Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D. managed to adapt a huge array of comic book characters and actually added a few to the Marvel line-up as well. Part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, not only did the show interlink with the main movies, but it even contributed to filling in some of the plot holes or narratively supporting them. With so many stories to juggle though, sometimes characters were moved along quickly.
Other times though, for the sake of the story being told, some characters had to overstay their welcome to conclude the narrative arc. Whether they were gone quickly or overused, these characters were still interesting to watch for a time and a reason for the show’s success.
Gone Too Soon: Bobbi Morse And Lance Hunter
The famous vigilante Bobbi Morse and the lesser-known Lance Hunter were so popular as characters that ABC began developing a spin-off show based around the duo. It was so far into production that the writers decided to take the team off of Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D. to get them ready for the new series.
But it never came to fruition, with the characters pretty much removed for good (asides from a few Hunter cameos). It’s a real shame because both Mockingbird and Lance were great additions to the team and provided some of the series’ most exciting moments.
Overstayed Their Welcome: General Talbot
General Talbot was really a character that audiences couldn’t stand. Pompous, authoritative, and constantly stopping S.H.I.E.L.D. from carrying out their missions, the character really stayed in the series for far too long. Really the show had outgrown Talbot forcing him to evolve.
The character became far more interesting again once saddled with the identity of Graviton, boasting incredible powers. Ultimately though, Talbot was stale far before he had gotten to this point and the story would have perhaps been best with someone else in the lead.
Gone Too Soon: Aida
Life Model Decoys have played a crucial role in the show over the years, with Coulson eventually getting replaced with an android. But, Aida was really the birth of this idea, with the artificial intelligence becoming more powerful than her creators could possibly imagine.
Her arc eventually forced the agents into the virtual reality known as The Framework, where Aida took on the role of Madame Hydra. It was a shame to see her story completed since there were so many other potential directions the villain could have been taken in afterward.
Overstayed Their Welcome: Grant Ward
One of the original heroes on the team, what he lacked in powers he more than made up for in tactical ability. Grant Ward was one of S.H.I.E.L.D’s best, but when Hydra rose from the organization, he turned on his team and killed senior members like Victoria Hand.
The character just didn’t seem to die though, with Ward reappearing again and again. After the collapse of Hydra, he tried to create his own version, and even after his demise he still returned, this time under the control of Hive. Fans had had enough of Ward eventually, who had been woefully overused.
Gone Too Soon: The Doctor
In the world of The Framework, everybody’s reality was altered. For the incredibly intelligent Fitz, he took on a far darker role. As the villainous Doctor, he would experiment on Inhumans and carry out the evil schemes of Hydra. The original character was merciless, cruel, and calculated.
Even after leaving the Framework, Leo Fitz continued to struggle with the other side of his personality. It would eventually be subdued but it would have been interesting to see The Doctor fully unleashed again down the line before FitzSimmons got their happy ending.
Overstayed Their Welcome: The Malicks
Gideon Malick was one of the most senior members of the World Security Council and a secret member of Hydra. His family was heavily linked with the group, with his predecessor and successors such as Nathaniel Malick, tried to continue the nefarious work of the group.
They would resurface time and time again in the show, but would often be portrayed as one-dimensional caricatures of villains. While the comics feature some truly intriguing Hydra leaders, the show moved away from people like the potential Kraken, Whitehall, and instead continued on with the Malick family.
Gone Too Soon: Michael Peterson
While the early seasons of the show weren’t some of the most celebrated, one of the best things to come out of them was the creation of Deathlok. A heroic version of the character, Michael Peterson’s life would be changed forever after a near-death incident resulted in cybernetic enhancements.
Deathlok was born, although he wasn’t quite like the version from the source material. Regardless, fans were drawn to this character, but he never became an ongoing member of the team. Instead, he would drop in and out of the show, never quite getting featured as much as he deserved.
Overstayed Their Welcome: Kasius
The Kree are definitely formidable threats, but after the wider MCU had explored them so well it was difficult for Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D. to take them into new territory. It largely did that however with the futuristic space station led by Kasius.
While Kasius was at first manipulative and threatening, he soon came across as pathetic. His time to leave the show came and went and while it would have been an interesting transition to instead see Sinara in charge, alas it never came to fruition.
Gone Too Soon: Flint
Not only did Flint have some of the most impressive powers in the series, he even featured a post-apocalyptic look that actually doubled rather well as a superhero costume. Surprisingly from the comics, Flint would become a reoccurring role in the show after his introduction.
Although he would be brought back, it would only be for fleeting moments. Perhaps a little too overpowered to fully write into the story, Flint was definitely an intriguing character to explore and it was good to see the show end his story at the S.H.I.EL.D. Academy, preparing him for his future as a hero.
Overstayed Their Welcome: The Chronicoms
The Chronicoms were pitched as the ultimate threat to time itself, but after Enoch had been in the show for so long the novelty of their species had worn off a bit. What’s more, since they were the big bads of the final season, there was very little room for other major villains to surface.
There’s plenty of other alien species the show could have featured if it wanted to go down that path, but the android-like creatures are actually a foe that felt too familiar. It would have been better to perhaps see a longer final season which was split into two halves so that the Chronicoms could be moved along.
