Michael "Mike" Peterson is the single father of Ace Peterson and a Centipede Project test subject recruited by Raina, who promised to cure his injuries and enhance his powers through the use of Centipede Serum. When he compromised the secrecy of the project, they decided to eliminate him, but were stopped by S.H.I.E.L.D. agents, led by Phil Coulson. Peterson joined S.H.I.E.L.D. as a field agent and worked closely with Coulson's Team. Peterson was later recaptured by the Centipede Project, and transformed into a cyborg, as a part of ProjectDeathlok. He was used by the Clairvoyant to throw people off his trail, including Coulson's team.
Following the downfall of the Centipede Project and the death of John Garrett, Peterson decided to go off on his own seeking redemption for his past crimes as Deathlok. During that period, he was recruited by a resurrected S.H.I.E.L.D. and began working directly for Coulson, in the continued fight against HYDRA. Coulson tasked him with hunting down List, who captured and tortured Peterson and Lincoln Campbell, until he was rescued by members of Coulson's team with the aid of Grant Ward. Deathlok once again left S.H.I.E.L.D. to pursue his mission of protecting innocent lives. He later came to Coulson's aid to close a portal to the Fear Dimension but decided not to rejoin S.H.I.E.L.D.
"Michael Peterson, factory worker. Married, one kid. Gets injured, gets laid off, wife jumps ship. Good guy, bad breaks. Best guess is, somebody tells him they can make him strong again."
Michael Peterson was born August 28, 1979. Peterson lived with his wife and his son Ace while working in a factory. After a back injury made him lose his job, his wife abandoned him. Despite his hard-times, Mike and Ace grew closer, constantly reminding each other that they were a team. During his rehabilitation, Peterson was approached by Raina, who represented an organization that had a treatment that could put him back to work. Raina introduced Peterson to Debbie who treated him with the Centipede Serum, which utilized unstable Extremis technology. Peterson had developed enhanced powers, including strength and durability.[1]
"Are you okay? All right, Ace, look at me. I need you to stay here with Bernie, okay? People might be hurt, and I'm gonna see if they need my help. Stay with Bernie. Watch my boy!"
While Peterson was out in Los Angeles with Ace; looking at some Avengersaction figures at Mr. Toppy's Toys. Seeing his son's interest, Peterson asked Ace which toy out of the selection of Iron Man or Captain America he had wanted, but Ace made it clear he did not want the toys as it was too expensive. Peterson then pulled his son aside and assured him that he had plans following the work he had gotten off the Centipede Project, which had managed to reassure the worried Ace.
As they were still speaking, suddenly, Debbie's lab, which was close by to them, was destroyed by the detonation of another Centipede User, who was struggling to control the Centipede Serum within his body. Believing that he could help save lives, Peterson left Ace with a friend and ran towards the burning building. Using all his incredible strength, he was able to climb up the outside and get into the lab. He made his way into the lab where he found Debbie unconscious and immediately leaped out of the building with her in his arms seconds before the entire laboratory then exploded into a massive fireball.
Peterson disappears back into the crowds
Upon landing onto the street, Peterson caused a large crack on the ground but the fall did not damage his body and he managed to save Debbie before escaping and reuniting with Ace. Although Peterson had attempted to hide his identity underneath his hood, this action was nonetheless observed and recorded by Skye, who had been investigating Centipede for the Rising Tide. Skye immediately posted her video online, giving Peterson an unwanted celebrity status as the hooded hero, despite the fact that Peterson still only desired to find work and raise his son in peace without being bothered.[1]
"What do you mean about danger?" "S.H.I.E.L.D." "Shield what? I should carry a shield?" "S.H.I.E.L.D.! Government! Scary men in dark suits who come after guys like you!"
Although Peterson attempted to go unnoticed, he was soon tracked down by Skye who met him at Ruthie's Skillet while Peterson looked for a job in the Los Angeles Daily Edge. At first, he was confused by her appearance until she revealed she knew he was the "Hooded Hero" who had saved a woman with his superpowers. Peterson tried to deny that he was a hero but Skye convinced him that he was in danger. Although Peterson insisted that Skye had the wrong person, she noted that Peterson had the wrong attitude, advising him to take advantage of his status as a new hero.
Skye led him to believe that S.H.I.E.L.D. was now hunting him, which Peterson mistakenly believed was referring to Peterson needing to carry a shield. Skye, however, corrected him and reminded Peterson of their involvement in the Battle of New York, claiming they knew of the Chitauri Invasion before it had even happened. She then tried to convince him that she could help him by revealing his identity online and become a true superhero, advising him to get a mask but he was unconvinced and attempted to leave, unaware that Skye had stolen his I.D. in order to continue looking into him and his activities.[1]
"These are people. Men! Not parts you replace when they break." "It's not me, man. It's the company. I'm not the bad guy. I'm not the bad guy, man." "Yes, you are. It's simple now, just like we used to read about. You're the bad guy. And I'm the hero."
Before long, Peterson's condition had started to deteriorate, both mentally and physically, due to the Extremis in his veins. As he began to take Skye's words to heart, he called his doctors at the Centipede Project and tried to convince them that his exposure to the news due to the incident could be used to their advantage, as it had proved that their Centipede Serum worked and therefore could be sold for millions. The doctors refused to help and instead advised him to return to his old life, angering Peterson as he then threw his phone at a picture of him with his ex-wife.
In desperation, Peterson returned to his former workplace, hoping to regain his old position; however, Gary refused to help him, claiming that he was let go for a reason and there were plenty of men waiting to take his place who did not have back issues. Desperately, Peterson attempted to convince Gary that he was stronger than ever before, but was insulted again. As a result, the angered Peterson had demonstrated his powers as he furiously attacked Gary, having now become convinced that he was the hero as his old boss was the bad guy who damaged people's lives, putting him in the hospital.
Seeking help, Peterson then visited Debbie in the hospital, bringing flowers with him. Debbie pretended to be pleased to see her rescuer until the nurse left the room to give the pair some privacy, at which point Debbie got out of her hospital bed and furiously confronted him over exposing their organization through his recent public actions, telling him that he was now at risk of exploding due to overdosing with the Centipede Device. Debbie expressed her fear that Peterson could wind up like the last Centipede User who had overdosed and exploded, but Peterson still insisted that would not happen.
Debbie warned that the people behind the Centipede Project were highly dangerous and did not wish to be exposed, so she convinced him that he needed to disappear, before he became a target. Hearing this, Peterson claimed that he was no longer the man he was, but he was now a hero, with Debbie scoffing at this claims by claiming that he was merely over-juiced with the Centipede Serum. While Peterson left the room, Peterson told the now considerably worried Debbie that this entire situation was not a disaster, but he was just having his origin story as a new hero, before jumping out the window.[1]
"All you do is lie! You said that if we worked hard, if we did right, that we'd have a place. You said it was enough to be a man. But there's better than man. There's gods. And the rest of us, what are we? They're giants. We're what they step on."
