accurate to say that LT is based on Ilsa.
Big Sister Mentor: She was the one who recruited and trained Eric, Sam, and Billy. She's actually surprised that she wasn't able to recruit Thurston.
Big Sister Bully: When Daisy asks what it was likely growing up with quadruplets, LT says that there was a lot of crying...because she picked on them. She also casually shot Thurston with ICEr to shut him up when he refused to go into S.H.I.E.L.D.'s protection.
I Have Brothers: Inverted. They learned all of their masculine skills from her.

Agent Isabelle Hartley

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/isabelle_hartley_aos_5395.jpg

Species: Human

Citizenship: American

Portrayed By: Lucy Lawless

Appearances: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (appears in Episode 23: "Shadows", in Episode 37: "One Door Closes")

A longtime member of S.H.I.E.L.D. who is an experienced undercover operative. She has prior history with Coulson, and aides him in his efforts to rebuild the organization.

Action Girl: On the day S.H.I.E.L.D. fell, she took down legions of HYDRA goons with throwing knives and her bare hands.
An Arm and a Leg: She grabs the original 084 with her bare hand in an attempt to use it against Creel, forcing it to be cut off to save her life. Not that it ultimately saves her.
Blood Knight: If you tell her that there are 14 decks of HYDRA goons between her and control of an aircraft carrier, her response will not be fear but excitement.
Celebrity Paradox: Lady Sif (who happens to have made a couple appearances on the show herself) was referred to as "Xena" in the first Thor film.
Dead Star Walking: More proof that celebrities on this show have a high death rate: She dies at the end of her first episode.
Due to the Dead: In "Heavy is the Head", the military buries her with full honors.
Hide Your Lesbians: The writers considered revealing that Isabelle Hartley from Season 2 was Victoria Hand's former lover, but cut any mention of this from the script since they thought Hartley's death would cause people to accuse the show of exploiting the Bury Your Gays trope. However, a later episode featured a flashback to the events of Captain America: The Winter Soldier, in which Hartley mentions having checked in on Hand, referring to her as "Vic", indicating that not only they knew each other but that they were also close.
Mauve Shirt: Creel kills her and Idaho by flipping their car. Only Hunter makes it out alive.
Minor Major Character: She dies in her first episode, but it turns out much later that she's quite crucial to the circumstances of Season 2 - she played a big part in liberating the Iliad, and during her time as The Mole she recruited her old friend (and Bobbi's ex-husband) Lance Hunter into her team for a time; this would have major consequences later on, with Hunter developing Undying Loyalty to Coulson and hampering the plans of Real S.H.I.E.L.D. massively.
The Mole: Turns out she was part of the 'Real' S.H.I.E.L.D. faction led by Gonzales and a mole alongside Bobbi and Mack.
Take a Moment to Catch Your Death: Hartley's team seems to be in the clear, escaping from the military and Hunter having amputated her arm to save her from the 084's infection. Then they crash into Creel, killing both Hartley and Idaho.
We Hardly Knew Ye: Dies in her first episode.

Idaho

Species: Human

Citizenship: American

Portrayed by: Wilmer Calderon

Appearances: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (appears in Episode 23: "Shadows")

Idaho is a mercenary Coulson recruits to combat HYDRA and is teammates with Hartley and Hunter.

Canon Foreigner: Made for the show probably to die and show the audience how deadly Creel is.
Mauve Shirt: Creel kills him and Hartley by flipping their car. Only Hunter makes it out alive.
Only Known by Their Nickname: While his partners have a first and last name, Idaho is only referred to as Idaho.
Real Men Love Jesus: Hunter says Idaho would frequently go to church after missions.
Satellite Character: His characterization begins and ends with him being True Companions and partners with Hunter and Hartley.
We Hardly Knew Ye: Dies in his first episode and Hunter subsequently only talks about Hartley in nostalgic tones with no mention of Idaho.

Agent Noelle Walters

Species: Human

Citizenship: Unknown

Portrayed by: Melanie Cruz

Appearances: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (appears in Episode 28: "A Fractured House")

An agent in charge of a S.H.I.E.L.D. team in the Netherlands.

Canon Foreigner: She has no comicbook counterpart.
Defiant to the End: Headbutts Scarlotti in the face before he can take his knife to her, then upon taking a splinter bomb to the gut, states that HYDRA will never defeat S.H.I.E.L.D. before disintegrating.
Killed Mid-Sentence: Her aforementioned Defiant to the End moment, which Scarlotti wastes no time lampshading.
No Body Left Behind: She gets disintegrated by Marcus Scarlotti, who puts a splinter bomb into her stomach.
We Hardly Knew Ye: Dies in her first episode.

Agent Tomas Calderon

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/9cab09cf9a05a4fd13b58bfabfcc9ca4.png

Species: Human

Citizenship: American

Portrayed by: Kirk Acevedo

Appearances: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (appears in Episode 36: "Love in the Time of HYDRA", Episode 37: "One Door Closes")

A subordinate agent to Robert Gonzales and a senior member of his "Real" S.H.I.E.L.D..

Bald of Evil: He's bald and the nastiest member of Gonzales' council.
The Dragon: He appears to be Gonzales' right-hand man.
Hate Sink: Seems to serve the singular purpose of generating audience dislike for the 'real' S.H.I.E.L.D. compared to the more reasonable Gonzales and already likable Weaver.
Hot-Blooded: More passionate than the other leaders of his faction of S.H.I.E.L.D.
Impaled with Extreme Prejudice: Got impaled by a fast moving branch after Skye used her powers to defend herself.
Jerkass: Takes great pleasure at Bobbi's visible discomfort when Lance learns the truth about her, and shortly after accuses her of being a traitor for not stopping Lance.
Jerkass Has a Point: In regards to his accusation of Bobbi allowing Lance to escape; she did deliberately allow him to fight his way out and made no effort to subdue him, if only because she wasn't convinced he would succeed.
Laser-Guided Karma: Tried to shoot Skye dead and got skewered (non-fatally) for it.
Token Evil Teammate: Probably the one and only member of the group who could be considered morally completely rotten.

Agent Oliver

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/oliver_mcu.jpg

Species: Human

Citizenship: American

Portrayed By: Mark Allen Stewart

Appearances: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (appears in Episode 36: "Love in the Time of HYDRA", Episode 41: "The Dirty Half Dozen")

Another subordinate to Gonzales and member of the "Real" S.H.I.E.L.D. leadership.

Flat Character: Not as developed as his peers, he's mostly there to fill in the leading board of "Real" S.H.I.E.L.D.. What is known is that he's less harsh than Gonzales, Weaver and especially Calderon.
Reasonable Authority Figure: He (implicitly) outvoted Gonzales on the matter of letting May onto the board.
Taken for Granite: He and several other agents are killed when Jiaying traps them in a room and shatters a diviner-laced crystal inside.
We Hardly Knew Ye: He received very little characterization before Jiaying killed him.

Agent Damon Keller

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/keller_aos.png

Species: Human

Citizenship: American

Portrayed By: Lucas Bryant

Appearances: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (first appears in Episode 111: "Missing Pieces")

A STRIKE agent recruited by May into S.H.I.E.L.D. after it was reformed under the leadership of Director Alphonse Mackenzie.

