#Victoria Hand

[amelia-mariee]

Spoilers for AoS 1x17, 3x22, 5x14, 4x15

The twists on Agents of Shield hit SO HARD omg, and one of the main reasons for that is the diversions they utilize.

Like I never in a million years would’ve seen that Ward twist coming, (most people didn’t) especially after how betrayed he seemed when it was revealed that Skye was still in communication with the rising tide. They make it seem like “oh yeah, that’s the twist, Skye is the one who’s most likely to secretly work against everyone for a little while, but she’s not doing that anymore so that’s solved” and then Grant kills Hand and stabs everyone in the back and it’s insane.

I thought that the whole Necklace Of Death storyline was leading up to Yo-Yo’s death, and that passing it around and different people wearing the jacket was just another huge diversion to make us think that it was going to be someone besides her. It was her necklace. I was absolutely certain it would be her. I NEVER would’ve thought it would be LINCOLN.

We thought it was an evil fear-dimension doppelgänger of Fitz, only to find out he was never there and it was all Fitz. They really make you think it has something to do with the fear dimension, because that’s the main conflict, right? No.

AND OF COURSE WE HAVE TO TALK ABOUT SELF CONTROL. OMG. Maybe other people saw this part coming, but I never considered that one of Fitzsimmons would also be an LMD. I got literal chills when they discovered that their friends were replaced. That’s what I was focused on. And then they reveal that one of them was replaced. (Also, I just have to say the acting in that episode is absolutely phenomenal)

The writers are just so good at distracting you with other elements of the story, just so that they can completely catch you off guard with new, even more insane twists.

#like yeah not all of the twists shock me #some people were so clearly evil and i wasn’t surprised when they betrayed everyone #but these twists really got me #agents of s.h.i.e.l.d. #agents of shield #jemma simmons #leo fitz #grant ward #skye agents of shield #daisy johnson #agent ward #agent simmons #lincoln campbell #victoria hand #yoyo rodriguez #fitzsimmons #agents of shield season 1 #agents of shield season 3 #4x15 #1x17 #3x22 #5x14 #aos

[vienna-salvatori]

It's been 10 years since 1x07- The Hub first broadcast (Nov 12 2013)

So, in honour of an episode that's been playing on repeat in my head for a decade...

Here's my theory on what's actually going on with Victoria Hand, and why she's actually a paranoid-but-clever strategist, not as petty and incompetent as she comes across as.

Ah, series 1. Those were the days. The HYDRA reveal hadn't happened yet. Everyone was happy! They trusted each other, mostly! Sure, Skye's allegiances were questionable, but they got over that eventually. May might've had that whole "secret line to Fury" thing, but they sorted that too. Coulson might've had his head messed with, but it's not like that caused serious problems with his judgement until series 2.

... that we know of.

Here's a couple facts: 1) The team are running worldwide missions. Despite this, in one season, they end up passing through The Hub on three separate occasions (The Hub, The Magical Place (I think), and Turn, Turn, Turn/the finale arc.) It's clearly a bit of a, well, hub, for SHIELD activity, and sees a lot of people coming in and out. 2) It's unclear exactly how long Hand has been in charge of the Hub, but we know from s7 that she's been in SHIELD a while. There's nothing in series 1 to suggest that her command of The Hub is a recent promotion. Coulson, meanwhile, was recruited by Fury just out of high school. He's been in the field for decades by this point.

and-

3) When Coulson first meets Victoria Hand in 1x07, he claims to know her only by reputation.

Yeah, no.

I think it's highly unlikely that he's never crossed paths with Victoria Hand before. They might not know each other well- I, personally, think it's best if they do, but YMMV- but I cannot envision a scenario where the two haven't run operations together before.

My assumption, then: they did know each other. Coulson's had his head messed with, though, and he's forgotten all about it.

From Hand's perspective: that dude she really doesn't like has just shown up. He was supposed to be dead, but whatever, they work for SHIELD, shit happens sometimes. That said, he's got the strangest team she's ever seen- Melinda May back in the field, two sci-tech kids who didn't even pass their field exams, John Garrett's antisocial protege, and an enemy agent. (We, the audience, know that Skye is clear, but Hand has no reason to think anything but the worst of her.) He's also pretending that this is the first time they've ever met, for some reason.

... Maybe it's a weird prank.