Peterson's condition from the Centipede Serum soon grew critical. However, he was still convinced that he needed to try to rebuild his life. He took his son and went to look for Skye, finding her inside of her van with Melinda May, whom he attacked and knocked out. Peterson ordered Skye to take him to the Union Station. As they went along, Peterson did all he could to ensure that his son remained calm by explaining they could not get a plane so they would catch the train to begin a new life, while ordering Skye to delete all records of his existence, including work history and I.D.s.
Peterson is forced to fight for his freedom
Once Skye had deleted all of the records of his existence, Peterson then discovered that she was working with S.H.I.E.L.D., as several agents surrounded the van and ordered him to surrender. Enraged, Peterson found his skin began to glow from the Extremis which was currently overheating inside of him. Determined not to be captured by S.H.I.E.L.D., the furious Peterson proceeded to kick the door of the van and escaped into the station, taking Skye and Ace with him. As they ran through the busy station, Skye managed to get away by forcing Peterson to fight against a group of thugs, with Skye kicking one man between his legs, causing them all to attack Peterson.
Having ensured that Ace was far away and kept safe, Peterson easily overpowered the thugs, launching them across the train station as one attempted to hit him with his steel pole. Peterson, however, was unharmed by this strike and then threw the thug across the station. Peterson then realized that Ace had vanished and, before he could go find him, Grant Ward put him in a choke hold, trying to convince Peterson that the Centipede Serum was ready to explode. However, Peterson had refused to give in and managed to slam Ward down to the ground before he then desperately began searching for Ace.
Charging and leaping all across the train station, Peterson eventually located Skye as he then began furiously searching for Ace all across the train station, believing that S.H.I.E.L.D. were responsible and they had taken him away from him, ignoring Skye's pleas for him to stop before any innocent people got hurt during their conflict. Having just gone up the stairs to look down for Ace, Peterson was ambushed by the Centipede Project's assassin who fired at him, once Peterson had thrown Skye to safety he was shot and knocked off the ledge where he fell several stories and crash landed hard into a vender's stand.
Peterson struggling to control his own fury
While May had subdued the assassin before he could harm Skye, Peterson survived the fall and found himself confronted by Phil Coulson who tried to talk him down. Peterson watched as Coulson placed his gun down on the ground as a show of peace, only for Peterson to note that Ward was upstairs and currently aiming his rifle ready to assassinate him. Coulson noted that he knew that the serum was poisoning his entire body, reminding him that the previous Centipede User had overloaded and exploded, although Peterson still insisted he was not like that man.
Peterson insisted that he was a good person who was also strong, while confronting Coulson for taking his son away from him, claiming that organizations like S.H.I.E.L.D. were responsible for him losing his wife and job as well, furiously expressing his belief that the government was waiting to make an example of anyone who stood up against them, like he was doing. Peterson then questioned what it now meant to be a good person in a world of the Avengers, claiming that being a man was not good enough in the world of Asgardians as well as the Hulk. They agreed that Peterson was a good man and he could still become a true hero and Coulson promised to help.
Just as Peterson calmed down enough for the Extremis to cool down in his system, he was suddenly shot by Ward with the Night-Night Gun, which tranquilized him with a curative agent which had been created by Jemma Simmons, saving his life and forever keeping the Extremis in his system strong but stable. He was then taken into S.H.I.E.L.D. protective custody for rehabilitation, and his son taken onto live with Peterson's sister Mindy during his recovery while Coulson's Team focused their efforts in investigating who was funding the Centipede Project and what their intentions were.[1]
"First time around, I wasn't who I wanted to be, but now I get it. Having all this… it's a privilege. And training to be an agent, working with S.H.I.E.L.D., it's me trying to do better, trying to be better. I just need you to give me a shot." "Everyone deserves a second chance."
Once he recovered and confirmed to be safe from danger, Peterson decided to make up for all his actions by working for S.H.I.E.L.D. He trained with other cadets, as his superior strength gave him a massive advantage. He trained by pushing fork-lift-trucks across a football field at S.H.I.E.L.D. Training Facility, his aim being to beat Steve Rogers's record time, but he was not close to matching Rogers. Eventually, Phil Coulson asked for his help to help bring down the Centipede Project.
Peterson happily agreed to the chance to prove his worth and joined the team on their Bus, being greeted by Melinda May and Coulson. Peterson greeted the pair, only for May to walk away, with Coulson then reminding him that the last time they encountered each other, Peterson had thrown May into a brick wall. Peterson then expressed his desire to make up for his earlier run-in with the team and assuring them that his Extremis rage was subdued and he was no longer a danger, with Coulson promising to give him another chance, warning he would not be getting a third which Peterson accepted.
While on the Bus, there were some hostile feelings towards him from some members of the team, mainly with Grant Ward and May, both of whom he had attacked, with Ward warning that he was extremely hostile back at Union Station and could put their entire team at risk. Peterson arrived and was awkwardly introduced to the team, which also included Skye. Peterson assured them he was a new man and thanked them for choosing not to kill him during the conflict, before their team discussed Edison Po and his relationship with Centipede, noting that Brian Hayward was another enhanced soldier.
Peterson then entered Coulson's office to ask what he needed him to do for their mission; however, Coulson explained that he wanted to keep Peterson on board the Bus for the time being. When Peterson questioned if he should be on the field due to his enhanced strength, Coulson assured him that he would get his chance. Coulson then asked him to go to Leo Fitz and Jemma Simmons' lab in order to run tests, despite Peterson insisting the Centipede Serum inside his own body was stable; however, Coulson explained it was to understand his weaknesses and limitations before going on the mission.[4]
"That wasn't them. That was you two." "Come again?" "Your gun. It somehow froze me right at the moment I was about to explode, helped my body absorb the serum, stabilize. Your weapon saved my life. All that, and it didn't even leave a scar."
While inside of their lab, Peterson then explained his new diet and exercise routine to Jemma Simmons who appeared flustered while massaging Peterson's body by hand. Leo Fitz tested him for the Tactical Suit to wear to measure his vitals, while being distracted by the Centipede Device. Fitz and Simmons failed to withhold their curiosity and asked how the device was now stable, but Peterson explained it was the Night-Night Gun which had just saved his life.
Peterson walked through the Bus once all of his tests with Fitz and Simmons were completed and found Skye and Melinda May looking at the footage of Edison Po while he was still in his prison, as he was speaking with a female visitor who they did not recognize about now dealing with the Clairvoyant. Looking at the footage, Peterson then recognized the woman who was speaking to Po as Raina, explaining that it was Raina who recruited him for the Centipede Project when she had visited him in the hospital while he was being treated for his back injury and had promised that she could change his life.
With all the tests having now been completed, Peterson sat inside the Cage and looked at a photograph of his son. He was interrupted when Skye came to see him and they had discussed how proud Ace would be to know his father was working for S.H.I.E.L.D., although Peterson explained that he had bought him lots of presents including toys of the Avengers, despite not being able to explain where he was actually working. Skye made him think of how good it was to have a young boy looking up to him and wanting to be just like him, while Peterson noted that he felt Ace was growing up too fast.