Body Horror: The alien bat parasite begins turning Keller into Human Architecture Horror, with long jagged spikes coming out of everywhere on his body and growing as they made contact with the walls.
The Cuckoolander Was Right: His and Fox's idea that the strange occurrences are happening on the Ley lines is initially blown off as a stupid idea, but they're proven right. Keller never lets the chance to mention this pass by.
Deadpan Snarker: Snarks fairly frequently. Even after getting infected by the parasite and is possibly dying, he keeps it up, joking to Yo-Yo that it's a little soon to bring a parasitic alien into their relationship and wanting to know if it's ok.
Love Interest: Begins a secret relationship with Yo-Yo after she and Mack broke up.
Mauve Shirt: He is a very prominent character at the start of Season 6, until his death in the fourth episode.
Mercy Kill: Yo-Yo is forced to stab him with Sarge's knife to halt the parasitic transformation his body was undergoing that could have destroyed the entire base.
One-Steve Limit: Averted. He shares a surname with S.H.I.E.L.D.'s 1990s-era director from Captain Marvel. It's not inconceivable that he could be a descendant or relation.
Sacrificial Lion: He only outlives Fox by two episodes (three if you count the one he didn't appear in.)
Those Two Guys: With Agent Fox, who was from near Keller's hometown and who he helped recruit into S.H.I.E.L.D.

Agent Trevor Khan

Species: Human

Citizenship: American

Portrayed By: Shainu Bala

Appearances: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.

A STRIKE agent recruited by tasked by Director Mackenzie with infiltrating Deke Shaw's Company.

False Friend: He befriends Deke and hangs out with him in order to keep up his cover. Deke believes Trevor actually likes him, which is not the case.
Mauve Shirt: After playing a supporting role throughout season six, when the Chronicom Hunters take over the Lighthouse, he's among the agents lined up and executed by the invaders.
Professional Buttkisser: To keep up his cover, he constantly praises Deke and his endeavors.
The Mole: S.H.I.E.L.D.'s mole within Deke's company.

Agent Dimitri Smerdyakov

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/spiderman_farfromhome_movie_screencapscom_4372_1.jpg

Species: Human

Citizenship: Russian

Portrayed By: Numan Acar

Appearances: Spider-Man: Far From Home

A member of Nick Fury's crew operating in Europe.

Adaptational Heroism: In the comics, Dimitri Smerdyakov is Spider-Man's foe the Chameleon. Here, he's working for Nick Fury (or maybe Talos, it's not clear which or if he knows the difference) as an agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. and acts as Peter's ally during the film.
Ambiguously Human: After the reveal in the stinger, there has been some arguing in the fandom as to whether he and the female agent who gives Peter the stealth suit are humans or Skrulls.
The Comically Serious: Dimitri has one hell of an impressive poker-face, even in the face of all the weirdness that comes with babysitting Peter Parker. The only time he seems to lose his cool is when he rolls his eyes and shakes his head in pure annoyance and disapproval of Flash's social-media nonsense.
In Name Only: Outside of sharing the same real name, he has zero resemblence to the Chameleon of the comics lacking his distinctive appearance, Master of Disguise abilities, and villainous role.
The Quiet One: He only has one line in the entire film, telling Mr. Harrington that they're making a short rest stop. This technically doubles as a Mythology Gag to some depictions of his comic book counterpart, which have him never speak while not under a disguise.
Race Lift: in the comics Dimitri Smerdyakov is a white man of Russian origin, while in the movie, he is played by Turkish actor Numan Acar.
The Spook: Aside from his name, E.D.I.T.H. has absolutely no data on this guy, or at least none that Peter can actually access due to it being encrypted. Justified in that he's a spy.

The Deke Squad

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/dekesquadaos.jpg

Left to right: Roxy, Mack (in foreground), the Chang brothers, Olga, Deke. Not pictured: Cricket.

Species: Humans

Citizenship: American

Portrayed By: Tipper Newton (Roxy Glass), John Yuan (Tommy Chang), Matt Yuan (Ronnie Chang), Jolene Anderson (Olga Pachinko), Ryan Donowho (Cricket)

Appearances: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.

A cover band formed by Deke Shaw while stranded in the early 1980s, as a disguise for his ad-hoc S.H.I.E.L.D. cell operating out of the Lighthouse.

Ambiguously Gay: Olga tells Roxy (in Russian), "My heart resides forever in your beautiful clutches."
Broken Pedestal: The Chang twins are upset to find that Deke actually didn't write any of the songs they're playing, not even "Walk Like An Egyptian".
The Bus Came Back: Three episodes after Mack and Deke leave them, Roxy reappears, having started training to become a legitimate S.H.I.E.L.D. agent (having found out that Deke actually didn't have the authority to recruit her into S.H.I.E.L.D.).
Cloudcuckoolander: Cricket doesn't seem to be on the same plane of reality as the rest of the squad. Notably, he's the only one to not double as a secret agent.
Demolitions Expert: Olga.
Dirty Coward: The Chang twins, despite putting up a decent fight against Sybil's Killer Robots at first, panic and abandon their team when the bots start shooting lasers. Deke still forgives them.
Egocentric Team Naming: Named for lead vocalist Deke Shaw.
Hidden in Plain Sight: As Deke explains to Mack, the band is actually a good disguise for a S.H.I.E.L.D. faction, as they can move heavy equipment unchallenged and any odd behavior will be chalked up to drugs.
Locked Out of the Loop: Roxy seems to think Alfie is Mack's son (when the former is the latter's younger self), implying that Deke either didn't mention Time Travel to them, or just kept the situation with Mack's younger self a secret.
Made of Iron: Olga is seriously injured twice in a manner that might look like a Red Shirt going down, only for her to recover soon enough.
Master of Disguise: The Changs, according to Deke. We never actually see them do it.
Only Known by Their Nickname: We never learn Cricket's real name.
Plagiarism in Fiction: Unbeknownst to the rest of the band, Deke is ripping off 80's pop songs that were (will be?) written by completely different people.
Psycho Party Member: Olga uses live explosives during the team's training sessions.
Pun: Deke's cover band is a cover for his operations.
The Runt at the End: When Deke is telling Mack about the squad, he lists off their capabilities as agents... except Cricket, who's just a drummer and drug dealer.
Sacrificial Lamb: Cricket doesn't get any noticeable development before one of Sybil's robots kills him.
The Smart Girl: Deke seems to regard Roxy as this.
What the Hell, Hero?: Roxy tears into Mack for cutting himself off from everyone and abandoning his "son" (read: younger self), even while Deke checks up on the boy.

S.H.I.E.L.D. Support Staff

Benny Pollack

Benjamin "Benny" Pollack

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/benjamin_pollack_3691.png

Species: Human

Citizenship: American

Portrayed By: Jesse Bradford

Appearances: Item 47

"I hope you are right..."

One half of the Outlaw Couple that formed following the Battle of New York. After getting pitched the crazy idea to rob banks with his girlfriend, he went along with it reluctantly, but deep down is grateful for the chance to finally live out their dreams.

Anti-Villain: Just an ordinary guy reluctantly robbing banks to fix his life's problems.
Boxed Crook: At the end of Item 47, he's given a job at S.H.I.E.L.D. in their Research and Development department's "Think Tank" due to his skill with Chitauri weaponry.
Gadgeteer Genius: He manages to make the Chitauri gun work, while S.H.I.E.L.D. hasn't made any progress with it.
Heel–Face Turn: Bank robber to S.H.I.E.L.D. employee.
Henpecked Husband: Pre-husband, as Claire is his girlfriend, but she still definitely shows she's the boss.
Outlaw Couple: With Claire; they rob banks.
Pink Girl, Blue Boy: In Item 47, he wears a black ski-mask, while Claire's is pink.
Shout-Out: His name is a Shout-Out to Bonnie of Bonnie and Clyde.
Super Weapon, Average Joe: Ordinary human with no connection to anything super except for the Chitauri gun.
Villain Protagonist: A bank robber starring in Item 47
What Happened to the Mouse?: Since S.H.I.E.L.D. is revealed to be infiltrated by HYDRA all along, his fate after S.H.I.E.L.D.'s Civil War has yet to be revealed.

