Agents of SHIELD season three. [Spoilers]

[Adrian McNair]

Maybe Real SHIELD just does whatever it wants and cruises around in their carrier like Nick Fury does with the helicarrier he stole from Coulson?

Coulson and Gonzales' factions were unified into one organisation under Coulson's leadership. The "Real SHIELD" no longer exists.

[The Romulan Republic]

Hmm. Does that mean Coulson has his own aircraft carrier now?

[FaxModem1]

Maybe Real SHIELD just does whatever it wants and cruises around in their carrier like Nick Fury does with the helicarrier he stole from Coulson?

Coulson and Gonzales' factions were unified into one organisation under Coulson's leadership. The "Real SHIELD" no longer exists.

If we saw more of the Real SHIELD leadership, members, or technology, I'd agree with that, but like the helicarrier, it's disappeared after season 2.

[The Romulan Republic]

So... thoughts on the recent direction of the series?

The biggest development is probably Spoiler

Daisy being mind controlled into joining Hive (he apparently has the power to control Inhumans).

I am... not happy with this development, or rather how its been handled. I didn't see the episode where it originally occurred, but I saw one since, and it felt like they weren't really treating this with the gravity it deserved. The mechanism by which Hive's mind control appears to work, if I'm understanding the exposition rightly, makes it even worse, because it basically seems to work by heightening/exploiting the victim's existing desires- which carries the ugly implication of "she wanted it"/"she was asking for it" which we sadly hear so often around the subject of rape.

I doubt that that was the intent, but to say that it leaves a bad taste in my mouth would be an understatement.

I just hope that this wasn't their way of throwing the Skye/Ward shippers a bone.

It does create an interesting dilemma for SHIELD though, which May and Coulson argued out- specifically, how Coulson is willing to kill other members of his team if infected by Hive (not letting Lincoln in the field unless he was wearing a suicide vest to which Coulson and May had the detonator) but not Daisy. Coulson explicitly acknowledging that he regards Daisy as being like his daughter.

Then there's the whole "someone in SHIELD's going to die" vision thing.

A couple points I did like-

They finally stopped dragging it out and just let FitzSimmons do it already. And subverting expectations for a Whedon show, they weren't killed immediately afterward (unless tonight's episode ends with one or both of them biting it).

Coulson's cyborg arm has an energy shield projector.

Also, apparently after Hive killed Malik's daughter (which I guess falls under the "stuffed in the fridge" trope, regrettably), he leaked a bunch of information on Hydra, allowing a global takedown of Hydra infrastructure. It looks like the show is, if not retiring Hydra as villains, at least moving them to the back burner for a while to focus on Hive.

Edited to fix spoiler tags.

[Adrian McNair]

You really shouldn't have missed the previous episode. I don't have any problems with how things have proceeded. I think that your complaints are overblown. At no point in this episode or the prior one is Daisy's brainwashing portrayed as a good thing. She's been twisted into his servant, threatening to kill her friends if they get in her way (as shown in the case of Fitz and this clip). It's akin to being indoctrinated and joining a cult rather than an endorsement of rape (it's more than a little bizarre that you reached this conclusion). I personally see Hive's mind-control as being similar to the process of becoming a Phalanx Select. The infected individual seems to be the same personality wise, has a degree of free-will but is ultimately loyal to the Phalanx (Hive in this case).

Perhaps you should wait and see how the season concludes before making any further assumptions. Oh, and watch 3x17, The Team. It's a decent installment even if you're aware of the outcome.

[The Romulan Republic]

I am definitely not saying that they portrayed the mind control as a good thing, nor did I make any assumptions about the remainder of the season (I referred to what has already occurred), nor do I think that it is the intent of the series to endorse rape (which I explicitly said already).

I just feel, more or less, like its being treated as a plot device somewhat, or being done for the sake of a "cool" twist, or something like that, rather than being treated with the seriousness and maturity it deserves (though this is something that could be mitigated somewhat later on, depending on how they handle it). And that the manner in which its supposed to work has some disturbing implications for the reasons I explained.

But yes, you seem to have the gist of how one operates while under Hive's control.

Anyway, another episode is starting in about twenty minutes.

Also, anyone care to speculate on Spoiler

which SHIELD character is going to die shortly?

