Agents of shield showrunners confirm ward's new identity

Marvel's Agents of SHIELD will return March 8 with former SHIELD agent and secret HYDRA member Grant Douglas Ward making a comeback in the mid-season premiere.

The network recently previewed Agents of SHIELD's return, showing Ward's return; though he's not exactly himself anymore. Showrunners Jed Whedon and Maurissa Tancharoen have confirmed to Nerdist what, exactly, has taken over Ward's body.

Fair warning, spoilers are below.

In the midseason finale, Ward had his heart crushed by Phil Coulson, a move actor Clark Gregg said Coulson crossed a line for his character. And as it turns out, it'll have a big impact on Coulson and his crew. According to Tancharoen, Coulson is "grappling with his humanity the whole time, and I think that act of crushing Ward's chest in with his robotic hand [has an impact]."

"As we saw in the midseason finale episode, Ward is back on Earth, but he’s definitely not the same Ward who went through the portal to the alien world," the Agents of SHIELD showrunners told Nerdist. He's inhabited by Hive, a Secret Warriors villain created in Hydra labs.

However, Whedon and Tancharoen said Hive's television version will "have its own unique twist," making him "very different from what fans have seen so far." They go on to say that there will be "similarities that pay homage to the original character," though ultimately, they're taking an "exciting new direction" with Hive.