Peterson preparing himself for their mission
They were interrupted as Phil Coulson then came into the room and offered Peterson a chance to join a mission, with Peterson promising that he would not let him down. Peterson was then given the brand new Tactical Suit which had been created by Fitz and Simmons, with Peterson explaining noting it was comfortable as Grant Ward insisted that having powers should be considered cheating. Coulson then explained the mission, noting that he and Peterson would enter the facility together. When Sky questioned if S.H.I.E.L.D. should send in backup, Coulson noted that Peterson was their backup.[4]
"So then those soldiers at the warehouse were forced to attack us through that eye thing?" "They were getting orders. When the tide turned in our favor, Centipede flipped Hayward's kill switch."
Agreeing to help Phil Coulson and the team attack one of Centipede Project's key facilities in order to earn the group's trust, Peterson entered behind Coulson, awaiting an ambush. As they could not find any sign of Edison Po or Raina, Coulson then ordered Leo Fitz to call up Brian Hayward's phone in order to get the location. Hearing the phone ringing inside of a storage container, Peterson and Coulson were then ambushed by the team of Centipede Soldiers, although Peterson was able to defend Coulson using his incredible strength as Hayward attempted to throw the storage container at them.
Seeing that he was currently their greatest threat during the fight, the soldiers attacked Peterson, with Hayward easily walking off a direct hit from a Night-Night Gun, which Peterson noted usually packed more of a punch. With most of the soldiers now targeting Peterson, Melinda May and Grant Ward joined the fight, but struggled to defeat the soldiers due to their enhanced strength. Despite putting up a good fight against the soldiers, Peterson was seriously injured when Hayward stabbed him in the side with a steel pole, with Leo Fitz and Jemma Simmons warning that his vitals were going critical.
Despite the painful injury, Peterson was able to survive their attack and managed to save Coulson's life by blocking Hayward's attack and knocking him to the ground, causing the othersoldiers to make a hasty retreat. Peterson and Coulson then stood over Hayward and demanded to know the identity of the Clairvoyant and what their true plans were with Centipede Project. However, instead of getting the answers that they needed, Peterson and Coulson simply witnessed Hayward being killed when his Backscatter X-Ray Eye Implant exploded, despite Hayward desperately pleading with his controller to show some mercy.[4]
"They said they would murder my son. If we make one wrong move." "Any electronics, any comms, any sign of surveillance and they'll terminate the arrangement." "I'll give myself up, no problem, get him back."
Once he was back on board the Bus, Peterson's newest injuries were treated by Jemma Simmons while Coulson's Team discussed this technology which they had found in Brian Hayward's corpse, noting that the Backscatter X-Ray Eye Implant which had killed Hayward had first found in Akela Amador, theorizing that the soldiers they had fought were being forced against their will by the Clairvoyant. Peterson listened to this, questioning how and why these Centipede Soldiers were being forced to attack them against their will.
Although still in pain, Peterson went to Phil Coulson's office and they discussed him joining S.H.I.E.L.D. full time, with Coulson noting that Peterson had proved himself during their ambush. Coulson had then questioned why Peterson had not been to see Ace Peterson since he had arrived into the S.H.I.E.L.D. Training Facility, to which Peterson explained that he was afraid to return to his son after he had seen his rage at the Union Station. However, Coulson then assured him his son would think no different of him and telling him to think on his decision about either joining S.H.I.E.L.D. or focusing on being a father.
Considering what they had discussed, Peterson took on Coulson's advice and phoned his son Ace to tell him he was busy working but would return home to Los Angeles soon, noting how happy he was to hear Ace's voice again. Ace told Peterson about his new friend he had made, only for Raina, who had somehow found Ace's location, threaten to kill his son if Peterson did not trade Phil Coulson for Ace; however, she did not explain why the Centipede Project had wanted Coulson and not Peterson. She then reminded him of when they had met for the first time and she had promised to change his life.
With no other choice, Peterson tricked Coulson's Team into thinking that Centipede wanted to take him hostage in exchange for Ace's safe return, warning that they would kill his son if their demands were not met. Despite Melinda May and Grant Ward insisting that they needed more support from S.H.I.E.L.D. ahead of the exchange, Peterson begged them not to for his son's protection, with Coulson agreeing to the demands to ensure Ace's safety. When Skye noted that Peterson was hurt from his fight with Brian Hayward, he simply expressed his desire to save his own son regardless.[4]
Arriving at the bridge ready to make the exchange, Peterson followed his instructions and requested that Phil Coulson go with him so that he could be taken instead. Leo Fitz and Jemma Simmons also gave Peterson a Tracking Scent on his hand which would not be picked up by the machines, with Peterson insisting that they do not do anything that would endanger his own son. At the meeting point, Peterson and Coulson spoke with Raina, who had arrived alongside her Centipede Soldiers, and commented on how adorable Ace was. With Coulson's Team ready, it was revealed that the exchange was for Coulson and not Peterson.
When the truth was revealed and the exchange started, Peterson had attempted to break off the deal by threatening Raina's own life, but she assured him that her employer did not care if she lived or died, and that if she was killed, then his son would die a horrific death as a direct result. With Grant Ward unable to assist them from his vantage point, Coulson told Peterson it was okay, understanding that he had no other choice. Mortified by the decisions he was being forced to make, Peterson still insisted that he had offered himself and tried to question how he could ever look his son in the eye following this day, but Coulson continued to reassure him that it would be okay.
With Coulson agreeing to the transfer, Ace was finally freed from Centipede Project and ran back into his father's arms. With Ace in his arms, Peterson expressed his regret to Coulson once again, only for Coulson to accept that Peterson had made the only decision he could possibly have made in the situation. Peterson then ran back to Coulson's Team, ensuring his son was okay and getting him to safety by leaving him with Skye who he knew Ace would feel safe with. Peterson told him that he loved him and made his desperate attempt to redeem himself by going back to rescue Coulson.
Peterson is seemingly killed in an explosion
Leaving Ace in Skye's arms and promising that he would make this terrible situation right, Peterson straight ran back towards the bridge, hoping that despite still not quite being at his own full former strength from his Centipede Serum, he would still be able to overpower both the Centipede Soldiers and get Coulson away from danger. However, before Peterson could get to them, Raina and her men blew up the bridge with Peterson caught into the middle of the fireball, leaving S.H.I.E.L.D. and his son believing that he had been killed.[4]
Deathlok[]
Ian Quinn's Upgrades[]
Peterson receives a message from Centipede.
"If I wanted you to hurt her, you know, to kill her, will you? I mean what would hurt Agent Coulson more than to lose his pet project." "Those aren't my orders. She's not who I'm supposed to kill."