[Adrian McNair]

I just feel, more or less, like its being treated as a plot device somewhat, or being done for the sake of a "cool" twist, or something like that, rather than being treated with the seriousness and maturity it deserves (though this is something that could be mitigated somewhat later on, depending on how they handle it). And that the manner in which its supposed to work has some disturbing implications for the reasons I explained.

It further revealed the extent of the threat that Hive poses and it was an effective conclusion to 3x17 (it's still too bad that you didn't see it). The stakes have been raised and the gravity of the situation is now clear. In what way hasn't it been done in a serious and mature way? How would you have done it? Daisy's basically a drug-addicted cultist now. All of her beliefs and perceptions are being coloured by Hive's mind-control spores. If she feels a connection to Hive it's because her brain's pleasure centre is being stimulated to an abnormal degree. It's meant to be disturbing since it's yet another example of a hero falling under the control of a villain.

I hope that she breaks free of his influence somehow and we get to see more of the Secret Warriors in action come season 4 (as unlikely as that seems at the moment).

Also, anyone care to speculate on Spoiler

which SHIELD character is going to die shortly?

There's no need for spoiler tags in a thread with the word "spoilers" in the title. Anyone who wishes to remain spoiler-free should give this thread a wide berth.

Anyway, judging by the crucifix in the vision my money's either on Mack or Elena (they're both religious). That could be a red-herring, though. We don't have much to go on.

[The Romulan Republic]

Well, I missed a big chunk of the middle of the new episode, but some thoughts:

The debate between Mack and Coulson over weather any of the original Daisy was left (with Coulson, interestingly, taking the more pessimistic view) was interesting, particularly in light of the discussion here, but it still bothers me. The confrontation between Mack and Daisy provides some support for both views, though Mack ultimately agreed with Coulson. Daisy still has some of her old personality, but at the same time, it wasn't enough to override her new loyalty. Its strongly indicated that she has some deep suppressed resentment towards Coulson and SHIELD driving this, but that doesn't seem to fit her prior characterization. And the whole thing is problematic because it retains the implication that she is somehow at fault for what has been done to her.

Her beating Mack almost to death was absolutely vicious. May shooting Daisy was a bit shocking, but entirely justified under the circumstances. Also, its fairly obvious that May wasn't shooting to kill, because frankly, if she was, I don't think she would have hit Daisy's arm.

Anyway, the upshot seems to be driving Daisy to commit completely to Hive's cause.

Regarding other characterization, I liked the FitzSimmons interactions. Lincoln remains an impulsive asshole. Seeing May do undercover rather than just kicking ass was nice.

The Hive vs. Kree fight was, quite simply, one of the best fight scenes the series has had. And holy shit, did Hive just shrug off a rocket launcher?

And on a side note, having seen him as Hive, if they ever make another adaptation of The Dresden Files, I think Brett Dalton might make a passable Nicodemus once he's a few years older.

We also got a lot more on Hive's origin and plans. Some interesting similarities to Magneto's plan from the first X-Men film, but on a grander scale. I'm not sure I like the "Hive's collectivist agenda/analogy for communism thing", but then, I also doubt he's being remotely sincere. Hive draws on different hosts' memories and impersonates different personas, so its hard to pin down what the real Hive is, if their even is a real Hive rather than an amalgamation of different people.

I'll be interested to see how the finale plays out.

Edit: Also, that failed test run of Hive's plan was a lot more gruesome than I'm used to on this show. They literally showed someone's flesh melting alive up close and in detail.

[Crazedwraith]

Just saw 1x17 here on Sunday with Skye's conversion.

Hive & Malik are the least interesting villains they've had for me.

The obvious candidate for the vision is Elena. That 'vision' first appeared as a straight flashforward scene in her first episode. And it was implied to be her crucifix. But that could be misdirection. I'm hoping that they'll change the future though. I like YoYo. (and recently found out she's an actual 616 comic character)

[Alkaloid]

The last few episodes have been a definite step up for the back half of the season. Much as I liked the characters getting shot of Bobbi and Hunter was a good move, the cast was far too bloated to be giving decent screen time to all of them and moving them to their own spin off was probably the best way to trim it down a bit. Plot started moving along a lot faster as soon as they were clear too.

Hive as a character is fairly boring but I thoroughly enjoyed Malick and his fall from power. Same with Daisy, she was giving me the shits with her immediate adoption of all of Jaiyangs paranoia re human/inhuman relations but none of her cunning or patience. The her entirely in character impetuousness blew up in her face and ended up with her under mind control, SHIELDs base trashed and her half trained inhuman team sidelined. Was satisfying in a smug sort of way. I really like the way the mind control works, the inhumans are essentially built to be addicted to Hie from birth and once they meet his little friends they'll do anything to keep getting that hit, like a lot of addicts. They might not want to hurt people, but they will if it means they get to stick with Hive.

