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

Wouldn't the easiest "redemption" be if something big goes down in Age Of Ultron, and the new!SHIELD and HYDRA are forced to work together to deal with it?

Doesn't have to be that. Could be a Bottle Episode between Ward and any member of Team Bus (though, Skye, obviously), with both trapped inside a collapsed building, wreckage, a cave-in, and forced to work together to get out. Maybe it's Ward and Skye, or Ward and Simmons, and Ward's combat experience is needed to escape.

The protagonist doesn't have to like Ward by the end of it, but he's still the only reason they both got out alive. After which he gets Put on a Bus.

It doesn't have to a crummy "Ward was absolved of all of his crimes because he shot Madame HYDRA himself". And Death By Redemption would be a little predictable, wouldn't it?

edited 30th Jul '14 9:42:43 AM by FOFD

He kills the Skrull Queen and gets appointed head of SHIELD.

Coulson reported to have responded with angry ellipses.

At Comic Con, Clark Gregg sugested Ward could buy Fitz a monkey.

I approve of this suggestion.

I agree that Ward isn't a sociopath. He knows exactly what is wrong with the things he did. That's what makes his crimes so condemning: because he can recognize the lines he crossed. We see it when he tries to execute Fitzsimmons. He knows it's wrong, but he still does it anyway because his loyalty, his faith in the greater good of his cause, his conviction outranks his moral compass.

Men like that are exceptionally dangerous. Ward is not a sociopath. He's not driven by mental illness or some other easy excuse for his behavior. His mind is firing on all cylinders.

Ward is a fanatic.

edited 30th Jul '14 11:39:26 AM by TobiasDrake

He was fanatically devoted to Garret. Without him around, Ward could mellow out into something that could be trusted while on a leash. After May breaks him.

Addition: Maybe have a shock collar or something that zaps him whenever he has a HYDRA-thoughts. He could be zapped at least twice an episode.

edited 30th Jul '14 11:45:36 AM by GethKnight

"I was thinking about mythology, I swear!"

"I was only reading up on Hercules"

I agree except Ward was never driven by his cause. He was entirely driven by loyalty to Garrett. That seems to be their interest in him is for season two. His whole world was Garrett and Garrett's orders. Now he hasn't got that.

I'm hoping they do something interesting with it. It could be an interesting premise.

edited 30th Jul '14 11:53:28 AM by Anteres

"Ok. Here is the deal Ward. You can stay on the plane. But Simmons will inject you with a chip that electrocutes you every time we feel threatened/annoyed/angry at you."

"I can deal with that."

"And May will get the remote."

Losing Garrett doesn't make Ward any less dangerous. He still has a fanatical personality, even if the current target of his obsessive devotion is gone. He's still the man who murdered two high-ranking S.H.I.E.L.D. officials in cold blood and has killed numerous other S.H.I.E.L.D. agents as well. Ward has repaid the trust S.H.I.E.L.D. gave him with the blood of soldiers loyal to the organization. That can never be taken back. It must never be forgotten.

He is guilty of conspiracy to commit treason, and heaping loads of actual treason. Good men and women - soldiers who swore their lives to protecting people from harm - are dead as a direct consequence of his treachery. You do not hire treasonous betrayers back, for any reason, ever. That he is not facing execution for his crimes is already a substantial amount of mercy.

edited 30th Jul '14 12:37:26 PM by TobiasDrake

I still don't understand why he didn't get death for what he did. He killed Hand, and countless other SHIELD agents. Along with treason, how on Earth did anyone think "No, yeah, leave him alive."

Y'all are putting far too much weight on how the stuff works in the real world. How often in books, TV, or movies do you see the FBI or CIA employ the aid of someone the audience and main characters see as the bad guy? Or have the heroes themselves team up with the villain then let the bad guy go at the end?

Possible intelligence on everyone else? Except I don't think he knew anyone beyond Garrett's bit, and they've been scattered. They couldn't be sure of that tho.

Raina's out there. Man, Raina. She's so awesome.

Okay, I'll play.

Out of Universe, for the same reason that rebuilding SHIELD is a good idea; the writers want it.

In-Universe (barring in mind I'm not justifying, just looking at where competent lawyer could work): Victoria Hand was killed in an aeroplane travelling from one unknown location to another. We have no idea if they were in anyone's legal jurisdiction or if they were, if that jurisdiction has the death penalty. There are no witnesses alive to the deed. Victoria Hand is also attempted to kill, and possibly did kill, numerous people without any due process just hours earlier. He'd probably be done for murder there but not the death penalty.

