Where Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Goofed: Gordon’s Wasted Potential

Spoilers for Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Seasons 2 & 3

Those of you who read my Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. recaps for Season 2 know of my love affair with Gordon, the eyeless, teleporting Inhuman. You also know the utter betrayal I went through when he took a turn for the villainous at the end of the season – and yet, when I think about Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., two things come to mind: Ward’s character arc in Season 1, and Gordon in Season 2. For each season, they were my personal favorite reasons to watch.

The other day I saw the trailer for Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Season 3, and while it looks incredible, it aroused a great suspicion in me. They showed a brief clip of Gordon – which was either just re-opening a wound on their part or hinting at a possible return (although I don’t see how that’s possible). Since it’s probably just their way of saying ‘A-ha, look at the amazing character we totally broke your heart with, Mirriam Neal,’ I decided to give Gordon the appreciation he deserves and remind everyone exactly why he was awesome – and why he should have survived and joined Skye’s Inhuman team for Season 3.

• Gordon’s sass levels were off the charts. There are plenty of sassy characters in Agents of SHIELD, but there was something about Gordon’s calm, mature, understated sarcasm that really resonated with me and made me appreciate him more with each quippy remark. I’m going to really miss his special brand of sass.

• Gordon had a particular kind of quiet strength I really liked. He was the pillar characters leaned on and the anchor that kept them grounded. He was level-headed and collected without being stuffy or boring. While he turned out to be a bad thing for humans, he genuinely cared about the Inhumans under his wing.

• While he may have turned into an antagonist toward the end of the season, the insight we received into Gordon’s character kept him understandable. Jaiying was there for him when he passed through the mist, and she manipulated him into a loyal servant. He could easily have been redeemed as a hero for Season 3, which leaves me irritated they didn’t bother using his character to its full potential.

• Everything about Gordon screams #likeaboss. I’m going to miss that level of sheer boss-ness.

What about you? Did you love him, hate him, or feel completely ‘meh’? Have you seen the trailer? Are you as excited for Lash’s arrival as I am?