Fuck the Kree episode though. The Kree were entirely underwhelming compared to season 2s unstoppable monster they were supposed to be more dangerous than, and Fitz "opening the weapon locker" just makes SHIELD look unbelievably insipid. SHIELD opening up the weapon locker should involve shit like fricking lasers based of Coulsons destroyer armour based anti god gun or Chitauri derived shit from the Item 47 short. It should not be not someone giving May an handgun and someone else bringing along a grenade launcher.

On the dead pool

Unlikely to die: Coulson, Mack, Daisy, YoYo and Joey. YoYos necklace being in the ship is too obvious to be anything but a red herring, Joey just feels like a character created to be killed so again, too obvious. Coulson and Mack look like they're being lined up to give them a reason to keep clear of any action in the finale, so probably not. Daisy isn't likely to kick it before she's cured and the show literally runs around her at this point.

Moderate chance: Fitz and Simmons. Will they wont they plot arc resolved, so normal hack writing convention is to now kill one off to create bullshit drama, and boy howdy does this show have some episodes that are written by hacks. That being said, the better writers seem to get control of the episodes coming into season breaks and given the last two end of season cliff hangers have revolved around them it doesn't seem likely they'd do it again. The only real indicator one of them might bite it is their whole "something wonderful will be in space one day" conversation. If that's the case I expect it to be Fitz, mostly to key up an arc early next season where Simmons does something desperate and dangerous to try and bring him back to life, a la running a secret TAHITI program without telling anybody.

High chance: Lincoln and May, Brett Daltons run on the show: Lincolns easy, weakened, stupid and Daisy killing her boyfriend whilst under mind control and having to deal with it once cured is a fairly safe next step. Plus, he's really a nothing character who brings little to the show. May and Andrew will definitely feature in the finale and I don't really see anywhere else they can go with her. She's not a character that really changes, we just learn more about what makes her tick and we sort of have all the puzzle pieces at this point. I don;t see Hive surviving the finale either, at least not in the form he is, which means the last vestiges of grant Ward go with him. Kind of a shame, Dalton proved to be a fairly good actor once he got some material to wok with, but hey, that's showbiz.

[The Romulan Republic]

A lot of people seem to think it'll be May, and I really, really hope they're wrong. I like May, think they could do more with her, and would like to see it happen.

FitzSimmons and Lincoln would be predictable and likely cheap attempts at a tearjerker.

Joey and YoYo wouldn't have as much impact because they're new.

That leaves Daisy (maybe as atonement/heroic sacrifice, though that's also a bit predictable, but it would be interestingly ironic if the death she predicted, without knowing it was hers'), Coulson, or Mack. Daisy and Coulson seem less likely as they're basically the leads, though killing the lead isn't unheard of (Buffy did it, off the top of my head, as did the X-Files), and death isn't necessarily permanent in this sort of show.

But I fear its going to be May.

[Crazedwraith]

I'd wager it's not Daisy unless Chloe Bennett want to leave. She's been centre stage since Ep1.

I don't know if they've done a Cap 3 tie-in yet but thoughts occur (Cap3 spoilers) Spoiler

If any Avenger were to find out Coulson's alive I think it should be Cap. Coulson's SHIELD aiding and abetting Cap's fugitive Avenger team makes sense to me and would be awesome. Alas most of them are out a TV Budget. But then I would have said the same of SLJ.

Unrelated to Cap3 but the other obvious candidate to know about the Son of Cole's survival would be Thor via Sif or Heimdall. In fact if I'd been Simmons, I think I'd have spent a while yelling 'Heimdall? Heimdal, please help, I know Sif' at the skies just on the off chance.

[The Romulan Republic]

Eh, as I recall, Asgardians aren't too friendly towards Inhumans. In fact, didn't Sif want to, um, kill Daisy for existing?

Asgardian "help" might not be a good thing when Inhumans are involved.

Anyway, the next episode, I think, takes place in the aftermath of Civil War.

Which means I have to see Civil War next Tuesday afternoon to avoid spoilers.