Claire Wise

Species: Human

Citizenship: American

Portrayed By: Lizzy Caplan

Appearances: Item 47

"I'm always right. And I'm always right about you."

Claire's had a hard life of bills, rejected dreams, and alien invasions. But when a Chitauri gun literally falls out of the sky as if as a present, she sees the chance to finally take matters into their own hands and gain the means to live like they want to.

Anti-Villain: Just an average woman with bills to pay who thinks she could solve her problems with bank robbing.
Boxed Crook: At the end of Item 47, she's given a job at S.H.I.E.L.D. as Agent Blake's new assistant.
Celebrity Paradox: Avengers: Endgame reveals that Hot Tub Time Machine exists in the MCU. Claire's actress plays April in the movie.
Deus ex Machina: She thinks of the Chitauri gun as this. After all, it literally fell out of the sky.
Heel–Face Turn: Bank robber to S.H.I.E.L.D. employee.
Outlaw Couple: With Benny. Bank robbing was her idea.
Pink Girl, Blue Boy: In Item 47, she wears a pink ski-mask, while Benny wears a black one.
Shout-Out: Her name is a Shout-Out to Clyde of Bonnie and Clyde.
Super Weapon, Average Joe: Ordinary human with no connection to anything super except for the Chitauri gun.
Villain Protagonist: A bank robber starring in Item 47
What Happened to the Mouse?: Since S.H.I.E.L.D. is revealed to be infiltrated by HYDRA all along, her fate after S.H.I.E.L.D.'s Civil War has yet to be revealed.
Women Are Wiser: Thinks of herself because she's the one taking chances and opportunities to find a better life.

Dr. Streiten

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/streiten.jpg

"You'd lost your will to live. We tried to give it back."

Species: Human

Citizenship: American

Portrayed By: Ron Glass

Appearances: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (appears in Episode 1: "Pilot", Episode 11: "The Magical Place")

A physician working for S.H.I.E.L.D. He knows how Coulson survived being stabbed by Loki during The Avengers.

My God, What Have I Done?: Is both obviously traumatized and horrified over what they had to do to bring Coulson Back from the Dead.
Screw This, I'm Outta Here: He goes off the grid after Coulson confronts him about his resurrection, with not even S.H.I.E.L.D. able to find him.
Secret-Keeper: Along with Maria Hill, he's one of two characters confirmed to know how Coulson was resurrected besides Nick Fury, who ordered it.
What Happened to the Mouse?: No further mention of him is made after he disappears, with his fate after HYDRA's emergence being unknown; and with Ron Glass' death, it's unlikely we'll get any more about him.

Cameron Klein

Technician/Specialist Cameron Klein

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/9324882346419.png

Species: Human

Citizenship: American

Portrayed By: Aaron Himelstein

Appearances: Captain America: The Winter Soldier | Avengers: Age of Ultron

"I'm not gonna launch those ships... Captain's orders."

Cameron Klein was a S.H.I.E.L.D. Technician responsible for the launch of the Insight Helicarriers.

He's later recruited by Nick Fury and Maria Hill along with several other former S.H.I.E.L.D. agents in relaunching the 'mothballed' Helicarrier.

Ascended Extra: In Avengers: Age of Ultron, he's recruited by Nick Fury as a technician for the old Helicarrier in a bid to evacuate the citizens of Sokovia before Ultron could enact his Evil Plan. Upon arrival he launched the Helicarrier's lifeboats to the now levitating city so that the Avengers and local law enforcement could commence with the evacuation. This time, he's credited with the name "Cameron Klein".
Heroic Sacrifice: Averted, as he intended one by defying Rumlow's commands while having a gun put to his head, but Sharon managed to kick him away from the gun and thus save his life.
Mission Control: His job in S.H.I.E.L.D. is to offer assistance with information and technology to those in the field.
Mythology Gag: In the comics, he is grandson of Stanley Klein, a United States Armed Forces private rescued by Captain America and the Howling Commandos during World War II. By knowing this, his loyalty to S.H.I.E.L.D. and Captain America becomes more heartwarming and meaningful.
Non-Action Guy: He's a technician, not personal combatant. It's made explicit by him hiding under his desk when the S.H.I.E.L.D. loyalists and HYDRA infiltrators start shooting at each other and in Avengers: Age of Ultron hysterically screaming when an Ultron drone breaches the Helicarrier bridge.
No Name Given: He's unnamed until his appearance in Avengers: Age of Ultron.
One-Steve Limit: Averted and made into Decomposite Character. The other man with the name "Cameron Klein" is a retired S.H.I.E.L.D. agent and T.A.H.I.T.I. patient from Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. who now lives with new name, Hank Thompson.
Small Role, Big Impact: Cap ends up stopping Project Insight with only a second left to go, which would not have been possible had Klein not delayed the launch of the helicarriers for as long as he could, even with Rumlow holding a gun to his head. His decision saved literally millions of lives.
Undying Loyalty: To S.H.I.E.L.D. and Captain America as seen in Captain America: The Winter Soldier. Even with Brock Rumlow holding him at gunpoint, he doesn't sacrifice his loyalty even if it might cost his life.
The Unreveal: In The Stinger of Infinity War, Nick Fury tells Maria Hill to contact Klein to do unspecified task before getting cut off by a car crash. Klein makes no appearance nor mention in Fury and Hill's next appearances in Endgame and Far Frome Home, leaving it ambiguous what they were trying to contact him for.

Dr. Marcus Benson

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/bd096169_83e6_4ba2_922d_08f80722a6af.png

Species: Human

Citizenship: American

Portrayed By: Barry Shabaka Henley

Appearances: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (first appears in Episode 111: "Missing Pieces")

A natural sciences expert recruited to S.H.I.E.L.D. by Director Mackenzie and Agent May from his former position at Culver University.

The Alcoholic: Slipped into Drowning My Sorrows after the death of his husband, to the point that his superiors at Culver University are slowly pushing him out the door to retirement. Sure enough, May and Mack meet him in a bar.
- "From the Ashes" implies that the problem goes back even further, as a manifestation of Benson's late husband accuses him of having been drunk on the night of the car crash that claimed his life.
Badass Bookworm: A middle-aged, alcoholic university professor...who flatly refuses to help Izel, a body-hopping alien destroyer goddess, with the information she needs to pull off her Evil Plan.
Benson: I've already lost everything that matters. Death doesn't scare me.
Bluff the Impostor: He quickly catches on when Yo-yo refers to Agent Keller in the present tense in front of an Izel-possessed Mack, who doesn't catch the error until Benson has already deleted the schematics Izel needed.
Closest Thing We Got: Mackenzie and May seek him out as their organization lacks scientific "brains" with Fitz still lost out in space and Simmons still out of contact hunting for Fitz after a full year.
The Eeyore: Fairly uniformly serious and grim, at least so far.
I Need a Freaking Drink: Pours Mack a drink as he prepares to report that Sarge's DNA exactly matches Coulson's — then downs it himself after delivering the Wham Line.
Jumped at the Call: Being handed a folder full of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s current scientific challenges is enough to convince him to come aboard.
The Lost Lenore: His late husband is this to Benson, who has become The Alcoholic by the time he is introduced in Season 6.
The Mentor: Agent May explains that Dr. Benson had this relationship with her late ex-husband, Dr. Andrew Garner. Now, she and Mack intend for him to fulfill this role to a new generation of S.H.I.E.L.D. agents and scientists.
Not Afraid to Die: Flatly refuses to lead Izel to her "temple", saying that ever since the death of his husband, he's no longer afraid of dying.
Spear Counterpart: To Agent Weaver, who headed the S.H.I.E.L.D. Academy before the agency's fall in Captain America: The Winter Soldier, and which Director Mackenzie intends for him to reestablish in the wake of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s relegitimization.
Straight Gay: It's mentioned that he was married to a late husband, but he has no overtly campy personality traits.
Suspiciously Similar Substitute: To Dr. Streiten from Season 1. Dr. Benson focuses more on natural sciences rather than medicine, but still ends up dissecting a victim of the Shrike and attempting emergency surgery to try and save Agent Keller from the same creature.
Twofer Token Minority: Black and gay.
Two First Names: Benson can also used as a given name.