She decides not to engage with it, because she has a lot of very important work to do and she doesn't really want to deal with any of That Bullshit. Except, Coulson's acting really differently to how he did before- I don't think it's very controversial to say that pre-Avengers Coulson and AoS!Coulson are two very different people. Melinda May- who she knows is one of his closest friends- is... not calling it out, for some reason. Also, he does have a history of recruiting wildcard agents, but usually he follows protocol once they're in. This random kid he found in a van is just wandering around poking her head into things, and Coulson isn't stopping her even though that is against the system. Hand might not like Coulson, but she knows that he does his paperwork and follows the rules. He'll bend them completely out of shape, but he won't break them outright without very good reason. Or at least, he used to do that.

The whole situation is alarming on so many levels. So... she decides to test him- the stupidest, most obvious test that Phil Coulson- who has always been pedantic about the safety of his people- will catch instantly.

She'll "forget" to file the extraction plan.

He'll spot it, of course. He'll spot it instantly, and she'll roll her eyes and file the paperwork she's already filled out. She'll say that this is why they have procedures and it's important to follow them, not just turn up in someone's airspace with a team that makes no sense and ignore all rules and protocol.

Except, Phil Coulson does not notice. It takes his team members breaking protocol in front of of all of them for him to spot a problem in the mission paperwork she physically placed into his hands.

And that? That is not Phil Coulson. She might not like Phil Coulson, but she does know him, and he always looks out for his agents. That's not Coulson, and May is playing along with the imposter for some reason, even when she knows him even better than Hand does.

In the end, she just lets it all play out, because this is so far off what she expected she honestly wants to know how far it reaches.

If she tries to chase up Coulson's file afterwards, she'll hit the (canonically very weird) firewalls and restrictions around TAHITI protocol. If she tries to report the oddities to Fury or Hill, they'll brush her off- again, TAHITI protocol. There's something wrong with that dude and no one in her agency is taking her seriously.

So. Once the HYDRA reveal happens, and she starts looking for moles? Well, there's one really obvious place where standard SHIELD protocol is failing. The issue stretches to some pretty high levels, too- this isn't just baby-agent incompetence. That probably means Coulson's HYDRA. May must be too, if she's covering for him. Skye is, still, basically an enemy agent, Hand won't lose sleep over her. I have... thoughts... about the fact that Hand outright tries to shoot John Garrett out of the sky despite, or because of, their working history, but she's definitely suspicious of him, too. Ward is his agent and likely to follow his lead- when the Twist happens, Ward plays up how betrayed he is, and Hand buys it without question, which makes me think she did know they were pretty close. Simmons is already in the Hub, she can clear her separately.

Really, the only actual loss if she was to take that plane down would be Fitz.

Hand brings down the plane because she has legitimate reason to believe Coulson is an enemy agent, and so is the rest of his team. When she sends her people to storm the BUS, she wants Coulson alive, because he's probably the highest-ranking HYDRA member she can actually get her hands on. She wants some answers, damnit. The rest are acceptable losses if it comes to that.

#AoS #agents of shield #agents of s.h.i.e.l.d. #1x07 #aos 1x07 #1x07 the hub #Victoria Hand #Phil Coulson #SHIELD #HYDRA #vic has been my blorbo for like a decade now. that's insane to think about #I have entire AUs in my head to explain why she is the way she is #none of them are ever getting written but I like thinking about them #she's just. she's such a good character to rotate!!! #fourteen year old me had such a crush on her #twenty four year old me still has such a crush on her. #she's just so fun #she's a character on the side of the good guys who is only tenuously a 'good guy' herself and it makes her so delightful

[tremorsmackenzie]

okay, so i have questions about victoria hand.

during the fall of shield, shes trying to find out the true loyalties of the agents in the hub. she pulls in trip and simmons, puts them in front of a firing squad, and tells them they can either swear loyalty to hydra or die. which, worked out for them, but what about everyone else?

because it sounds to me as if her strategy just in general was that. pull in random office clerks and give them that choice. which, great for weeding out agents who might potentially convert to hydra, but like...???

