When S.H.I.E.L.D. closes a door, Hydra opens a window, it would seem. Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. said goodbye to two characters on Tuesday, but not without introducing a potentially sinister new villain. Who is Malick's daughter on Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. ? She's listed in the official ABC press release as Stephanie Malick and is played by actress Bethany Joy Lenz, who you may recognize from One Tree Hill.
In the final scene of the episode, we saw the two of them chatting while doing some casual hunting. Stephanie is a very good shot, which is harmless in this setting in the real world (unless you're a bird), but seems ominous here. It's not particularly significant that Malick has a daughter, except for the fact that we are all programmed by now to pay attention to anything Marvel throws at us after the credits. We didn't learn too much about her in the scene, but we saw enough to know that she could be a threat. It seems notable that she is aware of both her father's real job with Hydra and Hive, the Inhuman whose host is formerly known as Grant Ward. She's itching to meet him, but Malick wasn't sure the timing was right. Considering that Hive recently sucked the life out of five people and left them bloody on the ground, I think I agree with Gideon for once. Not to make heteronormative assumptions about all-powerful aliens, but are these two going to be love interests now? Yikes.
Gideon Malick is not a comic book character, so I would assume that Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. is starting from scratch with his daughter as well. There are a few characters named Stephanie in Marvel comics, including an FBI Agent named Briggs, who may have provided some inspiration. Still, I think we're going to have to wait and learn more about this character before we discover the extent of her power (was anyone else getting a major Inhuman vibe, or am I drawing at straws) and her and Malick's endgame on Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.