Former S.H.I.E.L.D. Operatives

Felix Blake

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/blake_felix.png

"Hate's a good motivator."

Species: Human

Citizenship: American

Portrayed By: Titus Welliver

Appearances: Item 47 | Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (appears in Episode 6: "FZZT", Episode 16: "End of the Beginning", Episode 58: "Watchdogs")

"When I got out of the hospital it turned out there had never been a S.H.I.E.L.D., just HYDRA hiding behind one. I signed up to protect the world from these dangerous alien elements, [and now] you use them, unleash them, you've got those freaks working for you. Hell Phil, you are one. Makes me sick."

An agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. in charge of surveillance. After Outlaw Couple Benny and Claire get on the organization's radar due to their robberies, he tasks Sitwell with retrieving the alien Arm Cannon known as Item 47. After receiving traumatic injuries during the hunt for the Clairvoyant, Blake emerges from a coma after HYDRA revealed itself and new powered people began appearing more frequently around the world. Disgusted by what S.H.I.E.L.D. had become, Blake joined the Watchdogs and dedicated himself to protecting the world from powered individuals by any means necessary.

All There in the Manual: His first name is only shown for a split-second in "End of the Beginning".
Amazon Chaser: He tries (fruitlessly) to flirt with Melinda "The Cavalry" May while they're on a mission.
Arbitrary Skepticism: Psychics? Pfft, nonsense. Astrology? There's something to that. May calls him on this.
Badass Bureaucrat: Despite appearing a mere supervisor instead of a field agent, he fights Deathlok with admirable ability and even has the foresight to replace his weapon's ammunition with a tracker beacon so the other agents would be able to track him down.
By-the-Book Cop: He's a rather staunch rule-follower, which brings him into conflict with the likes of Coulson who sees the value of improvisation and unconventional tactics.
Despair Event Horizon: Blake's by-the-book dedication to S.H.I.E.L.D. dies a painful death; he's crippled by Deathlok and wakes up to discover that the organization he dedicated his life to was little more than an illusion maintained by HYDRA.
Evil Cripple: When he reappears as the head of the Watchdogs, it's revealed that Deathlok's attack left him paralyzed from the waist down.
Evil Former Friend: Coulson and Blake don't get along very well in "FZZT", but Blake was noticeably upset when he accidentally called Agent Sitwell "Coulson" in Item 47, and Coulson did consider Blake a friend. After he learned Coulson was resurrected with alien blood, however, Blake says that Coulson makes him "sick".
Face–Heel Turn: Blake was always a rather abrasive agent, but he was still a trustworthy S.H.I.E.L.D. agent. Then he gets crippled by Deathlok, and the HYDRA revelation pushes him into becoming the leader of an anti-Inhuman hate group called The Watchdogs.
Fantastic Racism: He develops a downright genocidal hatred of anyone who isn't a pure human. He considers all aliens and Inhumans to be the enemy simply by virtue of their species.
Irony: Unlike Agent Sitwell, Agent Blake was never a part of HYDRA when S.H.I.E.L.D. fell. Then, in season 3, he's becomes HYDRA's Unwitting Pawn by collaborating with the Watchdogs.
Jerk with a Heart of Gold: Despite coming off as gruff and unpleasant he honestly tries to reason with Deathlok, addressing him as "Mr. Peterson" and promising to help free him if he'll call off his attack. In addition, while Sitwell is a HYDRA traitor, he is not. However, his heart of gold is ripped out by his injury and the rise of HYDRA.
Jumping Off the Slippery Slope: While he wasn't all that pleasant to work with as a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent, and remained loyal unlike Agent Sitwell, who was part of HYDRA, he goes way off the deep end by actively supplying arms and intelligence to The Watchdogs.
Karma Houdini: He never gets any comeuppance for his role with the Watchdogs.
Locked Out of the Loop: His Not So Stoic entry shows he isn't Level 7, since he is unaware that Coulson survived his attempted murder by Loki. He got a promotion sometime between then and Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D..
The Men in Black: He was in charge of the retrieval of Item 47, though Sitwell does the field work.
Must Have Caffeine:
- The first thing he does when granted an assistant is tell her to make him coffee.
- When given particularly difficult missions, his first reaction is to reach for more coffee.
Not So Stoic: He noticeably quiets up a bit when he accidentally calls Agent Sitwell "Coulson". It turns out even Blake misses him.
Obstructive Bureaucrat: In "FZZT" he insists that S.H.I.E.L.D. protocol be followed to the letter: if "infected cargo" is present on the Bus it has to be jettisoned into the ocean. Coulson's counter-argument that said "cargo" is a human being and fellow agent who still might survive her illness apparently has little impact on him.
Sinister Surveillance: He's technically on the side of good, but he comes across as rather sinister regardless. His first in-person appearance in Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. cements this. He insinuates that Coulson's days with the agency are numbered. Then he touches Lola.
Smug Snake: He's not a villain per se, at least until he becomes one by joining The Watchdogs, but he's very confident in his own abilities.
Took a Level in Jerkass: In the third season of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., he reappears heading an anti-Inhuman organization called The Watchdogs, having developed (or at least acted on) a large amount of Fantastic Racism since his hospitalization in the first season.
Two First Names: Blake is a common gender-neutral name.
Unwitting Pawn: To HYDRA in his new capacity with the Watchdogs.
What Happened to the Mouse?: Despite the Watchdogs taking a more central role in Season 4, Blake is nowhere to be seen and isn't mentioned by any character. The sole leader of the Watchdogs is Anton Ivanov aka 'The Superior'.
You, Get Me Coffee: Tries this at the end of Item 47, but is stymied by the fact that his new assistant can't make coffee.

Richard Lumley

Species: Human

Citizenship: American

Portrayed By: Boyd Kestner

Appearances: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (appears in Episode 12: "Seeds")

A S.H.I.E.L.D. agent who went off the grid after investigating an 0-8-4 in Hunan, China.

Combat Pragmatist: Uses the environment of the alley while fighting May, including a wooden pallet.
Cyanide Pill: Was willing to take one when he was confronted by Coulson and May.
Secret-Keeper: He's one of the only surviving people on the planet to know about the 0-8-4 from Hunan. It was Skye, and even he doesn't know the details, just that an entire village died to protect her when she was a baby.
Sole Survivor: Of the team that investigated the 0-8-4, with all the others being killed off one-by-one before Lumley went off the radar to avoid the same fate.

Sebastian Derik

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/f9f4f73907b7b479f1f04f0eab01bae1.png

"I do some carving now and then."

Species: Human

Citizenship: American

Portrayed by: Brian Van Holt

Appearances: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (appears in Episode 28: "A Fractured House", Episode 29: "The Writing on the Wall")

A S.H.I.E.L.D. assassin and test subject of Project T.A.H.I.T.I.

