Grant Ward (Earth-199999)

Early Life[]

Grant Ward was an agent of Hydra who had a rough childhood: When he was a child, his older brother Christian forced him to bully their younger brother Thomas, eventually throwing the younger brother into a well, in which he almost drowned.^[8][1] Eventually, in 1999, Ward was sent off to military school, but he went AWOL, stole a car and attempted to set his brother's house on fire, unaware that he was inside. This landed him in the Juvenile Detention Facility in Plymouth, Massachusetts. As his family was pressing his charges and Christian wanted him tried as an adult, Ward was recruited by John Garrett, who taught him self-sufficiency by spending months out in the wilderness with no one but a dog named Buddy for company. Eventually, Garrett revealed his allegiance to Hydra and had Ward implanted in S.H.I.E.L.D. as a sleeper agent.^[9]

After witnessing Project Centipede in action, Ward was assigned to Agent Coulson's special S.H.I.E.L.D. team to investigate renegade superhumans. He has become Skye's senior officer, imparting martial tactics training, and his words helping her develop a greater sympathy for S.H.I.E.L.D. than she previously possessed.^[2]

During this time, he developed a romantic relationship with fellow agent Skye and a sexual relationship with Melinda May, which caused the two women to be the ones that attacked him the most aggressively when his identity was revealed to them. ^[10]

When Hydra was revealed to have infiltrated S.H.I.E.L.D, Ward helped Coulson's team infiltrate and secure the Hub. When John Garrett was exposed as a Hydra agent, Ward assisted him in escaping custody by killing Victoria Hand.^[11] He then went on to springing Raina from prison, and raid the Fridge. However, as the hard drive he stole containing information on GH.325 required for Garrett was encrypted by Skye, Ward was forced to go undercover to get her to decrypt it.^[12] For a time, his ploy worked, but as Agent Koenig was close to uncovering NSA surveillance of the Fridge, which would've exposed Ward's involvement in the raid, he was forced to kill Koenig and hide his body. Skye soon finds Koenig and realized Ward's true allegiance.^[1] She keeps her cool long enough when she and Ward went to Los Angeles to crack the drive to tip off the authorities to Ward's identity as a Hydra agent. But Skye's escape is short lived as she is grabbed by Deathlok. Held captive, Skye confronted Ward on his betrayal, to which he reveals his feelings for her but this only disgusted her.^[13] After Skye's escape, Ward began to doubt having a chance with her.^[10]

During the final confrontation with his former S.H.I.E.L.D. team, Ward was defeated by Agent May and sustained damage to his larynx serious enough that he was rendered unable to speak. Ward was taken into custody of the U.S. military, with Coulson informing him of Garrett's death and promising to make him suffer for what he has done.^[10]

Life as a S.H.I.E.L.D. asset[]

Ward was later moved to the Playground, where he had time to think on his actions, but also tried to commit suicide on separate occasions. He offered to reveal whatever he know about Hydra to Skye only. One day, she comes to him demanding anything he know about Carl Creel, an assassin for Hydra who was looking for the Obelisk. Ward first tried to win her sympathy by describing his various suicide attempts to her, but Skye quickly grew impatient with him. He then told her he didn't know where he was, but told her that Hydra would hide their messages in the white noise between S.H.I.E.L.D.'s communications to find any orders given to Creel. He then tried changing the subject to discussing her father, only for Skye to seal off his cell and leave.^[14]

Skye visits him again to question about Hydra's recruiting methods for gifted individuals. He explained that if the superhuman refuses Hydra, they are deemed a threat and eliminated; he stated that that's why Hydra will win. Later, Ward gets an unexpected visit from Fitz, who was still suffering from trauma from their last encounter. Ward defended that ejecting him and Simmons into the ocean was the only alternative from shooting them in the head, having anticipated that they would find a way to survive. However, Fitz then began depressurizing his cell to make him suffer as he had suffered. But when he mentions the team not letting him on the mission to help Donnie Gill, Ward warned him that Donnie had been brainwashed by Hydra.