Thats not taking the fight to Hydra? How is that helpful?

personally, i would say whatever the fuck the person pointing a gun at me wants me to say. doesnt mean id later go through with it. thats just sheer survival tactics.

which means that she was basically killing random agents left and right, who just wanted to not die and told her what they thought she wanted to hear, because in her mind everyone who wasnt willing to literally die for shield was already as good as hydra.

am i missing something here? is this a writing oversight? cause if its not holy shit thats some robespierre levels of tunnel vision.

#all that said i still love her #she can do no wrong #victoria hand #the epic shield lesbian #agents of shield #aos meta

[likea-black-widow-baby]

Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. as social media quotes 22/?

The rest of the series

#agents of shield as social media quotes series #grant ward #victoria hand #phil coulson #huntingbird #holden radcliffe

[giphit]

it's crazy how knowing every twist doesn't alter the enjoyment of turn turn turn at all. this episode is genuinely perfect. also it permanently changed my brain chemistry like I still remember my 10ish year old self reacting to ward shooting hand like it was yesterday.

#agents of shield #agents of s.h.i.e.l.d. #grant ward #victoria hand #turn turn turn

[agentxthirteen]

Sharon-A-Day, Day 731 (1/1/24)

Age of Heroes V2 3. On sale 7/21/10. "Girls' Night In"

Writer: Kelly Sue Deconnick

Penciller: Brad Walker

Inker: Walden Wong

Letterer: Dave Lanphear

Colorist: Jay David Ramos

Editor: Lauren Sankovitch

Sharon makes Absorbing Man absorb bullets.

#sharon carter #agent 13 #age of heroes #kelly sue deconnick #brad walker #walden wong #dave lanphear #jay david ramos #lauren sankovitch #victoria hand #maria hill #absorbing man

[bwaintwauma]

Happy Halloween!! Sorry for being the only Dark Avengers fan I can't help it they bring me joy

#dark avengers #norman osborn #green goblin #karla sofen #moonstone #robert reynolds #the sentry #victoria hand

[unwind-myself]

Victoria/Isabelle, that other timeline.

#unwindmyself #surround me with the girls #victoria hand #isabelle hartley #victoria and isabelle #stories #agents of shield #femslash february #mcu

[girlbosstourney]

GIRLBOSS TOURNEY ROUND ONE: WOW, TOP SECRET WOMEN

Select which one you think is GIRLBOSSIER, i.e., which one is the better girlboss

Propaganda

Amanda Waller:

Leads Task Force X, keeps supervillains in line by putting bombs in their heads, figured out Batman's secret identity

Victoria Hand:

she's the highest-ranking SHIELD agent that any average, non-avenger SHIELD agent would have any reason to interact with on a daily basis. She's notorious within the organisation for being cold and strictly by the book. The TV show spends an entire series setting her up as a decoy villain, but if she'd been a dude, chances are the fandom wouldn't care at all about half her bullshit and this annoys me SO MUCH

#amanda waller #suicide squad #victoria hand #agents of s.h.i.e.l.d. #girlboss tourney #round one

[ryder616]

One of the reasons I wish Victoria Hand had lived - besides the excellent casting and how she might have made a cooler antagonist than Gonzales in S2 - is that I would have loved watching her come to terms with the fact that the irreverent kid with no Academy training and a truncated formal education became a team leader, close advisor to the Director, then even Director for a bit, and now she's spearheading SHIELD's space initiative.

And, oh, right, she also got superpowers and can turn things into dust. I bet she was going to love that 😈😄

Oh, I also wish Gonzales (yes, yes I have a huge beef with the guy, but can you blame me?) could see her now.

(I also wish Trip and Andrew could, for very different reasons 😢)

And on the same note, can you imagine Sitwell meeting later seasons, Jemma "grey areas" Simmons? I think his mind would explode lol

#agents of shield #daisy johnson #victoria hand #random aos #agents of s.h.i.e.l.d.

[bringbackwendellvaughn]

#Thunderbolts #Dark Avengers #Norman Osborn #Moonstone #Victoria Hand #Greg Pak #Ben Oliver #Dark Reign #enemies

[aintinacage]

Jemma Simmons at the Hub

#marvel #mcu #agents of shield #aos #jemma simmons #elizabeth henstridge #the hub #shield #victoria hand #antoine triplett #bj britt #b j britt #marvels agents of shield #agents of shield cast

[lilydreaming13]

These days I'm seeing some fan videos about agents of shield women. I don't know about you, but I expect to see the ladies who are or have been part of the shield How: Bobbi Morse Daisy Johnson Elena Yo-Yo Rodriguez Isabelle "Izzy" Hartley Jemma Simmons Kara Palamas (I don't know whether to include her, but she was still part of the shield) Kora (she becomes a rookie, so technically she's from the shield) Maria Hill Melinda May Peggy Carter Piper Sharon Carter Natasha Romanoff Victoria Hand

I probably missed a few, but these are the ones I remember as effective shield agents

Why don't any fan videos include them?