Anti-Villain: What really drives him into villainy and becoming Serial Killer is because the effect of G.H. Serum from T.A.H.I.T.I. Project. Anyone exposed to it gains some of the alien's Genetic Memory, which comes in the form of a blueprint to an unknown city. However, his mind cannot properly process the image and he desperately needs an answer from this.
Go Mad from the Revelation: Inverted. Rather than going mad, he calmed down and is saved from madness after knowing the answer to the symbols: blueprints to a city.
Professional Killer: He was a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent working as an assassin.
Serial Killer: Becomes one for test subjects of Project T.A.H.I.T.I. due to his GH.235-induced obsession to complete the Words of Creation - on their bodies - and understand their meanings.

Janice Robbins

Species: Human

Citizenship: American

Portrayed By: Monique Gabriela Curnen

Appearances: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (appears in Episode 29: "The Writing on the Wall")

Phil Coulson: How do you feel today?
Rebecca Stevens: Terrific. I've never felt better.
Coulson: Do you remember how you got here?
Stevens: I volunteered. I was dying, and when I woke up, everything was okay.

An art teacher who was once Rebecca Stevens, a Level Six S.H.I.E.L.D. agent and test subject of Project T.A.H.I.T.I.

Adaptational Badass: Her comic book counterpart is a historian whereas the TV show Janice/Rebecca is a trained S.H.I.E.L.D. agent.
Back from the Dead: She was listed as having died from cancer, which she actually had.
Go Mad from the Revelation: Just like everyone else in the T.A.H.I.T.I. program. However, this is averted once their memories are wiped and they're given new identities.
Laser-Guided Amnesia: She was subjected to the Memory Overwriting Machine to cure her of the GH.235-induced psychosis.
Race Lift: The comic book version of Rebecca Stevens is a caucasian, whereas the TV version is a Latin of mestizo descent.

Hank Thompson

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/909dfac4756637b23956b42a8a50d2b7.png

"So I was some kind of super spy?"

Species: Human

Citizenship: American

Portrayed By: Joel Gretsch

Appearances: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (appears in Episode 29: "The Writing on the Wall")

"I know who I am. I'm Hank Thompson. I've got a wife I love, a kid I adore, and every day, I wake up happy."

A welder who was once Cameron Klein, an agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. and test subject of Project T.A.H.I.T.I.

Achievements in Ignorance: Despite having his mind wiped after Project T.A.H.I.T.I. he built a model train set that completed the 3D map of the hidden city. He did this completely subconsciously which is quite an achievement given that dozens of people were trying to figure out the puzzle for years.
Back from the Dead: He's a patient of Project T.A.H.I.T.I. formerly named Cameron Klein.
Barehanded Blade Block: Hank Thompson catches a thrown knife in between his bare hands, before throwing it back, slicing clean through the rope holding Coulson.
Decomposite Character: In the comics, Cameron Klein is a S.H.I.E.L.D. technician. In the MCU, there's this former agent as well as a technician that appears in Winter Soldier and Age of Ultron both named Cameron Klein.
Go Mad from the Revelation: Just like everyone else in the T.A.H.I.T.I. program. However, this is averted once their memories are wiped and they're given new identities. He's the only one that doesn't begin obsessively painting or sketching or carving the alien symbols. Because his way of expressing them is to build an elaborate model train set, making him the only one to display them correctly, in three dimensions.
Happily Married: He's perfectly content with living a quiet life with his family.
I Choose to Stay: When given the option of returning to his old life as Cameron Klein, decides that he'd much rather remain as Hank Thompson, family man.
Improbable Aiming Skills: After catching the knife that Sebastian threw at him, Thompson manages to accurately throw it so that Coulson was cut from his bindings.
Laser-Guided Amnesia: Subjected to the Memory Overwriting Machine to cure him of the GH.235-induced psychosis.
Never-Forgotten Skill: Hank stops a knife that Sebastian throws at him by catching the blade in both hands. He looks surprised for a moment before throwing it at the rope holding up Coulson, freeing him. Apparently, that was a skill he learned back as Agent Klein of S.H.I.E.L.D.
One-Steve Limit: Averted. There's an unrelated man with the name "Cameron Klein" in other Marvel Cinematic Universe media. He's the S.H.I.E.L.D. technician who disobey Brock Rumlow's order once HYDRA is exposed by Captain America in Captain America: The Winter Soldier. He reappears in Avengers: Age of Ultron, now works under Nick Fury, and the film credits him as "Cameron Klein".
Papa Wolf: He's protective of his family, especially where crazed GH-325 patients like Sebastian Derek are involved.
Retired Badass: He's a former S.H.I.E.L.D. agent and according to his file, one of the elite. He was forced into retirement via memory wipe and now he prefers his new life.

Tony Caine

Species: Human

Citizenship: American

Portrayed By: Jake Busey

Appearances: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.

A former student of the S.H.I.E.L.D. Academy and classmate of Alphonso Mackenzie. Eventually he was recruited by a government operation to provide new identities to HYDRA scientists which had been forcibly recruited.

Brilliant, but Lazy: Bright enough to obtain exam answers and forge fake IDs but rarely attending classes.
High-School Hustler: During his time in the Academy, he was a dealer of exam answers and fake IDs. This was the cause for his expulsion.
The Slacker: Unlike Mack, Caine was a lazy student that constantly missed classes.

Former S.H.I.E.L.D. scientists

Dr. Franklin Hall

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/hall_franklin.jpg

"I've seen the future, Mr. Coulson, and it's a catastrophe."

Species: Human

Citizenship: American

Portrayed By: Ian Hart

Appearances: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (appears in Episode 3: "The Asset")

"S.H.I.E.L.D.? S.H.I.E.L.D. is just as guilty of the same thing, experimentation without thought of consequence! Your search for an unlimited power source brought an alien invasion."

A brilliant S.H.I.E.L.D. scientist who theorized on the existence of gravity manipulating element called Gravitonium, and who further invented a means of controlling it. When said element is discovered, he is kidnapped by an old colleague of his named Ian Quinn, who wants him to finish his research.

And I Must Scream: He's trapped inside the Gravitonium with Ian Quinn.
The Atoner: In his youth, he was quite enthusiastic about his research until he realized how if misused or worse, turned into a weapon, it could result in the deaths of millions. As an adult, he's very unwilling to continue work on it.
Bald of Evil: Or rather, Bald of Extremism.
The Bus Came Back: He's absent for four seasons after his appearance, doubly impactful because he appeared in the third episode, the ending of which established a cliffhanger. He finally comes back in Season 5, but doesn't become Graviton as many expected, instead, he becomes a Greater-Scope Villain for the person who does — namely, Glenn Talbot.
Composite Character: In-Universe. He was absorbed by the gravitonium, then in an act of vengeance, he compelled the gravitonium to absorb Ian Quinn as well, as a result anyone who subsequently absorbs the gravitonium ends up absorbing their minds, including General Talbot, who became Graviton, Hall's identity in the comics.
Decomposite Character: Unlike in the comics, he does not become Graviton; rather, it is General Talbot who takes the role. Although Hall is still a part of it (see Composite Character above).
Fake Defector: Pretends to go along with Quinn's scheme in order to sabotage the project and keep the device out of the wrong hands for good.
Kidnapped Scientist: Exploited. He pulled the strings of his own kidnapping in order to ruin his kidnapper's plans, but said kidnapper isn't aware of this.
Mentor Archetype: He was FitzSimmons's favourite professor at the S.H.I.E.L.D. Academy.
"Not So Different" Remark: Hall claims S.H.I.E.L.D. is this to people like Quinn - and that their desire to control things led to the events of The Avengers. Coulson ultimately realizes that he and Hall are similar as well, and that they both make tough calls to protect people just before he seemingly kills Hall to save innocent lives.
Start of Darkness: In the comics, he becomes a gravity-manipulating supervillain named Graviton after a lab accident. And indeed, during the course of the episode, he falls into his device and is absorbed by a bubble of gravity manipulating matter... and is then seen at the end trying to claw his way out from the inside, complete with Scare Chord.
Well-Intentioned Extremist: Was willing to cause the deaths of quite a lot of people in order to destroy the device and prevent it from ever being used to hurt anyone. Coulson agrees that he has a point and that he made a tough call, but doesn't let him go through with it.
What Happened to the Mouse?: Ian Quinn escaped with the Gravitonium, presumably with Hall still trapped inside, in the first season finale, and neither have been seen since. It was probably the biggest open plot thread on the show, until the Gravitonium resurfaced in the fifth season to be used as Applied Phlebotinum in an effort to seal the "fear dimension" rift opened by the destruction of the three Monoliths. Still, there has been no sign of Dr. Hall, at least so far. It turns out that his consciousness is trapped inside the Gravitonium, and he seems to be able to direct it somehow, at least against Ian Quinn.
Woobie, Destroyer of Worlds: Is well aware that his research could and is going to be used to harm people, and is forced to accept the fact that if he doesn't do something about it, the world may very well be worse off for his contribution. And so he decides to destroy the device by causing it to go haywire, obliterating a wide area, sacrificing himself and causing the deaths of many innocent people in order to make sure this doesn't happen.

