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Marvel’s Agents of SHIELD Character Review: Bobbi Morse

By Christina Roberts

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Marvel’s Agents of SHIELD’s second season can almost be thought of as two separate seasons. The first half covered the deterioration of Hydra and Coulson’s psyche, ending with a huge bang — or, if you will, shake. The second half covered the discovery of the Inhumans and superpowered people.

Because there’s been so much character development this season (and since we have the time to kill), let’s dive in and take a trip down Agents of SHIELD memory lane, character by character.

Miss a post? Get caught up: Melinda May  |  Grant Ward  |  Fitz  |  Simmons

[Mid-Season Report: Bobbi and Hunter]

The Positive: Bobbi Morse has been one of the best additions to Agents of SHIELD. From the moment she appeared onscreen as a Hydra agent, she came across as a badass, a dedicated (undercover) SHIELD agent who knew what to do and when. She was deep in her Hydra cover until she had to save Simmons for Coulson, which is when she came to join the team.

Things took a turn for the humorous when one of Coulson’s new recruits turned out to be her ex-husband, Lance Hunter. Bobbi became an integral part of Coulson’s team, the backup badass of the group if May was otherwise detained.

She meshed with the team so well that it felt like she was always a part of the original crew. Simmons was in love with her from the start, and after a while, even Hunter got on board with her being there.

Even when it turned out she fought a battle against Coulson and his version of SHIELD, she showed signs of second-guessing her decisions/side. When fake!SHIELD’s murky motives took a turn for the dark (as in hunting down Skye not using icers, sounding like they wanted to experiment on her), Bobbi still came to the rescue, shouting warnings before Skye could get shot. Likewise, her self-sacrifice to save Hunter in the season finale felt like a natural reaction and a bit of redemption for her choices against Coulson’s SHIELD.

The Negative: Upon her initial arrival into the Coulson fold, the ex-lover banter whenever she shared the screen with Hunter came across as grating. Every line they spoke to each other was thrown, a dagger armed with betrayed feelings. It should have been endearing, making them both more likable. There was too much of it at once, and it took some fine-tuning before the writers got it right.

And my own personal beef: The fact that we didn’t get a Jeremy Renner as Hawkeye cameo. He and Mockingbird have a history in the comics! How hard/expensive is it to get Jeremy Renner for a 20-second cameo?! He didn’t even need to appear! What if it was just his voice over the phone? How dare her character not give me my pipe dream!

Next Season: Bobbi ended Season 2 confined to a bed with a shot-up shoulder, barely conscious, with a guilty, remorseful Hunter at her side. She mumbles about not being able to do this any more. We assume she means SHIELD; after being abducted, tortured, and voluntarily shot, anyone would be sick of that lifestyle. It’s been her way of life so long, can she really give it up?

On the flip side, what if her statement meant her and Hunter? They had been growing closer before Bobbi’s “betrayal;” obviously they both still care about each other despite their past. Maybe she meant she can’t keep doing the love you/hate you dance. Maybe she wants to settle down with Hunter and find a solid base for their relationship. I know I would.

If she meant SHIELD, I can see her starting the season in a few different ways:

  • Desk job at HQ, best buds with the Koenigs
  • Vacation time, like May
  • Still a SHIELD agent, just not sent into the field as much as before

With all the rumors about her and Hunter starring in that canceled Agents of SHIELD spinoff, it will be interesting to see how their roles morph and evolve for the next iteration of SHIELD.

Where She Started: A
Where She Ended: A
Overall Grade: A. A much welcome addition to our SHIELD crew, even despite the road bumps with fake!SHIELD.

Next: Agents of SHIELD Character Review: Jemma Simmons

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