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The Top Five Villains (So Far) on Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.

"Who Are Your Favorite Villians from the First Three Seasons?"
This week on ABC, Marvel fans were treated to the premiere of the fourth season of Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. The show has developed a solid following after a somewhat rocky start, and many fans can't wait for the much hyped Marvel Cinematic Universe debut of the Robbie Reyes version of Ghost Rider. Over the past three seasons there have been fantastic villains, both newly created and imported from the Marvel Universe. There were definitely many worthy choices, but here is a list of my personal 'top 5' villains from the first three seasons of Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. #5 Dr. Calvin Zabo mister-hyde-113027 Dr. Calvin Zabo (portrayed by Kyle MacLachlan) was known as Mr. Hyde in the comics, and is the father of Agent Daisy Johnson. He lost both his daughter and his wife in an abduction by Hydra that netted his wife, but allowed his daughter to be taken into protective custody by S.H.I.E.L.D. She grew up in the foster care system and named herself Skye before learning her true identity as an Inhuman and the daughter of Dr. Zabo on Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Zabo makes the list because of his cunning as well as his enhanced abilities. He developed a medical solution to enhance his strength in order to make himself strong enough to exact revenge on the people who destroyed his family. Unfortunately for him, the formula was unstable and affected his mental and emotional state. Along with his battles with Hydra and S.H.I.E.L.D., Dr. Zabo can also be remembered for creating the first super villain team in the MCU on Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D - The Slicing Talons! It would not surprise me at all if we see Mr. Hyde again one day! #4 Lorelei loreleibts4 Lorelei (Portrayed by Elena Satine) is an Asgardian sorceress who escaped from her cell during the events of Thor: The Dark World and came to Earth in an attempt to enslave humanity. She came into conflict on Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D with both A0S and the Asgardian warrior Lady Sif. Lorelei was able to use her ability to enthrall men to cause problems on Earth before she was captured and forced to return to Asgard by Lady Sif and the team. Lorelei makes the list because of her interesting interaction with the characters as an Asgardian on the show, and the way she was able to almost achieve her goals while engaging in little physical combat. I hope to see more of Lorelei and perhaps other Asgardians (like Lady Sif and the Beserker Army warrior known as Elliot Randolph, who has also made past appearances) in future episodes. #3 Vin-Tak vin-tak_kree Vin-Tak (portrayed by Eddie McCLintock) was a Kree Warrior who came to Earth to investigate the failed Kree Terrigenesis experiments that created the Inhumans on Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. His arrival on Earth was detected by the Asgardians, who sent the warrior Lady Sif to investigate his presence on Earth. After several fierce battles with Lady Sif and with the assistance of AoS, Vin-Tak was defeated and was returned to the Kree homeworld via Asgard with his memory wiped of his Earthly experiences. Vin-Tak makes the list because of his extraordinary abilities as an alien Kree - he was able to defeat the Asgardian Lady Sif in combat - and the uniqueness of a member of the Kree race on Marvel Television. Will we see Vin-Tak again on Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D? It's entirely possible, especially with Marvel Studios about to go cosmic with its next few films. #2 Hive hive-final-615x410-172133 Hive (most often portrayed by Brett Dalton) was one of the most powerful villains to appear thus far on Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. He was an ancient Inhuman that was banished to the planet Maveth due to his terrifying abilities, which included the power to reanimate dead flesh to host his parasitic form and to retain the memories of all his past hosts. Originally known as Alveus, the ancient Inhuman escaped his exile on Maveth and returned to Earth to lead Hydra inside the body of the deceased former AoS turned Hydra villain Grant Ward. Hive attempted to exact revenge on his both his Kree creators and the people of Earth, but was thwarted by the AoS and seemingly destroyed in an explosion high above the Earth. Hive makes the list because of his immense abilities and the fear he instilled in the A0S, the Kree, and the governments of Earth. Have we seen the last of Hive? I would think so, but do we really know if that explosion was enough to kill such a powerful Inhuman? #1 Katya Belyakov katya_belyakov_earth-199999_001 My number one choice for my favorite villain to appear on Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D may surprise some of you. Katya Belyakov (portrayed by Ava Acres ) was the powerful young Inhuman that led to legendary S.H.I.E.L.D. Agent Melinda May becoming known as The Calvary after their encounter in Bahrain. Katya had developed a psychopathic schizophrenia at a young age and later became totally insane when she was given her Inhuman abilities through Terrigenesis. She was able to feel the emotions of humans through a single touch, which also enabled her to be able to control anyone she came in contact with. After taking control of local mobsters and the S.H.I.E.L.D. agents sent to investigate her presence, She went into a murderous rage, killing everyone around her and forcing Agent May to end her life to stop the bloodshed. Katya Belyakov is the #1 villain on my list because of her vast powers and abilities and the emotional toll she took on those who came in to contact with her. Agent May was never the same again after her encounter with Katya, which led to the silent and angry warrior you see on Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D today. A Bonus Villain for the People General Simas Androvich ps_darkforce As a bonus, I will share one more villain I really liked in the first three seasons of Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. General Simas Androvich (portrayed by Kristof Konrad) was a Russian Inhuman who was also the Minster of Defense in his country. The character had different abilities in the Marvel Universe and was known there as Iron Curtain. This version developed his powers during the Inhuman Outbreak and had the ability to turn his shadow into a Darkforce-enhanced being that he could control. Androvich was eventually killed by S.H.I.E.L.D. Agent Bobby Morse during a S.H.I.E.L.D mission to Russia to stop a collaboration between a faction of the Russian government and Hydra. Morse shot his human body in order to stop the shadow being from committing more murders. Though successful, the mission led to Agent Morse and Lance Hunter being forced to leave S.H.I.E.L.D. and the show to avoid an international incident. Androvich was a very interesting character to me, one with a unique and very scary ability - should we now be afraid of shadows? I would have loved to have seen more of him, but unfortunately he ran into the wrong S.H.I.E.L.D. agent and will not be coming back. What Villains Will Season Four Bring? We know the Ghost Rider will be featured in Season Four, starting with the very first episode, but we will have to wait a bit longer to find out which other villains will appear. Based on the variety  of villains we have seen throughout the first three seasons, the possibilities are nearly endless. The writers have done a great job in my view of mixing new characters created for the show with established ones brought over from the Marvel Universe. I definitely hope that practice continues this season and in all the seasons to come. Who would you like to see featured on Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D? What do you think of my list? Who would have you have liked to see listed from the first three seasons that I missed? Please let me know. We've waited all summer fans, so now it's time for more Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.

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About / Bio
I am a freelance writer, independent scholar, and educational consultant. I am of course a television critic for Entertainment Fuse, but I also conduct author interviews on a podcast channel for New Books Network, and write monthly articles for Texas Diversity Magazine. Houston, TX is where I call home.

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