Elihas Starr

Species: Human

Citizenship: British

Portrayed By: Michael Cerveris

Appearances: Ant-Man and the Wasp

A S.H.I.E.L.D. scientist who worked under Hank Pym before being fired, and father of Ava Starr/Ghost.

Adaptational Heroism: While not quite a "hero" and still morally-questionable as a scientist, he still very much cared for his daughter and wasn't an outright villain.
Adaptational Origin Connection: Egghead had absolutely no connection to Ghost in the comics. Here, he's the MCU version's father and the accidental source of her powers and condition.
Ambiguously Evil: Hank says that he's a traitor that deserved to be fired. A deleted alternate opening shows that Starr had actually stolen some of Hank's research to try to build his own Quantum Tunnel in the 80s, only to be foiled by Ant-Man and the Wasp.
Comic-Book Movies Don't Use Codenames: Never called "Egghead", though that has a justification: Elihas never went full-on villain in this continuity to begin with.
Composite Character: The Egghead of the comics was never married and never had a child, instead he had a sibling (unknown if brother or sister) who got married and had a child, Egghead's niece, Trixie Starr.
Death by Adaptation: Dead by the events of Ant-Man and the Wasp, but alive in the comics.
Even Evil Has Loved Ones: Not quite a saint, but he was still very much a family man.
Foil: Deleted scenes make him one to Bill Foster. Both worked with Hank Pym and make it clear how much they loath the man, to the point that they brush off his valid concerns just to prove him wrong, and both throw their lot in with criminal elements to achieve their own goals. The difference is in their motivations. Elihas is implied to have done it for the sake of proving his own scientific capabilities, dismisses Hank's warnings and winds up killing himself and his wife while doing some horrific damage to his daughter as a result. Bill is far more altruistic, wanting only to help Ava, and learns to look past his own baggage with Hank to heed the man's warnings, resulting in a much better ending for everyone involved.
Posthumous Character: Died in a Freak Lab Accident that also mutated his daughter when she was a child.
Related in the Adaptation: The father of Ghost in the MCU, unlike the original.
Together in Death: His corpse is seen lying next to his wife's.
We Hardly Knew Ye: Appears only over the span of a flashback and then dies.

Dr. Bill Foster / Goliath

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/billfoster_antmanandthewasp.png

Species: Human

Citizenship: American

Portrayed By: Laurence Fishburne, Langston Fishburne (young)

Appearances: Ant-Man and the Wasp

A former friend of Hank Pym's during Pym's time at S.H.I.E.L.D. and fellow expert in growing/shrinking technologies.

Ambiguously Evil: He supports Ava's criminal behavior as Ghost because he wants to save his adopted daughter, but he himself doesn't come across as particularly evil. When Ava goes too far in her suggestion to kidnap Cassie Lang, that's where he draws the line. Later, despite his longstanding hatred towards Pym, he eventually agrees to surrender and allow him to rescue Janet after Pym promises he can also cure Ava.
Anti-Villain: He isn't actually evil, but he is a willing accessory to most of Ava's crimes, and is willing to endanger Janet's life to save Ava's. He does however draw the line at extremes like child kidnapping or outright murder and he turns on Ava once he realises she is going too far, yet continues to be protective of her even after this.
Black and Nerdy: A brilliant scientist in his own right and a lecturer at a university by the time of Ant-Man and the Wasp.
Cast from Calories: Compares notes about how tiring sizeshifting to huge size can be.
Everyone Has Standards: Immediately becomes petty and abrasive once he's in a room with Hank, but is disturbed when Ava suggests going after Scott's daughter Cassie to force them into compliance, threatening that he'll sever ties with Ava if she goes that far. He also shows serious concerns when Hank reveals his and Ava's plan could possibly kill Janet.
Favoritism Flip Flop: He scornfully condemns Hank's actions in Berlin, thinking it was Hank wearing the Ant-Man suit. When Hank reveals it was Scott, Bill immediately changes his tune, impressed that Scott could grow to such a size.
Kick the Dog: A cold blooded one when Bill says that Janet was the only who could tolerate Hank without being pushed way and that she paid the price for it. Hope and Scott have to physically restrain Hank. It was out of line and foreshadows the antagonism between them.
Meaningful Name: Bordering on Punny Name: His surname is Foster he is Ava's foster father.
Morality Chain: Despite helping as best he can, there are lines he won't cross. He's determined to help Ava save herself, but he still threatens to stop helping her if she actually goes ahead with kidnapping Cassie Lang as a bargaining chip.
Mythology Gag:
- Was part of a S.H.I.E.L.D. program with Pym called "G.O.L.I.A.T.H.", which was an alias that both of them went by in the comics.
- He wears a blue sweater with the collar up, a visual nod to his classic comic book costume◊.
Never Hurt an Innocent: How he approaches his efforts to cure Ava. He tolerates Ava's collateral damage, illegal activities and any harm that befalls criminals but he draws the line at hurting innocents, most notably when he adamantly refuses to allow her to kidnap Cassie Lang. He even urges Ava to trust that Janet can help her to stop Ava from killing her by draining her quantum energy, something he turns out to be right about.
Nice Guy: He's generally polite and cordial outside of his mutual bitterness with Hank. He's pleasant to Hope, Scott thinks he's cool before he's revealed to be working with Ghost, and presumably they get over that by the end of the movie, and he genuinely cares for Ava/Ghost, basically his foster daughter. Despite technically being an antagonist he's an Anti-Villain at most, and even this is downplayed. He tolerates Ava's ruthlessness when it's directed toward criminals, but not innocents, and his own part in her operations is strictly selfless, presumably having had a hand in building the suit and isolation chamber which she uses to mitigate her condition.
Old Superhero: He is implied to be a retired hero, similar to Hank Pym. It is Played With, as his actor Laurence Fishburne was around 55-56 during the filming of his first appearance, so it is not as extreme as other examples of this trope.
Parental Substitute: Toward Ava. It becomes clear that his help isn't just about one-upping Pym but out of genuine concern for his adopted daughter.
Passing the Torch: It's an indirect version. He was partners with Hank on the technology that created Giant-Man and is implied to be the original Goliath superhero. Far from being upset that Scott is now using the technology he takes genuine interest and looks very impressed when Scott tells him how large he was able to grow. It's a subtle moment that suggests Foster has given Scott his approval.
Pet the Dog: When it seems like Hank is having a heart attack he's aggravated, but semi-quickly agrees to grab Hank's medicine. Which Hank was counting on; he was faking it, and the container was a trap.
Related in the Adaptation: The adoptive father of Ava Starr, this version of Ghost. In the comics, Goliath and Ghost are not connected in any way.
Sitcom Arch-Nemesis: He hates Hank. It's like a laboratory argument between colleagues that has lasted three decades. That being said, he doesn't turn Hank into the FBI when they come knocking, and he seems like a genuinely good guy who wants to do the right thing which includes helping Ghost, since no one else will. Hank Pym just seems to have that effect on people — at least Bill didn't steal his company and try to kill him.
Sizeshifter: As the original Giant-Man/Goliath, he reached a height of 21 feet.
Spared by the Adaptation: In the comics, Bill was killed during Civil War (2006) by a clone of Thor, nonetheless. In the films, he's introduced alive and well in a story set after the MCU's version of the event.
Unreliable Expositor: He's heavily biased against Hank, so Bill's accounts of how their partnership ended should be taken with a grain of salt. Neither of them were there for Elihas Starr's death, and this also affects their judgment when it comes to Ghost.
Wouldn't Hurt a Child: He immediately puts his foot down when Ava suggests kidnapping Cassie as a way of forcing Scott and the others into compliance, threatening to end their relationship if Ava hurts Scott's daughter.