After Skye returned from their mission, she questioned Ward about Hydra's brainwashing techniques. After explaining Hydra's rare use of it, he assured her that he wasn't brainwashed. He then revealed to her that her father is alive and looking for her and that he is willing to bring her to him.^[15]

On Skye's next visit, she questioned him about what she knew about her father. When he admitted he heard from Raina, she believed that he had been fooled. She then changed the topic, asking about the mysterious alien symbols he saw from their Belarus mission. He explained that Garrett immediately started carving the symbols after being injected with GH.325 and started losing his mind afterwards.^[16]

Breaking Out[]

On Skye's next visit, she demanded any information on his brother Christian. He remained evasive and tried to change the subject of the conversation back to her father, only for Coulson to intervene and cut him off. Skye later came back, having turned his cell camera off and Ward tried to convince her that his brother's a sociopath. Skye then gave in to her curiosity about her father, challenging him to tell her the full truth, as he neglected to mention that he was a murderer. Ward explained to her that the village in China's Hunan province was actually full of Hydra agents who murdered her mother, prompting her father to fly into an uncontrollable rage. He offered to help her find her father if she let him out, only for Skye to inform him that Coulson is trading him to Christian.

Coulson later came by, having struck a deal with Christian. Ward attempted to insist that he wants to help the team, only to be held accountable for all those he had murdered. As he was marched out of the Playground, Simmons threatened to kill him if she ever laid eyes on him. As he was handed over to the FBI, Ward called out to Coulson to tell Skye that he's not done. Soon, en route to federal prison, Ward escaped by breaking his thumbs and kills his escort. ^[17]

Ward later collected his IDs and other essentials from one of his dead drops. Suspecting that S.H.I.E.L.D. agents were tailing him, Ward strapped a vest full of C4 explosives to himself to keep them from making a move against him. He soon made contact with Sunil Bakshi, claiming he wanted to help him kill Coulson, only to kill his bodyguards and leave Bakshi for S.H.I.E.L.D. to apprehend. After giving himself a shave, he called Skye, telling her that he will be sending S.H.I.E.L.D. a number of presents, but stated that he had personal business to take care of. He then planned on going after Christian.^[6]

He eventually abducted his brother when he arrived at his childhood home to see his mistress. Grant had Christian dig up the well where he had him almost kill their brother Thomas all those years ago. Once he uncovered the well, Christian attacked his brother with the shovel and tried to escape, but Grant caught up to him and dragged him back. Grant held his brother over the well, threatening to throw him in unless he apologized for what he did. Senator Ward broke down and apologized for manipulating his brother into almost killing Thomas because he was the only one their mother did not torture. Grant helped his brother to his feet and hugged him, apparently forgiving him. However, once they got back to the house, Grant killed Christian and their parents and staged the scene to look like a murder-suicide committed by his brother. Ward then went to Dr. Whitehall's offices, where he was reinstated as an agent of Hydra and introduced to Skye's father.^[18]

Ward was later assigned by Whitehall to retrieve Raina, who was currently in S.H.I.E.L.D. custody, tracking down the cloaked Bus. Upon boarding, he made an additional demand that Skye come with him, wanting to uphold his promise to introduce her to her father, stating that he will spare them all. Sam Koenig then calls him out for murdering his brother Eric. Taking note of Sam and Billy, he asks how many identical Koenigs are there. May refuses to hand Skye over but Skye concedes to his demand.^[19]

After taking Skye and Raina, Ward headed to Puerto Rico, where Raina could activate the temple within the alien city and Skye could meet her father, Calvin. He let the two of them alone, but soon afterwards, Whitehall demanded to see him, Skye and her father. He asked Grant why he had brought Skye along, and Raina explained to Whitehall about Ward's love towards Skye, and that he hoped she would trust him if he brought her to her father. Whitehall then forced Skye to pick up the Diviner; however, she survived the device and used it to kill a Hydra soldier nearby her. Upon seeing Skye's escape attempt, her father aids her with his scalpel, and Ward tries to help too. Being outnumbered, Skye, Cal and Ward are trapped by Whitehall's forces.