[Adrian McNair]

Daisy still has some of her old personality, but at the same time, it wasn't enough to override her new loyalty. Its strongly indicated that she has some deep suppressed resentment towards Coulson and SHIELD driving this, but that doesn't seem to fit her prior characterization.

Uh, no shit it doesn't fit her prior characterisation? She's brainwashed, TRR. She's doped up on Hive's parasites to the point where she'd beat a friend and comrade to death. From her current perspective Hive is all that matters and nothing else can compare.

And the whole thing is problematic because it retains the implication that she is somehow at fault for what has been done to her.

You're overthinking this and looking for controversy where there isn't any. The only one at fault here for this situation is Hive, something the show has made abundantly clear over and over. Stop being such an alarmist.

Edit: Also, that failed test run of Hive's plan was a lot more gruesome than I'm used to on this show. They literally showed someone's flesh melting alive up close and in detail.

Even after Hive reduced those five innocent people to bloody skeletons or did the same to the Transia Corporation's board of directors? It seems to be on the same level. It's par for the course with this show. This is unambiguously adult fiction and I'm glad that they aren't pulling their punches.

[The Romulan Republic]

Uh, no shit it doesn't fit her prior characterisation? She's brainwashed, TRR. She's doped up on Hive's parasites to the point where she'd beat a friend and comrade to death. From her current perspective Hive is all that matters and nothing else can compare.

Yes, I know she's mind controlled, obviously. I have, you know, watched the show.

But I believe it was said, as I mentioned before, that the mind control works, in part, by playing on your existing underlying feelings. In this case, a degree of long-term resentment toward SHIELD/Coulson.

So my point was entirely legitimate, and you, ironically, ended up missing the point yourself.

You're overthinking this and looking for controversy where there isn't any. The only one at fault here for this situation is Hive, something the show has made abundantly clear over and over. Stop being such an alarmist.

I don't think I'm being particularly alarmist, and I'm not looking for controversy. Frankly, I get the impression that because I've been accused of being alarmist in other topics, some people feel its an accusation they can throw at me any time they disagree with what I'm saying.

I'm sure I never questioned that they're depicting Hive as a villain either, but the implication is that there's some part of Daisy that wants what he does and is, that he's playing on. Now, that obviously doesn't, in and of itself, mean that Daisy isn't being portrayed as a victim or that what Hive is doing is being portrayed as okay (I believe the cult leader analogy has already been brought up, and that's essentially what Hive is), but its something you have to tread carefully with if you don't want to have, as TV Tropes puts it, "unfortunate implications". Not necessarily implications intended by the show runners/writers.

Even after Hive reduced those five innocent people to bloody skeletons or did the same to the Transia Corporation's board of directors? It seems to be on the same level. It's par for the course with this show. This is unambiguously adult fiction and I'm glad that they aren't pulling their punches.

Likewise. I sure as hell don't want a sugar coated children's show in place of what we have.

I guess my point is just that with topics like this, there's a lot of muddling and distortion and misrepresentation and misunderstanding and, yes, victim-blaming, sometimes without any malicious intent, so you need to be very careful about the message you're sending if you don't want to send the wrong message.

That and Daisy and Ward were my two favourite characters, Daisy in the sense of being likeable and a strong female protagonist (strong as in strength of character, not just her ability to kick ass) and Ward in the sense of being an interesting character (and yes I know Hive isn't Ward, but he's Ward's successor, of sorts, and played by the same actor), so... don't screw up my favourite characters, please.

[Adrian McNair]

But I believe it was said, as I mentioned before, that the mind control works, in part, by playing on your existing underlying feelings. In this case, a degree of long-term resentment toward SHIELD/Coulson.

It's also entirely possible that Hive's mind control works by amplifying irrational behaviour. Daisy's entire personality is now filtered through the prism of Hive, distorting her outlook and thus governing her actions. Before this unfortunate incident Daisy would never have brutally attacked Mack or vowed to rip out the hearts of her team-mates if they got in her way. Besides, we don't know for certain how his brainwashing works. We have suppositions on the part of Simmons and the word of Hive's thralls (the latter not being reliable testimony in the slightest) but that isn't enough.

So my point was entirely legitimate, and you, ironically, ended up missing the point yourself.

No, it comes down to us having separate interpretations of this storyline more than anything. I get what you're saying but I don't see it reflected within the show.

I don't think I'm being particularly alarmist, and I'm not looking for controversy. Frankly, I get the impression that because I've been accused of being alarmist in other topics, some people feel its an accusation they can throw at me any time they disagree with what I'm saying.