Peterson managed to survive the blast, and was ultimately recovered by Centipede Project agents, badly burned, missing his right leg, and implanted with a monitoring ocular implant similar to Akela Amador's Backscatter X-Ray Eye Implant. He woke up in a mysterious room alone, seeing his terrible injuries. He called out for help. When he looked in the mirror a message appeared from the Clairvoyant telling him to wait for further instructions; Peterson stared in utter horror realizing his fate.[5]
Now under the thrall of the Clairvoyant, Peterson had been ordered into the service of Ian Quinn, who had arranged to have Peterson's destroyed right leg replaced with a prosthetic leg which had been designed by Cybertek at the cost of ten million dollars under their Project Deathlok. While the leg was being transported, Peterson was kept in a Hyperbaric Chamber and transported across the country until he was delivered by Cybertek to Quinn's Villa where he was eventually discovered by Skye, who had been investigating all of Cybertek's recent unusual activity for a S.H.I.E.L.D. mission.
Before Skye could rescue Peterson however, she was captured by Quinn's men with Carlo Mancini taking her Night-Night Gun away from her. Peterson was awakened and given his new Cybernetic Leg. Although Skye tried to speak to him and convince him to leave, he ignored her, knowing he could not leave without endangering Ace's life. Quinn asked Peterson if he would kill Skye for him, to which Peterson told him those were not his orders; he had other people to kill, and promptly walked out of the room. The Clairvoyant instead ordered Peterson to kill all of the Cybertek representatives.[6]
"Apparently, there has been a misunderstanding. We delivered the package as promised. If we could speak to Mr. Quinn–" "The Clairvoyant isn't happy. You led S.H.I.E.L.D. right to us."
Leaving Skye to be shot by Ian Quinn, Peterson then stepped into the room where all of the representatives from Cybertek were, with Peterson being questioned over where Quinn was and why he had sent Peterson instead. As Carlo Mancini demanded to know where his money was, Peterson explained that they would not be getting their money as they had failed in their mission due to bringing S.H.I.E.L.D. right to Quinn's doorstep and exposing them all, much to all their discomfort.
Peterson kills all of the Cybertek scientists
As tensions rose, Sofia attempted to relax the situation by requesting a chance to speak to Quinn, only for Peterson to furiously grab her by the neck, telling her that the Clairvoyant was unhappy that they had led S.H.I.E.L.D. to their location. Upon seeing this, all of the Cybertek guards immediately drew their guns ready for a fight with Mancini demanding that Peterson allow Sofia to go free. Ignoring their threats, however, Peterson then broke her neck before killing the others with ease, breaking their necks and throwing them out of the windows, proving himself to now be almost unstoppable.
Peterson is ordered to make his hasty escape
Once Peterson he had killed all of the Cybertek representatives as he had been ordered to do, proving that their newest combination of the old Centipede Serum combined with the cybernetic enhancements had made him into the ultimate weapon, he was then given his new orders on his Backscatter X-Ray Eye Implant in which he was then ordered to exit the scene without engaging the arriving S.H.I.E.L.D., as Coulson's Team had just burst inside in order to arrest Quinn after he had shot Skye in the gut. Peterson then left the villa without S.H.I.E.L.D.'s knowledge, leaving a room filled with corpses.
Peterson requests to see his own family
Having managed to escape from the villa just before he could have been captured by S.H.I.E.L.D., Peterson made his way to a children's park and hid in the bushes to hide his burnt face which he feared would scare them, watching the children play and thinking back to his own family. He then wrote a note on a piece of paper asking his handlers if it were possible for him to see his son, and received the message telling him "Not yet". Devastated by the rejection, Peterson crushed the piece of paper and dropped it beside his new Cybertek Prosthetic Leg and continued to watch the children.[6]
"We think the Clairvoyant's super soldier bodyguard came after us for a reason. We're getting close." "To what? His identity?" "We've narrowed the list to thirteen candidates."
Having receiving further cybernetic enhancements which had turned him into a near unstoppable killing machine, the Clairvoyant ordered Peterson to feign an attack against John Garrett and his team, while they were in Sydney, Australia. Following these orders, Peterson stormed into the safehouse where the two agents had immediately defended themselves, while Deathlok and was able to absorb the power of two shots from a Taser Projectile Launcher, despite being knocked to the ground.
While Deathlok was on the ground suffering from the effects of the tasers, he took a shot to his head with an I.C.E.R., which bounced off the metal implant on his skull and had little affect on Deathlok. As both agents aimed their guns at him, Deathlok ripped the tasers from his chest and, knowing that his orders were not to kill either of these men, he then proceeded to use the Cybertek Prosthetic Leg to jump straight through the roof and made his escape, leaving his targets in a state of shock, reacting to their near deaths as well as the fact that Peterson was still alive following the explosion on the bridge.
Deathlok examines all of at his new injuries
Following the encounter with the S.H.I.E.L.D. agents, Peterson had returned to his base and examined the new wound on his forehead caused by a shot from the I.C.E.R. fired by Antoine Triplett, which exposed a metal plate underneath Peterson's skin. As he looked at the wound, Peterson heard a knock at the door and was then given the Forearm Rocket Launcher from the Clairvoyant. Putting it on his arm it caused him great pain as it drilled and fused itself onto his body. Peterson then received a message on his Backscatter X-Ray Eye Implant and was told that it was time for him to meet the Clairvoyant.[2]
Deathlok was then sent to the Tranquility Bridge's home for Assisted Living in Macon, Georgia in an attempt to convince Melinda May and Felix Blake that Thomas Nash was the real Clairvoyant. Once he was alone, Deathlok sneaked up on Blake and threw him across the room with incredible force. However, Blake was able to recover from the impact and fired six shots, including Tag Rounds, at Deathlok, which barely slowed him down. As Blake attempted to stand up and fight, Deathlok managed to get to him and grabbed him by the throat and lifted him high in the air.
With Blake struggling to breath while Deathlok began slowly choking him, the desperate Blake tried to convince Deathlok to stop what he was doing, reminding him of his own son, Ace who needed his father. Despite clearly being saddened by thinking of his son and the man he had become, Deathlok still believed that he could never return to his old life, so Deathlok told Blake that Mike Peterson was dead and threw Blake hard onto the ground before brutally crushing his chest with his prosthetic leg,[2] breaking his spine and causing him to become paralyzed.[7]
May arrived just too late to save Blake from Deathlok and then immediately called the rest of Coulson's Team for some backup and informed them of Deathlok's presence there. While she fired at him, Deathlok then attempted to take May out by firing his rocket from his Forearm Rocket Launcher at her; however, she managed to dodge out of the way of the blast. Knowing that reinforcements were now on the way Deathlok was forced to retreat, knowing that he had followed all the Clairvoyant's orders and now S.H.I.E.L.D. would be convinced that Deathlok had been sent there to protect Nash.[2]
"This isn't a surprise party, people, so you can toss stealth out the window. Our target's wearing body armor and has enhanced cybernetics. Make your shots count. Let's move."
Due to the Tag Rounds which had been previously planted onto his armor when he had been shot by Felix Blake, Deathlok was eventually tracked down by S.H.I.E.L.D. to an abandoned racetrack in Pensacola, Florida. A S.H.I.E.L.D. team soon raided the racetrack and Deathlok was spotted by Leo Fitz's Golden Retrievers, which scanned his entire body and revealed all of his armor plating from Cybertek. Upon seeing the Retriever, Deathlok destroyed it and began making his escape.