Agent 33[]

Calvin was able to overcome one of Whitehall's devices, that was immobilizing him, so he escaped alone and went on to kill Whitehall. Ward was able to free himself and then free Skye. Knowing better than to trust Ward, Skye shot him while he was opening the door and walked away, stating that Ward had taught her to never turn her back on her enemies. Soon after Whitehall was killed by Director Phil Coulson, Agent 33 came to Ward and saw that the shots Skye took on Ward were intercepted by a bulletproof object. Confessing that she had no more purpose in life after Whitehall's death, she escaped Puerto Rico with Ward. ^[20]

Ward and Agent 33 tracked down the creator of the nano-mask to help repair it. After disposing of the inventor, Agent 33 attempted to seduce Ward with Skye's face, but he rejected her advances, desiring to be with the real Skye but his feelings for her were gone when she shot him. As she was clearly upset at the rejection, Ward offered to cheer her up. They proceeded to break Bakshi out of Glenn Talbot's custody and brainwash him into their service. Agent 33 then showed her scarred face to Ward and introduced herself as Kara.^[21] The two eventually initiate a romantic relationship, but they are recruited by Coulson, Fitz and Deathlok, who plan to attack Hydra while being on the run from a S.H.I.E.L.D. faction led by Commander Robert Gonzales. They decide to use the brainwashed Bakshi to infiltrate Hydra.^[22]

When Coulson turns himself over to Gonzales, Ward and Agent 33 are brought to the Playground, where Ward leaves Agent 33 to help her reclaim her life as a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent. With Bakshi inside Hydra, Ward is assigned to join Coulson's team - Coulson, May and Fitz - to attack the base of Dr. List and rescue Deathlok and Lincoln Campbell, an Inhuman. Simmons joins the team to secretly kill him during the mission, while Skye is teleported by the Inhuman Gordon to the Bus to rescue Lincoln; Ward realizes the original team is back together. However, along the way, the team is uneasy and angry at him, which leads Ward to plead to the team that he regrets what he has done and seeks redemption. When the team infiltrates Dr. List's base, he, Bakshi, and Simmons rescue Ward, although Simmons attempts to kill him with a splinter bomb. Bakshi steps in the way and is disintegrated by the bomb; after confronting Simmons and understanding that the team will never forgive him, he abandons the team. He later calls Coulson and tells him to take care of Agent 33.^[23]

Agent 33's integration, however, is a ruse for them to capture Agent Bobbi Morse in Spain.^[24] Bakshi had earlier told them that Morse was the one who ratted out Agent 33's location when she was still undercover at Hydra, which led to the latter's capture and brainwash. In order for Agent 33 to receive closure, Ward then begins torturing Morse to confess and apologize what she has done, but Morse refuses to apologize, saying that she had to choose between revealing her safehouse or another one with several other S.H.I.E.L.D. agents. After an altercation with Morse, Ward puts her into a trap that kills whoever arrives and rescues her.^[25] A S.H.I.E.L.D. team led by May and Lance Hunter, Morse's ex-husband, manages to track down their location and head there to rescue Morse. Although he and Agent 33 manage to eliminate several agents, May tricks the former to shoot Agent 33, who is in disguise as May, to death. Ward manages to escape, and becomes the leader of the remaining Hydra agents, as he is seeking vengeance against Coulson's team for the death of Agent 33.^[26]

Rebuilding Hydra[]

A few months later, Ward had his eye on Werner Von Strucker to be a recruit for Hydra as he was the son of Baron Wolfgang Von Strucker. Grant Ward and Kebo boarded Werner's boat, killed his body guards, and abducted him.

Ward then told him that he had everything in his life served to him on a silver platter and for now on if he wanted something he had to earn it. He then had Kebo torture Werner until he gave them his bank account. After enduring multiple beatings, Werner took a chair and started beating Kebo with it saying "Nobody treats me like that and lives. Do you even know who the hell I am, do you?" Ward then walked in and answered "Your Werner Von Strucker, your father was Baron Wolfgang Von Strucker" and then explained how this was a test to see if Werner was worthy of the name Strucker. Ward then told him that his father kept him in the dark and then died a meaningless death and that he was rebuilding Hydra "the right way". For Werner's first mission, Ward had him follow Melinda May's ex-husband, Dr. Andrew Garner.^[27]

Ward built his Hydra similarly to S.H.I.E.L.D., but without incorporating its flaws that caused it to fall in the first place. Ward scheduled a meet with one of his new agents that was proving to be valuable to Hydra. However, the new agent revealed himself to be Lance Hunter. Ward, Kebo, and the surrounding Hydra agents fired on Hunter, but Agent May arrived and they were able to push Hydra back. As a last resort, Ward showed May that he had men ready to kill Dr. Garner, but he was willing to call them off if Hunter and May would put down their weapons and leave the building. Hunter called Ward's bluff and opened fire on him. Ward and Kebo were forced to retreat through the back. Ward was wounded while retreating when Hunter shot him in the back.^[5]