It's not an unwarranted accusation. You do have a tendency to blow things out of proportion or overreact. You're overly concerned that the Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D writing staff are going to irrevocably wreck Daisy's character or do something sexist. But that hasn't happened yet. She still hasn't gone past the point of no return yet (she hasn't killed any innocents while under Hive's control for instance). They've thoroughly defied genre convention by making Daisy disgusted with Ward instead of slowly falling for him because he's the bad boy (this scene is when I began to respect the character). She also quickly turned against Jiaying when her true nature was revealed (beyond fighting her fellow SHIELD agents her worst mistake in that case was assuming the best of her mother). Don't you think they've earned at least a little bit of leeway by now?

I'm sure I never questioned that they're depicting Hive as a villain either, but the implication is that there's some part of Daisy that wants what he does and is, that he's playing on. Now, that obviously doesn't, in and of itself, mean that Daisy isn't being portrayed as a victim or that what Hive is doing is being portrayed as okay (I believe the cult leader analogy has already been brought up, and that's essentially what Hive is), but its something you have to tread carefully with if you don't want to have, as TV Tropes puts it, "unfortunate implications". Not necessarily implications intended by the show runners/writers.

If Daisy is cured and starts to lament no longer being under Hive's "sway" then you'll have my permission to gloat and call me out. I am willing to eat crow if that's what it comes to. I'd just rather see how the season ends before making any predictions or judgement calls.

[Crazedwraith]

Just seen Ep18 I think. The first episode after Daisy's brainwashing. Its interesting how much of her personaility is intact, Daisy not Skye. Still really hates Ward.

I dont see much if any evidence of Daisy being victim blamed. Or harbouring secret resentment towards Shield. She seems massively conflicted when threatening Fitz for example.

Also the cast now includes australian inhuman Gambit on Hive's side. and Coulson has the energy shield Captain America had breifly in the comic. Silly but fun.

[The Romulan Republic]

The "resentment toward SHIELD" bit comes from the next episode, I think (specifically her rant at Mack).

Anyway, new episode tonight, with some big developments. Warning: Spoilers for Captain America: Civil War.

The episode relates heavily to Captain America: Civil War, Spoiler

though in this case the emphasis is on the Sokovia Accords requiring the registration of all inhumans. You know, if they'd played that up in the movie, and made it Cap's reason for opposing the Accords, I'd have probably had at least a little bit more sympathy with his rebellion against accountability and government oversight.

Also... SHIELD just made the Avengers looks like pathetic incompetents. Coulson clearly opposes the Accords and sympathizes with Cap, but does he fight it out with General Talbot? No, they talk it out like mature adults and come to an understanding, showing the government representative that SHIELD can get the job done. I still don't like the anti-oversight/intelligence organizations need to be unaccountable message, but I appreciate that they were relatively reasonable about it.

And here you have Coulson and company fighting Hive, who's a threat to the whole God damn Earth, while the Avengers are engaging in their infighting and don't even know that there's this looming threat to the Earth.

Seriously, watching Civil War and then this episode on the same day just drives the point home for me- SHIELD just showed up the Avengers and made them look like a bunch of useless asshats in a pissing contest while the world burns, with SHIELD being the people who are actually getting shit done.

Good on you Coulson. You just outdid Captain America and Iron Man in the world-saving business.

Anyway, Daisy is home and free, apparently, courtesy of some clever subterfuge by SHIELD to get Lash inside Hive's base (and Lincoln was finally useful). Hive got his ass kicked but lives, and now Lash is dead. Poor May. Apparently Lash's "purpose" was to free Daisy, which I don't really buy, but that's that plot line tied up, it seems.

The end, with Yo Yo giving Mack her cross, heavily sets it up for Mack to be the one to die in the vision, but its so obvious I think its misdirection. My money's on Daisy dying in a heroic sacrifice to "redeem" herself for aiding Hive, though I really hope I'm wrong about that- it would be cliche and add to the victim blaming issue, plus I like Daisy. It would be maximum irony, though, for her dreaded vision to unknowingly be of her own death.

I hate the whole "who's going to die?" marketing hype, though. So cheap and exploitative.