Going on the hunt for all the agents before they could capture him, Deathlok soon spotted Grant Ward and his team. Taking them all by surprise, Deathlok fired a missile directly at Ward and his team from his Forearm Rocket Launcher, barely missing as Ward was able to roll out of the way and warn his team. The explosion, however, still wounded two of the S.H.I.E.L.D. agents, causing Ward to fire back at Deathlok who was still completely unaffected by the gunshots and walked away while Ward called Skye to get the medical team for the agents wounded by Deathlok's sudden surprise attack.
As Ward's team recovered from the blast, Deathlok escaped on foot, chased down by Phil Coulson. With his Prosthetic Leg increasing his speed, Deathlok leaped down a stairway and got away before they could catch up to him. As had been planned, Coulson followed the path Deathlok had run down and soon discovered Thomas Nash. As they questioned Nash, the true Clairvoyant ensured that a computer keeping Nash alive spoke to the team and allowed them to believe Nash was the Clairvoyant they were tracking. Eventually, Nash was killed by Ward, as Ward was also working for the Clairvoyant.[2]
"He's having a heart attack. I can restart it, or not. It's your choice." "You think I don't want to watch him suffer?" "Not suffer, die. Garrett doesn't think you're going to let that happen."
As HYDRA completely overpowered S.H.I.E.L.D. and John Garrett revealed himself as the Clairvoyant,[8]Grant Ward was sent to retrieve the necessary pass codes to access a hard drive with the research that had been done on GH.325 that Skye had encrypted. Deathlok tailed Ward and was forced to assist him when Skye attempted to escape in Los Angeles. As Skye got into a police car to drive away, Deathlok leapt into the air and landed onto the car, forcing her to stop.
Deathlok and Ward took Skye back to the Bus and argued with each other, with Deathlok insisting that he had fixed the situation which Ward had failed to contain, while Ward also argued that Deathlok had turned the situation into a public spectacle. Deathlok noted that Skye had gotten into Ward's head, using his emotions against him which was exactly what Garrett had been afraid of, noting that Garrett had wanted Deathlok to shadow Ward as he knew that he had a soft spot for Skye. Once she had woken up, Deathlok left Ward with Skye as he then demanded to know how to unlock the hard-drive.
Deathlok fails to unlock the hard-drive himself
Deathlok gave Ward five minutes to get the information out of Skye before leaving them alone for his interrogation. Deathlok attempted to use his own Cybertek enhancements to hack into the hard-drive himself: however, this once again failed, much to Deathlok's great frustration as he hoped Skye would not need to be kept as their own prisoner for long. Deathlok then got a message on his Backscatter X-Ray Eye Implant which informed him that Garrett had become tired of waiting for Skye to give up the information and insisted that Deathlok go to plan B in an attempt to force the information out of Skye.
When it became clear that Skye would continue to refuse to answer when Ward asked her to unlock the hard drive as she was still furious about his betrayal, Deathlok reentered the room, with Ward believing that he would torture Skye to get the information. Seeing him, Skye desperately trying to reach the man she had known, while Deathlok noted that he had left Ace Peterson in her care, and now he was held hostage by HYDRA despite Skye believing that Ace was with his aunt and the protection of S.H.I.E.L.D. while he had questioned what S.H.I.E.L.D. was now, following the HYDRA Uprising, noting that HYDRA could kill himself and his son at any moment.
Skye told him that Leo Fitz and Jemma Simmons could help him, but Deathlok insisted there was no way out for him, despite Skye noting that he could have killed her in Italy when Ian Quinn ordered him to. Deathlok ignored this, however, and proceeded to use a Heart Stopper from his Forearm Rocket Launcher to give Ward a heart attack. He gave Skye a choice, either unlock the drive or watch Ward suffer a slow a painful death. Skye chose to save Ward and agreed to unlock the drive by having to Bus fly to the certain altitude. Deathlok restarted Ward's heart and then continued with the mission.[9]
"Coulson and Skye don't matter anymore. We have the data and Garrett wants us back right now." "Listen, I'm not just gonna forget what you did to me back there. You try anything like that again, I will kill you." "Wasn't personal. I was just following orders."
However, as they were preparing the Bus to take off, they were briefly cornered by Maria Hill who attempted to get them both to surrender, which they refused. As it turned out this was merely a distraction which allowed Phil Coulson to infiltrate the Bus to rescue Skye. However, Coulson was unaware that Deathlok was also on board the plane and they were forced to run for their lives, as Deathlok insisted that he nor HYDRA would not allow Coulson to get away with Skye.
Coulson was able to open the back doors of the plane and the pair made a desperate attempt to escape by jumping into L.O.L.A.. Having discovered their presence Deathlok and Grant Ward fired upon them as they took cover inside L.O.L.A. Coulson was still able to use L.O.L.A.¡s machine guns to defend them and drove the car off the Bus just as Deathlok fired a missile from his Forearm Rocket Launcher at them which barely missed, they escaped and managed to survive the fall by using L.O.L.A.'s jet engines to land in Los Angeles while Deathlok and Ward were left on the plane to debate their next move.
With their hostages gone, Ward demanded that they land the plane and go after them, which Deathlok refused to allow as they had only needed Skye to unlock the Coulson's Team Hard Drive, which then caused Ward and Deathlok to argue about their next move. Furious over what had happened, Ward threatened Deathlok by claiming that if he ever did anything like using the Heart Stopper on him yet again, then he would kill him. However, Deathlok calmly insisted that it was nothing personal, but he was merely following John Garrett's direct orders to him, much to Ward's considerable annoyance.[9]
"You gave them my son. All I see are pictures of him in a cell." "I was following orders, just like you." "So is someone playing god with you too? Seeing everything you see, waiting to push a button and blow a hole in your skull?"
When Ian Quinn needed a demonstration to show the effectiveness of all of his newly produced Deathlok Soldiers which he had intended to sell to the U.S. military, Deathlok was sent to Bogotá, Colombia to kill Alejandro Castillo, successfully decapitating the drug lord. John Garrett boasted about their success to Grant Ward, congratulating Deathlok for the mission which was now being broadcast across the world. As a reward for the assassination, Garrett allowed Peterson a chance to see footage of his son uploaded into his hardware.
Later, Peterson approached Raina and confronted over her motives for working with HYDRA and kidnapping his son, with him now only allowed to see images sent to him by Kyle Zeller from inside in prison cell as a reward for all of Deathlok's continued cooperation to Garrett and HYDRA's mission with the Centipede Project. Raina insisted to him that when she had arranged the capture of Ace, she had simply been following orders like he was doing, with Deathlok questioning if she also had a bomb in her head, like he had with his Backscatter X-Ray Eye Implant, ready to kill her if she ever disobeyed.
