The Secret Warriors arc has been a slow burn this season on Agents of SHIELD (AoS). Daisy has been building her team, and finally, in next week’s episode, they will assemble to save Team Coulson. The number of series regulars (and an argument about Inhumans taking over the series) has required a careful approach for this group of superpowered SHIELD agents. Currently, we have Elena, whose comic book counterpart is Slingshot, as well as Lincoln and Joey, who were created for the series.
What makes including more members this late into the season a possibility is Hive. His ability to sway Inhumans to his side will surely shake things up on tonight's episode, but could also facilitate the addition of more Secret Warriors. HIVE could pick up members for the comic book team or Daisy could search for people to fill her ranks after one of her own is forced to switch sides. Either way, HIVE can be used to bring in more Secret Warriors who can live throughout the world of AoS and be called on whenever needed. That is, of course, presupposing Captain America: Civil War doesn’t ruin things for Daisy’s team in a couple weeks. I am deciding to be optimistic, so here’s a list of Secret Warriors the series should include:
Stonewall
Jerry Sledge, codename Stonewall, is the perfect choice for AoS. He comes with his own personal arc because his father is Carl “Crusher” Creel, The Absorbing Man, who viewers have met a number of times. Same powers, but a whole different attitude. A young man who finds himself in trouble and having issues controlling his powers could be a nice arc for Daisy. We saw a little bit of Daisy’s work with Joey, but it was nothing more than a normal amount of shock for life-changing news, but add in a nice personal arc and the series has a new and potentially dynamic character. There’s also a chance Stonewall is the secret LGBT hero Jonathan Hickman rumored to appear in his Secret Warriors run.
Lauren Wolfe
If AoS is looking for someone with different energy then Lauren Wolfe would be a fantastic choice. The young shape shifter is brought into SHIELD after Nick Fury saves her then puts her to work on the Secret Warriors’ Team Black. She sticks around long enough to make it to a new team Daisy leads after the Secret Warriors is dissolved. Conforming is not in this woman’s skill set and it could be nice to see Daisy deal with someone that resembles herself when she joined SHIELD. Her extremely useful powers could make for fun scenes of pretending to be bad guys, or government officials, and her combat skills could fill a Mockingbird-sized hole in the team. A different disposition and a new female badass on the team? Lauren would be a great addition!
Manifold
Viewers would’ve met Eden Fesi if AoS would have committed. This young man—codename Manifold—trained with the mutant Gateway, which led to his mastery of his reality warping powers and the ability to teleport. During the episode titled “The Inside Man” references were made to the character (the young hero’s name was on the list of Inhumans being experimented on by the Australians). At the end of the episode, May told Coulson that SHIELD agents rescued Eden, and he was recovering. HIVE could find and take control of Eden wherever he may be recovering, especially if Giyera gets SHIELD’s list of Inhumans while in the base, which is exactly where he ended up at the end of last week’s episode. It would be nice if they incorporate as many of Daisy’s Secret Warriors team as possible without drowning the series in new characters. Having Hive take a handful of character does just that. Pits members of The Secret Warriors against one another for epic battles then ends with a handful of potential recurring characters. Fans get to see the team take down Hive and AoS does not get buried in characters. If AoS made teleportation work with Gordon, then they can do it with Manifold.
Lynn Richards
Daisy’s Secret Warriors team is not the only game in town. In the comics, there were two others—the Black and Grey Caterpillar teams—and AoS should utilize characters from both these teams as well. Richards is a SHIELD agent turned Secret Warrior who obtained powers as a result of experimentation done by a rogue SHIELD operative. After the fall of SHIELD, Richards could have tried to live a quiet life. HIVE would come for her because of her past with SHIELD and her particularly useful powers: dampening the powers of others. Such a gift would give the show’s current villain an extra leg up against Daisy’s team of Inhumans.
Phobos
The Inhumans on both side all have physical powers, it would be nice to see mental powers courtesy of Phobos. The young kid, whose real name is Alexander Aaron, has some precognitive powers and, more interestingly, the ability to instill fear in others. In the comics, Aaron is the son of Ares, the God of War, and his powers come from his Olympian blood. Hive is attempting to use Inhumans to further his evil plans and Alexander would be a powerful asset. Malek and Hive may have to go through SHIELD, but ultimately their plan involved the humans on Earth and utilizing their fears would be an effective tactic. Depending on the temperament and personality the series were to give the character, Alexander could be the perfect reason to reignite the discussion of curing Inhumans.
Hellfire
Hive is going to want some serious firepower on his side and he’d find it in James Taylor Slade. Slade, codename Hellfire, can charge items with fire to do some damage. The guy loves to use a chain, which comes from his Ghost Rider connection, but any object will do in a pinch. The young man has a checkered history with SHIELD, like working for Hydra within SHIELD as a double agent, so I doubt he would stick around for a long time.
Whether or not the writers decide to use these characters, the Secret Warriors arc could use a couple more members from the actual comic book team. I love Joey and Lincoln as much as the next person, but AoS could stand to use some actual comic characters. The series has created a couple of fantastic new characters, but longtime Marvel fans are missing out on seeing some of their favorites on screen. If this is going to be the place in the Marvel Universe where the Secret Warriors are going to be used, then AoS should actually use them. Plain and simple.
Which Secret Warriors do you want to see on Agents of SHIELD? Comment in the section below!
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