[Lord Revan]

It actually makes sense that the Avengers wouldn't be as reasonble about the accords as SHIELD, I mean the Avengers have not really faced defeat, set backs sure but a real defeat not so much, they always got the bad guy in the end.

the SHIELD on the other suffered a major defeat when the HYDRA infiltration was revealed and SHIELD had to rebuild their status and forces from essentially nothing, explaining why SHIELD would more willing to compromise. I dunno if it's intentional but it would be fitting that their egos is what's stoping Iron Man and Cap from being as effective as they could be.

[The Romulan Republic]

That makes a certain amount of sense, I suppose.

That and SHIELD already had its "Civil War", twice. First with the Hydra coup attempt and then with the Agents of SHIELD season two fight between Coulson's SHIELD and the other SHIELD.

Coulson mentioned earlier this season, as I recall, that he was tired of the infighting, hence working with Rosalin and the ATCU.

The Avengers have had infighting in the past, but not to the extent SHIELD has. I guess the lesson has stuck with Coulson.

[The Romulan Republic]

Anyway, finale guesses (let's see how many I get):

Daisy dies (or appears to die/dies and is later resurrected). In which case, Lincoln may walk away from SHIELD.

Brett Dalton stays on the show (likely meaning Hive lives). I feel like he's a central part of the show now, the show's definitive villain.

Possibly May and Coulson hook up. I've felt like the show might be heading that way for a while, and with Andrew definitively out of the picture, now might be the time. On the other hand, this show tends to take its time with romance plots, and that's something that might carry over to next season.

[Solauren]

My prediction on the finale is that Ward/Hive will die in space. Since he and Daisy were linked, it makes some sense that she might have been able to see his death.

The 'transhumanist' doctor will escape with samples, in order to continue his work. Cyborg Inhumanes, anyone?


As for SHIELD making the Avengers look like asshats.

Well, DUH.
Captain America is a solider who's war ended without him, to wake up in alien setting.
He also was dealing with massive survivors guilty (evident or not) from Bucky disappearing, and then not being able to help him during Civil War.

Iron Man is dealing with his guilty over Ultron, as possibly lingering side-effects from the Scarlet Witch playing with his mind.

Those are two powerful personalities with issues that put them on opposite sides of an issue. That usually turns people into asshats.

[The Romulan Republic]

My prediction on the finale is that Ward/Hive will die in space. Since he and Daisy were linked, it makes some sense that she might have been able to see his death.

The 'transhumanist' doctor will escape with samples, in order to continue his work. Cyborg Inhumanes, anyone?

Much as I find the way marketing is playing up how someone is going to die tasteless, cheap, and crass, making it Hive would be a rather frustrating bait and switch/lack of pay-off. A major villain dying at the end of a season is nothing unusual or special, and it doesn't qualify as a SHIELD member dying. Besides, I feel like for better or for worse, Ward/Hive has pretty much become the central villain of the show, and they won't get rid of Brett Dalton (at least permanently) until the finale, any more than DS9 ever got rid of Dukat or X-Files got rid of CSM or Buffy the Vampire Slayer got rid of Spike (though he eventually ceased to be a villain, of course).

They're heavily hinting at it being Mack, with the cross thing, but its too damn obvious. I think its mis-direciton. No, I think its probably going to be Daisy, in some lame bid to "redeem" herself for something that wasn't her fault (being used by Hive). It would also have a great deal of irony for her dreaded vision to unknowingly be of her own death, and the writers might think that's a clever twist. And I can totally see Mack passing the cross on to her as part of some reconciliation between them.

I really hope I'm wrong about that, but yeah.

Though if it is her, I don't expect it to be permanent. She too is a central part of the show. Basically, the core cast is the original main six (none of whom have died or left for long yet in nearly three seasons), but particularly Clark Gregg, Chloe Bennet, and Brett Dalton. I don't really expect any of them to leave permanently before the series ends.

A lot of people online seem to think it'll be May though.

As to the doctor, he seems to be having second thoughts. My guess is last minute betrayal of Hive, likely followed by death. Though it would be interesting if they kept him around.

As for SHIELD making the Avengers look like asshats.

Well, DUH.
Captain America is a solider who's war ended without him, to wake up in alien setting.
He also was dealing with massive survivors guilty (evident or not) from Bucky disappearing, and then not being able to help him during Civil War.

Iron Man is dealing with his guilty over Ultron, as possibly lingering side-effects from the Scarlet Witch playing with his mind.

Those are two powerful personalities with issues that put them on opposite sides of an issue. That usually turns people into asshats.