As he continued pushing her, Raina had then confessed that unlike Deathlok or any of the other Deathlok Soldiers, she did not have a bomb inside her head which was motivating her to work for Garrett and HYDRA, and she instead explained she was there for enhanced people, looking to study them and gain a new understanding of how their gifts could be manifested. Raina then changed the subject and asked Deathlok about Skye and what he knew about her, to which he questioned why she had such an interest in her, to which Raina then explained that she had believed she shared DNA with Skye.[3]
"He's always had a tender heart. You don't need to be set to default, you haven't left me alone all day." "I was told to never leave your side, sir." "I love you, too."
Deathlok remained constantly by John Garrett's side while they were still on board the Bus as he began to experience some side-effects of G.H. after forcing Raina to inject him with it when Leo Fitz damaged his cybernetic implants. Deathlok watched while Garrett's mental state began to dwindle and he began carving strange symbols on walls and doors while Grant Ward looked on in fear. Ward began to ask Raina to check in on Garrett's condition as he stared into the Gravitonium while Deathlok stood outside waiting for his next orders.
When Garrett brought his team of HYDRA soldiers into the Cybertek Manufacturing Facility, Deathlok continued acting as Garrett's own personal bodyguard, remaining close to him at all times and kept a constant look out for threats while the other Deathlok Soldiers were protecting the Facility from the outside. He remained motionless as he witnessed Garrett interrupting Ian Quinn's military presentation about Project Deathlok to mock and insult the Generals. Garrett then proceeded to murder General Jacobs simply to demonstrate his own power as he began to drastically lose his sense of reality.
When Coulson's Team attacked the facility and took Kyle Zeller and the Cybertek team hostage, Ward went to Garrett and demanded his orders about how to proceed to counteract this ambush. Garrett, however, remained strangely distant as he refused to give Ward any commands, much to Ward's great frustration. They were interrupted when Skye called Garrett and then informed him that all his Deathlok Soldiers were now leading them to Garrett's exact location. While Ward went to capture Skye, Deathlok still swore he would not leave Garrett's side, to which Garrett mockingly said loved him, too.[10]
"You can't do this, Mike. I order you to stand down! You must obey me! You need me to translate the Words of Creation. You don't want to do this, Mike. Tell him, Phil!" "Mr. Peterson's free to do whatever he wants."
Their current location was eventually found as Phil Coulson had soon reached John Garrett and attacked, only to discover that Garrett's strength had greatly increased due to the G.H. in his system, allowing Garrett to punch Coulson across the room with his incredible force while Deathlok could only look on. However, rather than being defeated, Coulson reemerged with the Destroyer Armor Prototype Gun and Nick Fury. The pair fired shots at Garrett and his Centipede Soldiers, soon leaving only Deathlok and Garrett still standing.
Ever confident that he could never be defeated and now able to withstand normal gunshots to the chest, Garrett mocked their efforts, claiming that this was a strange fight between three dead men, considering they had all seemingly returned from the dead recently. The three continued throwing insults at each other while Deathlok stood silently by, with Garrett misquoting one of Fury's speeches and claiming to be the origin of all things before ordering Deathlok to take aim at Coulson and Fury with his Forearm Rocket Launcher, which he did, awaiting Garrett's order final to fire upon them both.
Unknown to Garrett, however, Skye had become Peterson's newest handler throughout this exchange, having successfully captured Kyle Zeller and overriding all the computer systems to get into Deathlok's programming. Ultimately, Skye had found and freed Ace and assured Peterson that the Backscatter X-Ray Eye Implant would not be used against him and that his son was safe. Deathlok then responded by furiously shooting Garrett with his Forearm Rocket Launcher. Despite Garrett's desperate pleas for him to stop, Peterson furiously crushed his head with his Prosthetic Leg, seemingly killing Garrett.
Peterson leaves to try and find redemption
As the last of HYDRA operatives were arrested and Ace was reunited with his aunt Mindy, Peterson watched from afar with Skye, too ashamed to approach and fearful of what his son's reaction to him would be. When Skye had asked him to join Coulson's Team, he declined, deciding that he wanted redemption before developing a relationship with anyone. He told her that they were welcome to hack into his Cybernetic Implants and track his every move, because all he would be doing would be making amends for his past actions. With this he left to begin his mission to protect innocent lives.[10]
"I intercepted a coded transmission from List, mentioning his interest in powered people." "Yeah, they seem to be trending these days." "He's hunting them down and experimenting on them."
Continuing his mission to use all his powers for good, Peterson was given upgrades to his arsenal by Jemma Simmons, including his new EMP Launcher.[11] Peterson accepted Phil Coulson's invitation to join the newly rebuilt S.H.I.E.L.D. as an agent with Coulson as its new director. Coulson then sent Peterson overseas to dismantle HYDRA powers there and pursue List, which Peterson did for six months. During this time, he discovered List's intent of hunting down newly discovered powered people and then horrifically experimenting on them.
However, Coulson's attempts to rebuild S.H.I.E.L.D. had caused him to come into conflict with Robert Gonzales who had also started an alternative branch and was currently attempting to have Coulson arrested. While attempting to capture a Quinjet to escape Gonzales' agents, Coulson called Peterson to meet him at the Retreat. While he was waiting, Coulson then alerted Gonzales' faction of S.H.I.E.L.D. to his current presence there, and they responded with several teams of agents. However, Peterson was unable to arrive before Coulson and Lance Hunter were soon captured by Gonzales' agents.
Before they could be taken to the Playground, Peterson intercepted them, using his incredible strength from the Centipede Serum to pull an entire Quinjet back down onto the ground before charging in and confronting Gonzales' agents. Once he had knocked out the agents guarding Coulson, he stepped outside and used his Forearm Rocket Launcher to fire an EMP into the second Quinjet, causing it to crash land without killing the men inside. Deathlok then freed Coulson and Hunter, introducing himself to Hunter who was shocked by his power and pained when he crushed his hand during their handshake.
Once they were all safe, Deathlok hacked into the Quinjet's controls and piloted them away from the danger while Hunter and Coulson discussed the thrill of having him come to their rescue, with Hunter surprised to have been saved by a cyborg. Once they were safe and Peterson put the Quinjet into autopilot, Peterson then explained that during his hunt for List he had discovered that HYDRA was experimenting on powered people. Believing List's knowledge could help them find a teleporter who had taken Skye, they agreed to find and recruit Grant Ward.[12]
Alongside Phil Coulson and Lance Hunter, Peterson set up a plan to rescue Leo Fitz in San Francisco with their Quinjet. When Fitz knew he being followed by Robert Gonzales' soldiers, Fitz ran as fast as possible onto a roof where Peterson was waiting in the Quinjet. The Quinjet was cloaked so it appeared invisible to the enemy soldiers who proceeded to run straight into it. As they were taking off, Peterson greeted his old friend who asked about Peterson's upgrades before Coulson informed Fitz of their plan to recruit Grant Ward to help them.
