Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.: Who Are the Secret Warriors?
At the last Comic-Con, Marvel revealed that Agents of SHIELD will be adapting the Secret Warriors in Season 3. After the excitement died down, most people probably calmed down and realized they have no idea what that means. For your benefit, here’s a rundown on the newest team of heroes that might hit the screen.
Following a massive alien invasion from the shape-shifting Skrulls, Nick Fury Sr. (AKA white Nick Fury) gathered a team of lesser-known heroes led by his protégé Daisy Johnson to fight off the threat. Following that mission, Fury reveals a deeper motivation for the team as he discovers Hydra’s infiltration of SHIELD along with the growing threat of Leviathan and its own band of supervillains. Along the way, there are deaths of loyal friends, betrayal by high-up members, and a revitalization of the SHIELD organization.
Surprisingly, plenty of details from the comic series have already been used in the show from Hydra’s infiltration to a team member’s betrayal to Coulson and Skye’s relationship paralleling Nick Fury and Daisy Johnson, but this is the first time they’re going for the super-powered team. Never mind the fact that we’re working with ten characters already (not including the possible spinoff), there’s still a potential to introduce the members that will eventually become a team this season. Considering they’re lesser-known heroes, they’re in for a massive rewrite, much like the MCU Daisy Johnson, but the new guys could still make an appearance. Let’s look at the possibilities.
Yo-Yo Rodriguez/Slingshot
Yo-Yo, like other members of the team, is the offspring of a supervillain who eventually develops abilities of their own, hers being super-speed (don’t ask me how super-powered genetics works, I don’t know). Super-speed’s been done plenty of times before, notably with not one but two Quicksilvers used in recent Marvel movies, but we’ve rarely seen a female speedster. Plus, her being the only other female member besides Daisy guarantees her a spot to at least resemble diversity. Heck, the writers already hinted at her character’s father with an off-hand quote in season one regarding a man who surgically replaced his hands with lion paws (AKA Griffin). That could still mean nothing, but of all the members from the comics, she’s probably one who has a chance of appearing.
Jerry Sledge/Stonewall
Like Yo-Yo, Jerry’s dad has been referenced, or rather appeared, as Carl Creel the Absorbing Man from the season two opener, so the writers would at least know that he exists. Jerry actually does have similar powers to his father in changing the composition of his skin, but most of his skills come from his height and strength which could be the easiest to recreate on TV. In any case, his character could probably be used as another example of a physical change if they are indeed keeping with them being Inhumans instead of mutates. Seriously, a good portion of his appearance is as a gold half-giant. I doubt you could wake up and be okay with that. Also, his character has a close relationship with Yo-Yo, so if she’s a guarantee, he wouldn’t be that far off.
Alexander Aaron/Phobos
Here’s where things get a little difficult. Alex is literally a ten-year-old version of Phobos, the god of fear, the son of Ares. His powers not only include impressive fighting skills but also the ability to instill fear into others. Aside from the whole being ten thing, his character could be easy to adapt with special effects limited to making his eyes glow. I have to admit, I’m partial to him with superpowers that aren’t usually associated with heroes, and the fact that his character dies at one point could add levity to the show, revealing that they aren’t infallible. I will state obviously that whatever he would end up being, that Greek god history will be dropped. They already introduced Norse gods, no need to complicate it.
Eden Fesi/Manifold
Eden’s a popular character in the story and one who actually rose to the lengths and became an Avenger. Granted, he’s hardly been used outside the comics, so the possibilities are endless for his character. On the one hand, he’s generally a teleporter, which we’ve seen before. On the other hand, his abilities are described as bending space and reality, so he actually has some skills. But the limit of actually developing or even describing the ability to bend space on a television show makes the likelihood of him showing up to be pretty slim. I want to say never say never, since he’s decent guy, but don’t expect him to be in a final battle.
Sebastian Druid/Druid
Not the most creative codename, especially considering his father is Doctor Druid. Sebastian’s story mostly revolves around him initially being booted from the team by Fury due to his inexperience with his powers before finally returning as a more powerful, confident version of himself. That’s a great story to develop, but Sebastian’s ultimately low on the list because his skill is mostly magic. Considering Marvel’s already struggling to adapt magic in both Doctor Strange and Iron Fist, I doubt that their first attempt would happen on Agents of SHIELD. If it does, great, but I’d sooner wait for Marvel to get the X-Men rights back.
J.T. James/Hellfire
Surprisingly not related to the Hellfire Club, J.T. has the power to channel “hellfire” into his weapons, usually a chain. He’s also got the hots for Daisy Johnson and eventually betrays the team to Hydra. Because that sounds way too familiar, I’m going to say that Hellfire will not appear in the season unless the show has bigger plans for Ward than we thought (please no). If they give up that feature of Hellfire, they might as well use an entirely different character. However, his powers are not the hardest to use on-screen, so he still gets a mention here in general. On the personal scale, I’d rather they take a stab at the Druid.
The Secret Warriors aren’t necessarily limited to these characters, but it would be a waste to ignore the first members, especially after the lengths they went to ensure we had a Daisy Johnson. Half the cast of the show are still original characters, so you can bet that there will be original super-powered characters as well. But then again, in the long run, few people would notice the difference.
