Favorite Characters: Bobbi Morse (Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.)

A little late on this one, but that’s okay:  Bobbi’s worth it.  While I’ve loved plenty of characters on Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. – some immediately, others over time – I think Bobbi might be my favorite of them all.  She came to the show in the middle of its uptick from a mediocre superhero procedure to the fine series it is now, and she was most definitely an omen of the awesome things to come (Bobbi-related spoilers.)

Bobbi is a dyed-in-the-wool S.H.I.E.L.D. agent who joins our team early in season 2, bursting onto the scenes to help Simmons in a pretty hot situation.  Her presence is an uncomfortable one for another new member of the team, her ex-husband Hunter, but she rocks so hard no one minds; their only concern is over how annoyingly and repetitively Hunter complained about Bobbi before she was working alongside him everyday and how much worse it’s going to get now.  (Of course, no one is immune to Bobbi’s awesomeness, so it’s only a matter of time before Hunter’s resentment thaws pretty considerably.)

The first thing to notice about Bobbi is most likely her fighting skills.  Able to give May a run for her money, Bobbi is lethal, efficient, and amazing.  Her go-to weapons of choice are her twin batons, which she uses to lay frequent epic smackdowns on the bad guys.  She can cause enough damage using them straight-up, but over the course of the show, she’s also branched out into specialized batons.  The electrified ones pack a big punch for obvious reasons, and my favorites are the ones that boomerang back to her when she throws them, thanks to the magnified wristbands she wears with them.

But Bobbi’s more than a great weapon.  She’s also a great well-rounded agent.  She’s well-versed in the art of undercover ops, she speaks multiple languages (she can hardly believe she’s the only one on the team who’s fluent in Russian,) she can improvise on the fly, and she has a knack for knowing when to fight and when to play along.  I’m scarcely sure if Coulson realizes just how good he has it having her on the team (Better to have loved and lost a good agent… right, Coulson?)

I like that Bobbi is a total professional who’s completely dedicated to her work, but she’s not a carbon-copy of May, either.  She’s all about the mission, and whether the mission requires her to put herself in serious danger, keep other team members in the dark about her objective, or fall in line instead of going after bigger, more satisfying fish, she does it.  At the same time, she’s not a total yes-woman, and if she thinks there’s a more effective way to go about things, she’ll argue her point.  While personal concerns can sometimes loom large at work, for Bobbi, it’s usually more often about Hunter having an issue and her attempting to convince him to put it aside until the mission is over (although, to be fair, she is pretty good at avoiding hashing-out sessions with Hunter, whether they’re in the field or not.  Just as Hunter likes to fight over things, Bobbi likes to deflect them.)  And like I said, the mission is usually her first priority, but she’s also doesn’t view her teammates as expendable and often backs others up during ops to ensure everyone’s safety.  Bobbi Morse for the win, people!