The team then immediately traveled toward Tijuana in order to recruit Ward as well as Kara Palamas. Peterson went in first and held Palamas hostage, Coulson then took her phone and ordered Ward to come for a meeting, explaining that he was holding Palamas at gunpoint until he arrived. While they waited, Peterson had asked Palamas about the Photostatic Veil she wore to hide her facial scars, asking if she had any more which he could use. Palamas confessed that she did not have any other Veils, to which Deathlok joked that at least he still had his winning personality which could mask his own burn scars.
When Ward arrived, Peterson greeted him and using his x-ray vision from his Backscatter X-Ray Eye Implant, located all the weapons Ward was carrying and ordered him to set down the knives and guns, which Ward was left with no choice but to obey. Ward then had a meeting with Phil Coulson while Deathlok kept watch to ensure that Ward did not attempt to kill Coulson. During the meeting Coulson offered to erase Ward's memories with Project T.A.H.I.T.I. to help him build a new life if he helped them on this mission to infiltrate HYDRA and locate Skye. Confessing that he knew of how to get access onto Baron Strucker, Ward agreed to help Coulson.[13]
Having agreed to assist in their mission, Grant Ward then revealed that he and Kara Palamas had successfully kidnapped and brainwashed Sunil Bakshi by using the Faustus method, all while HYDRA had still believed Bakshi had been locked away by the United States Armed Forces. Deathlok then transported Ward and Palamas to Bakshi's location and locked him in the boot of the car before driving back to meet with Phil Coulson, confirming to him that they did have the brainwashed Bakshi.
While Deathlok spoke with Coulson about the plan, he noted that he still did not trust Ward and Palamas following all their conflict with Ward while he had worked with John Garrett; however, Coulson noted that while he also did not trust Ward, he had needed him to trust them for their mission to be successful. Meanwhile, Ward and Palamas were sat in the car together, discussing if they could trust Coulson and his new S.H.I.E.L.D. while they also expressed their love for each other until Deathlok interrupted them and ordered them out of the car. They all then stood around the car boot so they could give all of their new orders to Bakshi with Coulson looking at the nervous Bakshi.
A plan was worked out that they would use Bakshi's high-ranking status to gain access to the current leaders of HYDRA, including Baron Strucker who had been performing barbaric experiments on enhanced people to discover how their power could be replicated. Peterson was able to pose as Bakshi's bodyguard to attend a meeting between Bakshi and List. They claimed that Deathlok was responsible for breaking Bakshi out of prison, reminding List of all the work John Garrett had put into creating him during Project Deathlok.
During List and Bakshi's conversation, Peterson quietly listened while his eye-piece allowed Coulson and the team to watch closely. Eventually Bakshi won over List's trust, assuring him he was not to blame for the Assassination of HYDRA Leaders and revealed that he intended to trade Deathlok to List to be used for his experiments, in exchange for a meeting with Strucker. Mortified at the thought of being tortured to death, Peterson readied his weapons for a fight for freedom, but was ordered by Coulson to play along, which he reluctantly obeyed although remaining on edge.[13]
List was informed of the location of a group of powered individuals, and before they went to meet Baron Strucker, List sent Sunil Bakshi, Deathlok and a team of HYDRA operatives to capture the individuals as they had discovered the signal of a teleporter they had been tracking. While the soldiers fought Calvin Zabo and Skye, Phil Coulson, Lance Hunter, Kara Palamas and Grant Ward attacked the base at the same time, avoiding direct conflict with Deathlok while HYDRA was present in order to still maintain his undercover mission with them.
While still walking through the hallways searching for the teleporter as though he was working for HYDRA, Peterson encountered Lincoln Campbell, who used electricity powers to shock Peterson, using the power to levitate Peterson. However, Campbell discovered that due to Deathlok's cybernetic enhancements the electric shock did not come close to stopping him, leading to Campbell questioning what he was made of to have survived the attack. As Deathlok tried to insist he was a friend of Skye's, Campbell did not believe him and claimed to be the Hulk as a joke before attacking him once again, engaging in a brief fight before reaching physical exhaustion.
While they lay injured together, Coulson and Ward came to their aid but Peterson ordered them to go after Skye, claiming that Campbell was an ally and not to be harmed. The electric attack did, however, damage Peterson's Backscatter X-Ray Eye Implant which S.H.I.E.L.D. was still attempting to hack into. While Peterson and Campbell still lay on the ground, Bakshi then appeared and betrayed Peterson, and he and Campbell were then knocked out by a Pulse Grenade and captured by HYDRA, ready to be taken to the Arctic HYDRA Research Facility for List's experimentation on their enhancements.[13]
Peterson awoke in a cell within the Arctic HYDRA Research Facility only to discover that all his weapons had been deactivated. When Lincoln Campbell awoke in the cell next to him, Peterson explained the situation to him. Campbell asked if Peterson could use his weapons to help them escape but Peterson assured him that they had been deactivated. Peterson asked if Campbell's teleporter friend could help them escape, but Campbell told him it would be far too dangerous and could endanger his people. Seeing that they were helpless, Campbell introduced himself. Shortly afterward the pair were gassed and knocked out, ready for experimentation.
Both Peterson and Campbell were then taken away by List, Peterson was forced to endure terrible torture during HYDRA's experiments, beginning by removing his Backscatter X-Ray Eye Implant and dismantling his prosthetic leg. After hours of experiments, Peterson was returned to his cell, only to be found by Phil Coulson's team including Skye and Jemma Simmons. Peterson sent Skye to save Lincoln Campbell while Simmons and Grant Ward tended to his injuries. When Simmons sent Ward away to find a stretcher to get Deathlok out, Deathlok asked her why she was working with Ward again and she explained she was taking an opportunity.
Deathlok was taken back to the Playground where he, Leo Fitz and Simmons discussed repairing his destroyed cybernetic parts so he could soon return to active field work for S.H.I.E.L.D. Fitz explained that not only had his Cybertek Prosthetic Leg been removed, but the HYDRA teams had dismantled it. Fitz assured him that they were sending him to a facility where he could be helped. When Deathlok asked how he had been found Fitz explained that Sunil Bakshi had led them there under Ward's orders. When Deathlok asked where Bakshi was, Simmons noted that he had been killed during the firefight.[14]
Following his kidnapping by HYDRA which resulted in losing several key parts of his body, Deathlok was saved and then rebuilt as Leo Fitz and Jemma Simmons promised him.[14] Having heard that the Playground had been attacked by Aida, killing several agents,[15] Deathlok went to investigate and found James Davis wounded, so Deathlok took him for aid. Having saved other agents, Deathlok was contacted by Deke Shaw who was desperately searching for agents loyal to S.H.I.E.L.D., bringing Deathlok and the other agents to the Lighthouse to regroup with the other remaining members of their organization.
Having arrived on board the Quinjet, Deathlok and the other agents were greeted by Melinda May and Daisy Johnson before he then immediately came to Phil Coulson's aid as he was attempting to stop an unstable portal to the Fear Dimension created by the destruction of multiple Monoliths. Deathlok found Coulson just as he was being choked by dimensional manifestation of his former self, as Deathlok immediately shot the manifestation of himself in the head with his Forearm Rocket Launcher before ordering Coulson to get back onto his feet and then continue their mission.