Later, Ward scolded Kebo for letting Hunter infiltrate Hydra. Ward sent Kebo to look for Werner, who was missing following his attack on Dr. Garner. Kebo later returned with one of the heads of Hydra on the phone, wishing to make contact with Ward. He didn't introduce himself to Ward, and only contacted to tell Ward that Werner was an asset that shouldn't have been in play yet. He told Ward where Werner was hiding out, because he was willing to "sacrifice a player to save the game". Ward sent Kebo and a few other men to kill Werner before S.H.I.E.L.D. got to him. Kebo was able to injure Werner enough to put into a coma, but S.H.I.E.L.D. got there, killed Kebo, and retrieve Werner all the same.^[28] Later, Ward met face-to-face with this head of Hydra, whose name was Gideon Malick, and discussed his plans to kill Phil Coulson.^[29]

Grant Ward met his end when Gideon Mallick sent him to the planet Maveth in hopes of bringing Hive to Earth. Coulson secretly followed them through. On Maveth, Coulson and Ward had a final fight, ending with Coulson using his robotic hand on Ward to crush his torso. After Coulson left, Hive possessed Ward's corpse as his next host.^[7]

Framework[]

Grant Ward briefly returned when A.I.D.A. and Dr. Holden created the artificial reality known as the Framework, which contained an alternate version of the real world Grant Ward.^[30]In this reality, Grant Ward never got to work for John Garrett, but instead became a true S.H.I.E.L.D. agent under guidance of Victoria Hand.^[31] After Hydra conquered the world, Ward became a double agent, posing as a member of Hydra but secretly helping the resistance formed from the remains of S.H.I.E.L.D.. He also got into a relationship with Daisy Johnson.

The framework-Ward helped Daisy and Jemma find the other S.H.I.E.L.D. agents imprisoned in the Framework, and with their help they exposed Hydra's lies to the general public, starting a riot.^[31] This version of Grant Ward was deleted when the Framework went offline, and the reality inside got destroyed.^[32]

Grant's profile describes him as bad-tempered, but also calm and collected in sticky situations. He's slightly anti-social and has strong morals. Ward's goals usually involve getting closure to erase the pain of his past and that can make him vulnerable as he is distracted by how to get closure. He's also "deadly".^{[citation needed]}

• Ward so completely defined himself by his loyalty to John Garrett that he allowed himself to be drawn into actions that contrasted starkly with his inner nature. He was at a loss for what to do when Garrett descended into insanity, dedicated to a madman who really wasn't worth that devotion. After infiltrating Coulson's team, he began to develop an obsessive fixation on Skye, later going out of his way to reunite her with her father after he had betrayed her,^[15][18] and then unwisely handing her a gun, which she turned on him.^[20] He outright admitted that Skye had woken up a "certain weakness in him". ^[10]

• Multilingual: Ward speaks six different languages which include English, French, Russian,^[3] Italian ^[33] and Spanish.^[12]
• Expert Spy: Grant has the best espionage scores after Agent Romanoff.
• Expert Hand-to-Hand Combat: Ward has shown himself to be a very skilled fighter, having top combat scores.^[2]
• Expert Marksman: Ward has extensive training with a variety of small arms, and is an accurate shooter with most of them.
• Skilled Seducer/Manipulator: He is skilled in the field of seduction and manipulation,^[12] such as allowing things to get intimate with Agent May because she was a threat to him. The only reason he became Skye's S.O was to understand the way she worked, and how he fooled the team into trusting him by saving Jemma Simmons.^[34]

Many of Grant Ward's flaws resided in his personality.

Formerly The Bus

• Brett Dalton portrayed Grant Ward as one of the main characters in the first 3 seasons of the television series Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D..

• His birth date is January 7, 1983.^[2]
• He passed from level 6 to level 7 as he was revealed Coulson's death.^[2] His level was later confirmed.^[35]
• Ward did not appear in the second season episode "Heavy Is the Head," making Brett Dalton the series' first main cast member to be absent for an entire episode.
• Ward is the first main character of the series to die; however, Ward's corpse was possessed by Hive, an extremely powerful alien entity, leaving Brett Dalton as an active member of the cast until Hive's death in "Ascension". In season 4, an alternate version of this Grant Ward was seen in the artificial reality in the Framework.