The SHIELD agents at the Fridge. Same as Hand. Where WAS the Fridge ? Might not have even been in America. As the Americans have Ward (and aren't going to give him up), might not be possible there.

The irritating guy who's name I can't remember. Again, witnesses. The only people who can even place Ward at the facility are fugitive members of an illegal organisation. Lack of evidence. Plus, what that base in America ? Canada has no death penalty.

Treason. The big one. There's no evidence that Ward had any knowledge or part in SHIELD/HYDRA's actions in Washington, so any conviction would have to be based on membership of the organisation itself. We have no idea how many members of HYDRA there are, nor how many are in custody. It is possible that the American government would have to engage in a mass execution if that were grounds for the death penalty and I suspect it wouldn't be. Life imprisonment is far more likely.

Ah ! But these are lawyer arguments. No lawyers where he's going ! Even better. Ward is someone that agencies such as the CIA or NSA (who in fiction are always evil schemers) can happily "interrogate" for information on an dangerous outlaw organisation. SHIELD. He was a member for years. Bound to know a few things.

In fairness, killing Hand probably saved the lives of hundreds of loyal S.H.I.E.L.D. agents. He deserves a medal for that one.

edited 30th Jul '14 3:17:44 PM by Bloodsquirrel

Plus, given Ward's skill set, I suspect that he did to SHIELD was he was trained to to by SHIELD.

SHIELD did send him in on an unprovoked assault on South Ossetian freedom fighters in order to steal their technology for their own ends.

I actually haven't that much sympathy for poor, poor SHIELD. And Nick Fury should actually BE in front of those congressional committees he's dodging. Any reasonable opinion is he's either corrupt or incompetent and at the very least should be held accountable for his own organisation attempting mass-murder.

Ward IS a murderer. He IS a bad guy. He SHOULD be in jail and if he wants to atone there, all for it. SHIELD should be disbanded, with a full investigation into their actions since foundation and the idea of Coulson attempting to "rebuild" it should be completely laughable.

But, hey. this is fiction. I've no problem with exploring ideas outside of jail for Ward, as long as he's not boring. And SHIELD coming back is fine by me too.

On a more pleasant note, blooper reel.

Man, it is weird to see May smiling.

Good weird though

It doesn't matter where he was, law-wise. SHIELD should want him dead. Coulson should want him dead- he was willing to shoot May for leaking to Fury, why was he so okay with letting Ward live?

Coulson's an old softy. He said he wanted Ward to find out what he really wanted with Garrett out of the picture. Which I think is fair. Garrett manipulated Ward and robbed him of his life, basically. Coulson's not the kind of guy to kill someone like that in cold blood.

I'd say it's more Coulson is only going to kill someone if there's no other way of keeping them down. Garret, in the end, wasn't going to be able to be put in a cell and kept there, Ward was (or at least should be, given he's getting out). Coulson was fine with Garret being arrested when that was an option.

Besides, there's a big difference between hating someone and what they've done and actually killing them in cold blood. There's real life seriel killers and child abusers and the police don't kill them.

As far as I'm concerned, they should.

As far as I'm concerned, they shouldn't.

Everyone has their own stance, but as long as there are miscarriages of justice, it's really not an option.

edited 31st Jul '14 3:57:59 AM by Anteres

Ward didn't get an execution because he didn't act alone. He's part of a massive conspiracy organization buried within S.H.I.E.L.D. and other bodies of law. They would have to execute hundreds, maybe thousands of people, and that would become a massive public spectacle. Headlines tomorrow, "United States executes thousands of prisoners!" "Thousands dead by heavy hand of martial justice!" "Do you support a country that would murder thousands of helpless prisoners?" It would be a PR nightmare.

In cases like this, it's not unheard of for the treason charge to be busted down to espionage, which is not a capital offense. In short, Hydra committed treason SO HARD that there is no legal recourse but to spare their lives.

The revelation of Hydra being buried in S.H.I.E.L.D. was already bad enough. It made the government look f*cking incompetent as shit. Executing all of them would make the government look malicious and vindictive on top of that.

edited 31st Jul '14 10:38:19 AM by TobiasDrake

Yeah, ringleaders, like Pierce if he'd lived would have been executed but Ward's a nobody.

Outside of the Senator and SHIELD, were any other agencies compramised ? It seemed like HYDRA just used SHIELD. I assumed the cops were just a disguise.

Could be wrong. While since I saw it.

edited 31st Jul '14 10:59:26 AM by Anteres