Dr. Holden Radcliffe

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/radcliffe_holden.jpg

"It's not a hunch, it's science. It's a science hunch."

Species: Enhanced human

Citizenship: Scottish

Portrayed By: John Hannah

Appearances: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (first appears in Episode 62: "The Singularity")

"I believe that art and science are entwined. The Devil, and God, is in the details. I don't want people to see my work and know it's work. If they gave a second glance, I want it to be out of awe, not disgust."

A former GT Agrochemical researcher whose theories and experiments on transhumanism got him fired from the company. He was kidnapped and recruited by Hive in order to recreate the Kree experiment which had created the Inhumans, after which he was rescued by Team Coulson and began working with S.H.I.E.L.D.

Adaptational Heroism: While he frequently finds himself doing bad things, he's generally trying to do them for the right reasons, or because he hasn't been given any choice. His comics counterpart was an utterly ruthless Corrupt Corporate Executive who Would Hurt a Child.
Adaptational Nationality: Radcliffe in Machine Teen was American, this version is Scottish.
Affably Evil: He is entirely friendly to pretty much everyone (unless he thinks that they're working for HYDRA) and gets on very well with fellow scientists Fitz and Simmons, especially Fitz — as of season 4, the two are frequently sharing beers and discussing science. Really, he's mostly harmless. His only problem is his occasional lack of a moral compass, which doesn't really help matters when he takes one brief glimpse of the text of the evil Darkhold.
Ain't Too Proud to Beg: Routinely begs for his life whenever he upsets Hive. He later begs Aida and Fitz to spare Agnes when she orders him to kill her.
Alas, Poor Villain: Considering he's killed while he's still under Darkhold's corruption, it's hard not to feel a little sorry for him. Doubles for his ultimate death in the Framework, where he is Dying Alone, lamenting how he is glad that he will die now, as he doesn't have his beloved Agnes with him anymore.
Anti-Villain: During Season 3, all he really wanted was to improve humanity, realizing too late what Hive was really up to. And in Season 4 he gets corrupted by the Darkhold, which warps his view on how to help humanity.
Arc Villain: Of the LMD pod in Season 4, all in an attempt to gain the Darkhold, and with it, the secret of immortality. By the end of the arc, though, he is supplanted by Aida as the true villain of the season.
Big Bad Duumvirate: Forms an alliance with the Watchdogs, giving them information and LMDs in exchange for protection.
Big Damn Heroes: When Fitz is about to kill Jemma he takes out his guards and then throws him through the portal.
Brainwashed and Crazy: Turns out he's under the Darkhold's morality-corrupting control and is using Aida to try to retrieve it.
Character Catchphrase: "This was never my intention."
Character Death: Murdered by Aida in "Self Control" when she thinks his regrets could possibly go too far but she plugs him into the Framework immediately afterward. The death only applies to his physical body. However, his mind dies too when the Framework is shut down in "World's End".
Composite Character: He's essentially the Mister Sinister to Hive's Apocalypse, being an Evilutionary Biologist who serves an ancient super powered being. However, personality wise Radcliffe is very different from Sinister. His role as the creator of AIDA is from Tom Thumb.
Comically Missing the Point: Sometimes the worst thing about Radcliffe is his lack of proper morals. Other times, it's his lack of common sense, usually at Fitz's expense:
- In "Failed Experiments", Hive goes on a speech on how concentrating powers in the hands of a few will result in a war, while his plan to spread the Inhuman gene will avert this. Radcliffe asks if this means they can start the experiment. Hive takes a moment to compose himself before saying yes, implying that this has happened before.
- In "The Ghost", when a dumbstruck Fitz asks "What the hell?" regarding Aida's robot body, Radcliffe assumes that it's over Aida being caught in a loop trying to say hello. Fitz was actually asking where the hell Aida comes from.
- In "Let Me Stand Next To Your Fire", after Fitz mentions how his eyes would bulge when he was frightened, he sees Aida talking with May, and nearly panics. Radcliffe is more interested in seeing that Fitz's eyes actually are bulging.
- In "Broken Promises", Mack describes a missing Aida as a Sex Bot, which Radcliffe takes offense at—he's never had sex with Aida, they're just good friends. Fitz winces over how Radcliffe is making things actually worse.
Deadpan Snarker: He likes to snark from time to time.
Radcliffe: [to Talbot] I can tell by your mustache that you're a man of much importance and not to be trifled with...
Death Equals Redemption: Literally! After being bumped off by Aida/Madame Hydra, he comes to realize that the Framework has gone too far out of control and, albeit with some coaxing, tells Simmons and Coulson where their friends are being held.
Disc-One Final Boss: Radcliffe is the main villain of the LMD arc, as he is the one who programmed Aida to become more ruthless and steal the Darkhold. However by the end of the arc Aida kills him once she believes that his various regrets could lead towards him deactivating the Framework, becoming the season's true Big Bad in the process.
Even Evil Has Loved Ones: He still greatly cares about his old girlfriend Agnes Kitsworth and saving her life was one of his main motivations for creating the Framework. He also loves Fitz like a father and readily sacrifices any chance at obtaining a new body to free him from the Framework.
Everyone Has Standards: To Radcliffe, science is meant to improve humanity, not hinder or harm it. He was appalled to learn that HYDRA placed explosives in the Deathlok's ocular enhancements, believing it a horrible misuse of science. When he thinks that Fitz and Simmons are from HYDRA, he orders his security forces to take them away. While working for Hive, Radcliffe makes it pretty clear that he is uncomfortable working on non-volunteers and that his only interest is in advancing the human race. His accidental creation of the Alpha Primitives horrifies him. He also makes it absolutely clear to Aida that he does not approve of her killing Agent Nathanson and attempting to kill Agent May.
Evil Former Friend: To Fitz after his treachery is revealed. Interestingly, the Radcliffe LMD still indicates that Radcliffe still considers Fitz a friend, though it's fairly one-sided at that point.
Foil: To Fitz and Simmons, who work selflessly to protect humanity and have lines they will not cross and people they won't work with; Radcliffe is fairly amoral and will work with almost anyone so long as he can advance his transhuman agenda — though he draws the line at HYDRA, and Hive's plan to turn everyone who isn't Inhuman into a swayed Primitive horrifies him.
Face Death with Dignity: When the Framework gets deleted around him, he simply decides to pour himself a drink and calmly watch it’s last sunrise on a beach.
For Science!: He willingly works for Hive after being kidnapped due to the opportunity to advance the human race by making everyone an Inhuman. However, he is less than pleased when he realizes Hive is happy with creating the Alpha Primitives instead so that he can have an easy-to-control slave race. Eventually, he's absolutely horrified at everything he's done, but is too afraid of dying to do anything about it.
Go Mad from the Revelation: He briefly glimpses the Darkhold but refuses to read anymore as he felt his brain was being overloaded. Unfortunately, that brief glimpse corrupted his mind as he wants to uses it to make people immortal, and by "Hot Potato Soup" even he seems to be starting to regret even that brief glimpse. By "BOOM", it gets to the point where he's actively discouraging other people from trying to read it.
Gone Horribly Right: He is dismayed at the ghoul-like abominations he's created with his experiment, but otherwise it worked exactly as intended. Those exposed to the virus are instantly transformed and enslaved to Hive.
Hannibal Lecture: After being captured by HYDRA, he's fond of giving personality-probing lines to his captors, particularly the Doctor and his father.
Heel–Face Turn: He develops a friendship with Fitz and Simmons at the end of season 3 and begins working with them regularly. When Simmons has only 24 hours to save May's life in season 4, she makes a bee-line to his house.
- The episodes "No Regrets" and "The Return" cement his second one, where he provides everyone on Team Coulson the location to a backdoor out of the Framework.
Karma Houdini: Somewhat. He helps out S.H.I.E.L.D. in the end, but doesn't seem to face charges for his (at first) willing cooperation with Hive, despite numerous hearings. It's later clarified he was given a pardon, but he's forbidden to conduct experiments without supervision — creating Aida is something that could get him jailed. It goes back and forth over season 4, ending with the corruption of his work, the death of his true love, and his own death, and all of it can be linked back to him.
Killed Mid-Sentence: As everything in the Framework is being deleted, Radcliffe decides to spend his last moments before he meets the same fate watching the sunset on a beach with a bottle of liquor. He pours himself a glass and raises it for a toast, quoting T. S. Eliot, but is deleted before he can finish his sentence, and the glass he was holding just drops to the ground.
Like a Son to Me: Radcliffe admits that Fitz had been like the son he never had, and it's implied that Fitz felt the same way. Which makes Radcliffe's betrayal hurt Fitz all the more.
Mad Scientist: Advancing the transhuman agenda means replacing parts of his own body with what he considers to be superior components from birds or machines and doing the same for others. Personality-wise he's pretty mild.
The Man Behind the Man: At the end of "Broken Promises", he's revealed to be pulling Aida's strings after duping the others into thinking she rebelled against him.
May–December Romance: He's over twenty years older than Agnes, his lover, going by the ages for their actors.
The Medic: From time to time, and he tends to be quite good at healing humans, if only because he's willing to come up with solutions that are Crazy Enough to Work.
My God, What Have I Done?: His reaction upon seeing the Watchdogs transformed into mindless slave creatures. He all but utters the trope by name.
- His breakdown in the Framework!Triskelion's prison "No Regrets" also screams this, after he loses Agnes. This inspires a shred of sympathy from Skye.
Not in This for Your Revolution: He's largely uninterested in Hive's aims to control the world, save where they intersect with his of improving humanity — when this results in the Primitives, which are as close to an antithesis of his ideas as you can get (they're not evolved humans, really, they're devolved) and Hive is entirely happy with, he's horrified.
Omni Disciplinary Scientist: Played With. He's a brilliant genetic biologist and cyberneticist, but the practical engineering of a nuclear warhead is beyond him.
Pet the Dog: He's rather fond of Fitz and Simmons, and in the stinger of Season 3 he expresses sadness at the number of friends they've lost. This inspires his latest project: improving LMDs... which ends up going rather wrong when he's exposed to the corrupting influence of the Darkhold in the next season.
Plucky Comic Relief: His nonchalance about mad science is played for laughs to various degrees and he makes a great wise guy when paired with Fitz as the straight man.
Screw This, I'm Outta Here: After witnessing Hive's horrors, he is all too happy when S.H.I.E.L.D. shows up.
Transhuman: Not only is he a a member of the transhumanist movement, he is a transhuman, having a hybrid avian eye.
Radcliffe: Bird's visual acuity is superior to mammals, I got envious.
Villainous Rescue: Saves May from being killed by Aida during her failed escape attempt as he orders her to sedate her instead.
Virtual Ghost: After Aida kills him and uploads his consciousness into the Framework, Radcliffe can only exist in the Framework itself. He's naturally not pleased to be spending the rest of his life in a HYDRA world order, and after Agnes is killed he becomes near-suicidal.
Well-Intentioned Extremist: His intention with the Framework is to end suffering.