#agents of shield #Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. #bobbimorse #Daisy Johnson #elena rodriguez #yo-yo rodriguez #izzy hartley #jemma simmons #kara palamas #kora agents of shield #maria hill #melinda may #peggy carter #piper agents of shield #sharon carter #natasha romanoff #victoria hand

[likea-black-widow-baby]

not a ship ask but....

Can I just scream about Victoria Hand and her writing? she's mean and cold but not in a oh evil mean lady way. she doesn't fall into the stereotypical mean b!tch lady they can put ladies in. and her HAIR!! she is older, a serious business women, she can probably kill you and she has red streaks in her hair. maybe it's because most colored hair characters are always displayed as kooky and naive kids that grow out if such a silly thing, but she gets to have colored hair bc she like it that way. not for attention or what ever, for her!! it's a small thing but I love it!!!

Oh my god yes please scream about Victoria Hand!

It’s so rare that we see a cold middle-aged woman who isn’t a. treated like a villain, b. pitied, or c. made soft by the end of the show. She’s in the right in the end! Especially once she gets one of her men to recite all of Coulson’s infractions and it’s made so much clearer how warranted her concerns are, she really does nothing wrong.

Her only “crimes” are being suspicious of a former-enemy agent who only just joined S.H.I.E.L.D. and mistrusting someone who has been disobeying orders left and right. So what we know Coulson’s team is in the right, but she has no reason to know that! She does the right thing given the information she has, and once she’s proven wrong, she accepts it without complaint.

Honestly an icon, gone too soon.

#it’s an ask! #thanks anon! #Victoria hand #agents of shield #mundie says things

[paperdollheart]

Victoria from the Marvel Cinematic Universe - specifically Agents of SHIELD - (as portrayed by Saffron Burrows) in the style of Sailor Moon. Senshi outfit, professional outfit, casual outfit, formal outfit.

[Image  ID: Four pieces of art of Victoria from the Marvel Cinematic Universe in the anime style of Sailor Moon. Victoria is white and slender, with long loosely curled brown hair with hot pink streaks, brown eyes behind black rectangular glasses, and pink lips. In the first and third pictures, the background is pink, with two large light flares and polka-dot lights diagonally from the lower left to upper right side; in the second and fourth pictures, the background is the same but bright purple.

In the first image, she’s wearing her sailor scout uniform: it has a black bodice, a rich plum-colored pleated skirt and sailor collar, and hot pink bows on the chest and lower back. The front bow has a rich plum-colored jewel in the center of it. She’s wearing wrist-length black gloves and rich plum-colored pumps.

In the second picture, she’s wearing a school uniform, since in this AU she’s a high school student. She’s wearing a burgundy blazer and olive-green pleated plaid skirt; underneath the jacket is a white blouse and olive-green striped tie. She’s wearing black tights and black ankle boots.

In the third picture, she’s wearing a more casual outfit. She’s wearing a flowy plum-colored silk blouse with hot pink polka dots on it, black jeans rolled up at the cuffs, and plum-colored ankle boots.

In the fourth picture, she’s dressed like the space royalty she is. Her plum-colored gown is slightly glittery, with thin straps. There is a piece of hot pink draped fabric detailing draped from her left shoulder to under her right breast and another falling from her left hip down to the ground. /.End  ID]  

#paperdollheart #marvel art by paperdollheart #victoria hand #sailor mcu by paperdollheart #sailor moon #marvel #agents of shield

[agentxthirteen]

On this day (May 18) in Sharon Carter history, Sharon appeared in:

Avengers V4 #13 (2011)

Avengers V4 #13 [Variant] (2011)

#sharon carter #agent 13 #avengers #commander rogers #steve rogers #iron man #tony stark #spider-woman #jessica drew #hawkeye #clint barton #ms marvel #carol danvers #bobbi morse #mockingbird #victoria hand #etc