Ranking of "AGENTS OF S.H.I.E.L.D." Villains
Below is a list of my favorite and least villains from Marvel's "AGENTS OF S.H.I.E.L.D." (2013-2020). Created by Joss Whedon, Jed Whedon, and Maurissa Tancharoen; the series starred Clark Gregg:
RANKING OF "AGENTS OF S.H.I.E.L.D." VILLAINS
Below are my LEAST FAVORITE villains from "AGENTS OF S.H.I.E.L.D.":
1. The Superior aka Anton Ivanov (Zach McGowan) - First appearing in mid-Season Four, this former industrialist and one of the leaders of the hate group known as the Watchdogs, turned out to be THE MOST IRRITATING character, let alone villain, in the show’s history. Hell, with his smug expression and lack of humor, Ivanov became my least favorite villain in the entire MCU. I was not thrilled when Mutant Enemy brought him back for late Season Five.
2. Alternate Nathaniel Malick (Thomas E. Sullivan) - Originally killed on the Kree planet Maveth after being tricked by older brother Gideon Malick to make that journey in 1970, Nathaniel Malick managed to avoid death in Season Seven, when the Chronicoms stepped in and prevent both the death of his father Wilfrid Malick and his death. He later managed to steal S.H.I.E.L.D. Agent Daisy Johnson's "Quake" powers. In the end, I grew to dislike the smarmy Nathaniel. Not only did I find him overrated as a villain (too stupid to realize he was being used by the Chronicoms), I also felt he had outstayed his welcome.
3. Former S.H.I.E.L.D. Agent/HYDRA mole Grant Ward [Seasons Two and Three] (Brett Dalton) - While Grant Ward made an interesting supporting villain during the second half of Season One, I grew to really dislike him during Seasons Two and Three. The problem? I disliked how the series tried to portray him as this "great super villain", when at heart, he was simply the above-average minion he was portrayed in late Season One. By early Season Three, Ward came off as a John Garrett wannabe . . . and it was painful to watch.
4. Sarge aka Pachakutiq (Clark Gregg) - This non-corporeal entity from the Fear Dimension had his memories disarranged after he possessed a copy of the recently deceased S.H.I.E.L.D. Director Phil Coulson. The Di'Allas monoliths had re-created Coulson's body following the former's death after the end of Season Five. Initially, I did not have a problem with Sarge. But dealing with his constant smug attitude and occasional sneers, I grew to heartily dislike him by mid-Season Six.
5. Kasius (Dominic Rains) - The leader of the Kree Watch and overseer of the old S.H.I.E.L.D. Lighthouse, who ruled over the remains of Earth and its surviving inhabitants, decades after the planet’s destruction in the original timeline. What can I say? Kasius struck me as a pathetic wannabe villain, whose actions originated from his desire to impress his father. He may have been a sociopath, but he also struck me as a loser.
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Below are my FAVORITE villains from "AGENTS OF S.H.I.E.L.D.":
1. S.H.I.E.L.D. Agent/HYDRA mole John Garrett (Bill Paxton) - This veteran S.H.I.E.L.D. agent had been exposed as a HYDRA mole in late Season One. Aside from being a dangerous and world-class creep, was also one of the most manipulative and colorful characters from the MCU.
2. Hive (Brett Dalton) - This parasitic Inhuman was capable of infesting and possessing all of the corpses of dead humans and controlling other Inhumans through a hive mind. After possessing the dead bodies of characters like Nathaniel Malick (original timeline) and Air Force astronaut Will Daniels, Hive took possession of HYDRA operative Grant Ward’s body. He struck me as a cool and intelligent character, who proved to be one of S.H.I.E.L.D.’s scariest opponents.
3. Daniel Whitehall aka Werner Reinhardt (Reed Diamond) - This former Nazi officer became a high-ranking member of HYDRA before the end of World War II. After spending decades in prison, from where his influence still managed to be felt, he operated on Jiaying Johnson and used some of her non-aging ability to extend his own aging. Whitehall the proved to be a cool and formidable antagonist during the first half of Season Two. And if I must be blunt, he struck me as another one of the series’ scarier villains. To this day, I find it amazing that he never became "the" leader of HYDRA.
4. A.I.D.A. aka Madame Hydra (Mallory Jansen) - Originally a Life-Model Decoy (LMD) created by Dr. Holden Radcliffe (and improved by S.H.I.E.L.D. Agent Leopold Fitz) from a defunct S.H.I.E.L.D. program that became a valued S.H.I.E.L.D. asset. When her program was corrupted by a mysterious book called the Darkhold, A.I.D.A. developed a desire to feel human emotions and resorted to ruthless methods to achieve this goal. Despite the overwrought manner in which her character arc had ended, A.I.D.A. was truly one of the more scarier and formidable enemies that Phil Coulson and his team had faced.
5. Jiaying Johnson (Dichen Lachman) - The mother of S.H.I.E.L.D. Agent Daisy Johnson aka Skye was an Inhuman gifted with the power of life force absorption after experiencing Terrigenesis. This ability allowed her to retain a youthful appearance for many decades. However, a deadly encounter with Daniel Whitehall, who wanted to use her ability to extend his own life; left Jiaying’s moral compass warped and with a desire to destroy all non-Inhumans. A manipulative and scary individual, Jiaying has always reminded me of the Magneto character from the "X-MEN" franchise.
6. Gideon Malick (Powers Boothe) - This industrialist and former member of the World Security Council came from a family of long time HYDRA members. A charismatic and manipulative man, Malick proved to be a formidable foe to S.H.I.E.L.D. His only misstep was his belief in bringing Hive to Earth. And unlike his younger brother, he eventually had the good sense to realize how dangerous Hive could be.