Well, I think its rather interesting (and funny) that we've reached the point where the secondary characters on a TV spin-off who are so minor they don't even get to be in the movies are the ones actually saving the world and being heroes while the big name iconic superheroes are making everything worse.

[Adrian McNair]

Much as I find the way marketing is playing up how someone is going to die tasteless, cheap, and crass, making it Hive would be a rather frustrating bait and switch/lack of pay-off. A major villain dying at the end of a season is nothing unusual or special, and it doesn't qualify as a SHIELD member dying. Besides, I feel like for better or for worse, Ward/Hive has pretty much become the central villain of the show, and they won't get rid of Brett Dalton (at least permanently) until the finale, any more than DS9 ever got rid of Dukat or X-Files got rid of CSM or Buffy the Vampire Slayer got rid of Spike (though he eventually ceased to be a villain, of course).

I feel that not killing off Hive would be a mistake (I almost typed up "keeping Hive alive" but that sounded somewhat lame so I didn't). As much as I appreciate Dalton's work on the show I don't want Hive to overstay his welcome. He's just too powerful to be used in subsequent seasons. You'd need to massively weaken him and lower his intelligence in order to justify why he hasn't succeeded yet. This is, after all, an Inhuman who wiped out an entire alien civilisation.

Or we could go with the option where Hive is somehow removed from Ward's body, resulting in the Douchebag Nazi coming back to plague Team Coulson (which definitely wouldn't be contrived as fuck). Neither is an ideal outcome in my book. I want the show to discard Ward and Hive. Marvel Comics has a vast and varied rogues gallery that the show could plunder from. Relying on one antagonist would come at the expense of the series' quality.

Dukat's a poor example to use, by the way. His character went to shit when he went from being a decent foil for Kira and Sisko to a Pah-wraith cultist. That just reinforces my point about the perils of overusing the same villains. Going to the same well repeatedly just results in contrivances and creative bankruptcy.

[The Romulan Republic]

Too powerful?

I don't know. He's strong, sure, but not that strong. He can only mind control inhumans. His ranged attacks seem limited in scope. He can survive a rocket launcher? Big fucking deal. Throw an ICBM at him.

I actually think there are several individual Avengers who could probably take him one on one, at least if not caught off guard.

He's strong for this show, not strong by the overall standards of the MCU.

And do we know anything of the circumstances of how he destroyed a world?

Regardless, I don't think that I was actually trying to make an argument in favour of keeping Dalton on the show, so much as just saying I thought it was likely. So I don't give a damn weather Dukat is a "poor" example or not.

Bringing Ward back...

They'd have to do something new with him for it to be really good. Since they pretty much rejected the redemption idea over and over again (and portrayed Ward as a fairly one-dimensional revenge-obsessed sadist in the process as I recall), but did not develop Ward into a real Big Bad caliber-antagonist and had him keep making the same sorts of mistakes, he'd gotten kind of tired and shallow and doesn't have a lot of obvious directions to go in. I'll give them credit for finally doing something new with him, sort of, with the "Ward as a Hive cultist" thing, but then he died, and if they kill Hive... that angle's probably played out too. Its a pity, because from mid season one to late season two I think Ward was possibly one of the MCU's most interesting and compelling characters.

That said, I wouldn't necessarily object to Ward coming back, provided that its well-written, of course, and in particular that they never, ever ruin Daisy's strength of character by having her get together with him.

There is, in particular, one angle that they hinted at that I wouldn't mind seeing followed up on:

Back in season two, Coulson offered Ward the option of going through the Tahiti program and having his memory wiped. I think that would have been very interesting. Give Ward a clean slate of sorts, and see what kind of man he is without all the baggage of his past, all his misguided loyalties and obsessions and indoctrination and grudges. Maybe he'd be a better man. Maybe he'd still be a complete scum bag/nut job. But I think that a good writer could potentially make an interesting character study of it.

It wouldn't even have to last. You could do it for an episode, or an arc, then have him revert to the old Ward or die. But I think there was potential there for a wonderful story that was never used.

I would like to see more Marvel villains brought in, though. And, hell, original villains. Not everything has to come from the comics. One of the things I like about this show is that a lot of the main cast are apparently original characters, and ever time they have one turn out to be a comics character, it irritates me. Its like, God forbid that they do anything purely original. I'll give them a pass on it though, because Daisy is awesome and Hive is at least a fairly menacing villain.