10 Things Only Superfans Know About Grant Ward

When The Avengers hit theaters in 2012, the movie saw Loki take SHIELD agent Phil Coulson’s life. His loss inspired a team of superheroes to come together, but it didn’t stick. Coulson was resurrected and became the team leader for a mobile SHIELD unit in the 2013 television series Agents Of SHIELD. He assembled a specialized team that included Grant Ward.

Brett Dalton brought Ward to life for the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and his likeness was used to illustrate the character for Marvel Comics as well. The actor appeared on the series for three seasons, eventually becoming an antagonist for the team to go up against. Despite his betrayal of his SHIELD team, Grant Ward remained a fan favorite long after he became a villain, but even the biggest Ward fans might have missed a few things.

10 Grant Ward Made His Comic Book Debut In 2015

It took a couple of years after the premiere of the television series for the original TV characters to make their way into the comics. Grant Ward made his debut in a Marvel comic that previewed upcoming stories.

Readers got a glimpse of him in All-New, All-Different Marvel Point One at the end of 2015. He made his official debut three months later in Agents Of SHIELD’s first issue as an antagonist for Phil Coulson’s mobile team.

9 In The Comics He Was SHIELD Before He Was Hydra

While the television series saw Ward trained by Hydra as a teen before he infiltrated SHIELD as the perfect agent, the comics went a different route. His backstory revealed that he was SHIELD before he was Hydra in the comic book 616 universe.

Grant Ward was actually placed undercover at Hydra. He was supposed to get close enough to leadership to report back to SHIELD. Unfortunately, Ward found himself agreeing with some of the very people he was sent in to investigate. He ended up leaving SHIELD and joining Hydra for real.

8 Only One SHIELD Agent Had Espionage Marks Higher Than His

Grant Ward was a master at undercover work. He could lie as easily as he could breathe, maintaining a convincing cover for years if necessary. In the MCU, Coulson revealed that only one agent with SHIELD actually scored higher on evaluations in espionage.

That agent was Natasha Romanoff. It’s no surprise that the Black Widow ranked as the best at espionage. It is a little surprising, however, that Ward rated higher than Mockingbird since she was revealed to be a master at undercover work in season two.

7 He Was The First Main Character To Be Absent From An Episode

When Agents Of SHIELD debuted, there were six main characters. Phil Coulson, Melinda May, Jemma Simmons, Leo Fitz, Skye, and Grant Ward. Every character appeared, even if only in a post-episode teaser, in every hour in the first season.

In the second season, Grant Ward became the very first series regular not to appear in an episode. The first episode he missed was season two’s second episode, “Heavy is the Head.” Even Jemma Simmons still appeared as a figment of Fitz’s imagination. 

6 Grant Ward Was The First Main Character To Die On Agents Of SHIELD

He wasn’t just the first main character to miss an episode. Ward was also the first main character to kick the bucket, permanently. 

Though Antoine Triplett lost his life in season two, he was a recurring character, not a main cast member. Coulson lost his life and was resurrected before the events of the series took place. Though Fitz technically “died” when he drowned at the end of season one, he was resuscitated. In the third season, however, Coulson brought an end to his conflict with Ward by crushing his chest on an alien planet. Though his body was later taken over by the Inhuman Hive, Grant Ward was no more, leaving Brett Dalton to play a whole new character.

5 He Spoke Six Languages

In both the comics and the television series, Grant Ward had an ear for languages. He managed to become fluent in six according to his file with SHIELD.

Fans saw and heard him speak his native English as well as French, Russian, Italian, and Spanish during the series, all in the first season. The sixth language he could speak? It was never revealed. 

4 Only One Agents Of SHIELD Cast Member Knew Ward Was Hydra Before Receiving The Script

The fact that Ward would turn out to be a traitor was a secret that showrunners Jed Whedon and Maurissa Tancharoen kept until right before the cast needed to know to film the episode. Most of the cast didn’t find out until they were given the scripts for the table read.

Brett Dalton was the only one told about his character’s true alliance, but he wasn’t told as early as some fans might think. In fact, he was only told while the actors were filming the previous episode before everyone received their next scripts. 

3 He Killed Maria Hill’s Life Model Decoy

Ward and Maria Hill didn’t exactly get along in the television series. In fact, she didn’t think he should be added to Coulson’s team at all. When she discovered he was Hydra, she tried to stop him. That dynamic carried over into the comics as well.

When Ward revealed his true colors, defecting to Hydra, he did so by shooting Maria Hill. Luckily for Maria, she still didn’t trust him and had replaced herself with a Life Model Decoy for their meeting.

2 Elektra Once Put An Explosive Collar On Him

Despite betraying SHIELD and all of the agents who had trusted him, there was one mission SHIELD needed him for in the comics. When Elektra was brought on board to track down a mole within SHIELD, she reinstated Grant Ward as an agent.

Of course, as was the case with Maria Hill, Elektra didn’t trust him either. As long as she had him on her SHIELD team, she had him fitted with a collar that contained explosives. She was willing to detonate it if he crossed the line.

1 Grant Ward And Brett Dalton Share The Same Birthday

Many of the main characters in the television series had birthdays revealed as part of the supplemental materials for the show, like their SHIELD badges. Grant Ward’s birthday happened to be January 7.

He shared his birthday with the actor who played him, which was likely the simplest route for the production team when the show first began. After all, Jemma Simmons also shares her September 11 birthday with actress Elizabeth Henstridge.

NEXT: Agents Of SHIELD’s Jemma Simmons: 5 Things The Comics Kept The Same (& 5 Things They Changed)