Characters / MCU: S.H.I.E.L.D. – Other Agents

Edit Locked

Spoilers for all works set prior to the end of Avengers: Endgame are unmarked.

Other Agents

Agent Mack

Species: Human

Citizenship: American

Portrayed By: Bodie Newcomb

Appearances: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (appears in Episode 3: "The Asset")

Agent Shaw

Species: Human

Citizenship: American

Portrayed By: Charles Halford

Appearances: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (appears in Episode 7: "The Hub", Episode 17: "Turn, Turn, Turn")

Agent Michael "Mike" Peterson / Deathlok

Species: Enhanced human

Citizenship: American

Portrayed By: J. August Richards

Appearances: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (first appears in Episode 1: "Pilot")

The Koenigs

Agent Eric Koenig

Species: Human

Citizenship: American

Portrayed by: Patton Oswalt

Appearances: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (appears in Episode 18: "Providence", Episode 19: "The Only Light In the Darkness")

Agent Billy Koenig

Species: Human

Citizenship: American

Portrayed by: Patton Oswalt

Appearances: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (first appears in Episode 22: "The Beginning of the End")

Agent Sam Koenig

Species: Human

Citizenship: American

Portrayed by: Patton Oswalt

Appearances: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (first appears in Episode 31: "...Ye Who Enter Here")

Agent L.T. Koenig

Species: Human

Citizenship: American

Portrayed By: Artemis Pebdani

Appearances: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (appears in Episode 78: "Hot Potato Soup")

Agent Isabelle Hartley

Species: Human

Citizenship: American

Portrayed By: Lucy Lawless

Appearances: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (appears in Episode 23: "Shadows", in Episode 37: "One Door Closes")

Idaho

Species: Human

Citizenship: American

Portrayed by: Wilmer Calderon

Appearances: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (appears in Episode 23: "Shadows")

Agent Noelle Walters

Species: Human

Citizenship: Unknown

Portrayed by: Melanie Cruz

Appearances: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (appears in Episode 28: "A Fractured House")

Agent Tomas Calderon

Species: Human

Citizenship: American

Portrayed by: Kirk Acevedo

Appearances: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (appears in Episode 36: "Love in the Time of HYDRA", Episode 37: "One Door Closes")

Agent Oliver

Species: Human

Citizenship: American

Portrayed By: Mark Allen Stewart

Appearances: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (appears in Episode 36: "Love in the Time of HYDRA", Episode 41: "The Dirty Half Dozen")

Agent Damon Keller

Species: Human

Citizenship: American

Portrayed By: Lucas Bryant

Appearances: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (first appears in Episode 111: "Missing Pieces")

Agent Trevor Khan

Species: Human

Citizenship: American

Portrayed By: Shainu Bala

Appearances: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.

Agent Dimitri Smerdyakov

Species: Human

Citizenship: Russian

Portrayed By: Numan Acar

Appearances: Spider-Man: Far From Home