Deathlok fighting against all the recreations
Before Deathlok and Coulson could reunite, they were attacked by the manifestation of Lash, with Deathlok pushing Coulson out of the way before leaping over Lash to avoid his attack and firing a rocket into his chest in mid-air, killing the manifestation. They then found themselves surrounded by the manifestations of the Vrellnexians, as Deathlok and Coulson then joined forces to destroy all the terrifying creatures. With the threat gone, Deathlok watched as Coulson used the Gravity Containment Device to try and destroy the gateway to the Fear Dimension before it could do harm to the outside world.
As the device activated into the gateway, it had then caused a gravity surge which almost sucked the pair straight inside the portal, with Deathlok grabbing ahold of Coulson and using his enhanced strength and Cybertek Prosthetic Leg to keep them away from the portal with all of his might. However, while they were still keeping away from the gateway, they were attacked by the manifestation of Hive who then attempted to kill them both. Deathlok then responded by swinging Coulson around so he could hit Hive with his Prosthetic Hand before Deathlok then fired another rocket directly into Hive's face.
With all of the manifestations destroyed, the portal was finally closed and was contained in the Gravity Containment Device, with Deathlok and Coulson falling back as gravity returned to normal. Finding Coulson had fallen onto his lap, Deathlok was questioned about whether or not he was real or a creature from the Fear Dimension, with Deathlok questioning if him being real would make the fact that Coulson was sat on his lap any less awkward, with Coulson insisting that it would. With the mission now complete, Deathlok and Coulson then returned upstairs to regroup with the other S.H.I.E.L.D. agents.[16]
While the Gravity Containment Device continued to shut out all of the recreations generated from the Fear Dimension, one floor from the Lighthouse had maintained a recreation of a lakeside. Deathlok was then present as Leo Fitz and Jemma Simmons' decided to use this scene for their wedding, as Deathlok stood by the other S.H.I.E.L.D. agents while Fitz and Simmons were married, as their ceremony was led by Phil Coulson, making their vows to one another. As the ceremony continued, Deathlok and all of the other agents then happily clapped for Fitz and Simmons when they shared their first kiss as the husband and wife.
During the ceremony, Deathlok conversed with Deke Shaw, who had awkwardly questioned if Deathlok was actually a full cyborg or simply a robot, with Deathlok quickly dismissing all of the questions, in order to continue watching the Fitz and Simmons' wedding. While Fitz and Simmons were celebrating their marriage, Deathlok then asked Shaw if he was with the bride or groom, to which Shaw replied he was with neither Fitz nor Simmons, remarking he barely knew either of them. Following the ceremony, Deathlok had departed from the Lighthouse, in order to continue his own missions away from S.H.I.E.L.D.[16]
Personality[]
"We're a team. I'd do anything for this little guy."
Being chosen for a super-soldier project modified from Abraham Erskine's from the 1940s, Mike Peterson was still presumably a good man at heart. A family man, since his wife left, he loved his son more than anything but he became crushed when an injury caused him to be laid off at work and, in desperation agreed to test the Centipede Project on himself to make ends meet. Though seemingly successful, the negative effects prompted a violent and unpredictable outrage.
Unlike the rest of the subjects, Peterson initially retained his original personality, stability and hard-working ethics such as rescuing Debbie from her burning lab. Unfortunately due to the haste of revealing Centipede to the public, Peterson had no choice but to return to his old workplace. When meeting with his former boss, he releases so much anger and stress over how he was willing to use men like him as disposable machinery, that he becomes violent which accidentally begins the Centipede Serum's combustion.
Now thinking himself as a hero, he only claims to want to "look out for the little guys" against people like his supervisor, going as far to claim that this was his "origins story". This is also supported by how he proceeded into an angry rant towards Phil Coulson, S.H.I.E.L.D. and the government workforce in general; expressing how he was always told to remain clean-nosed and do what he was told but was disposed of nevertheless. Although he only attempted to fight against this system, he now believed that Coulson's Team were only there to make an example of him, attributing to his anger. However, he still had enough common sense to listen to Coulson who reminded him of what he was; a hero.
Ultimately, Peterson's love for his son is what caused him to listen to reason, eventually calming himself down from his Centipede-induced rage and joining S.H.I.E.L.D. to hone his newfound enhanced-abilities. However, Peterson became deeply remorseful over his actions, having his son witness him as a monster led him to feel undeserving of his love and cut off connection for as long as possible due to shame. Peterson's love for him was so much that he was prepared to kill or even die for him, when HYDRA also exploited this by kidnapping Ace, he was forced to kill on John Garrett's orders and did such with tremendous regret. When broken free of Garrett's control, Peterson became wracked with guilt again and wished to do further good to make amends for his actions and for Ace.
Peterson has a strong sense of loyalty as he thinly veiled his disgust at Grant Ward for betraying his team. He has a sarcastic sense of humor which Lincoln Campbell observed too when in captivity together.
Powers and Abilities[]
Powers[]
"What the hell did they do to him?" "What are you seeing?" "It's not just his leg or his eye they did stuff to him, it's all under his skin."
Due to use of the Centipede Device, a blood-filtering device made of Chitauri metal that delivers a combination of Extremis, gamma radiation, and elements of the Super Soldier Serum into his system, Michael Peterson has come to possess various superhuman abilities. Unlike standard Centipede soldiers, he does not require regular dosage to maintain his powers; after he was shot with the Night-Night Gun, his body was able to "absorb" and stabilize the serum. His powers were further enhanced by a series of bionic modifications he gained after he became a cyborg. His new upgrade also gave him a new ability to upload information into his mind and gain expertise in an ability. He was able to use it to instantly learn how to fly a Quinjet for Coulson and Lance Hunter.
Superhuman Strength:
Peterson pushing a large bulldozer
Peterson's strength was increased since his earliest enhancement, the Centipede Device. He can lift much heavier objects that cannot be moved otherwise without use of machinery and overpower men and send them flying about tens of feet away. With his strength, he can tear apart any solid objects like concrete with ease. During his S.H.I.E.L.D. training, Peterson was able to push a large bulldozer across a field in under a minute. In addition, his strength extends into his leg muscles as he is able to leap great distances, improved even more with a cybernetic leg.
Superhuman Durability: Before his transformation into a cyborg, Peterson could withstand potentially fatal physical damage, withstanding a fall from a building and the fall from the higher level of Union Station down to the ground level. Once he was outfitted with internal prosthesis, he managed to fully withstand shots from different weapons, including common and heavy firearms, a Taser Projectile Launcher and an I.C.E.R.; and even Lincoln Campbell's electric powers. However, his head is still his most vulnerable part of his body due to it being completely exposed.
Superhuman Speed: Peterson is able to move at great speeds thanks to both his physiological improvements and his cybernetic leg. He managed to outrun from a full S.H.I.E.L.D. tactical team, leading them to Thomas Nash under orders of the real Clairvoyant.
Superhuman Agility: Deathlok's cybernetics greatly boosted his agility. He displayed this through evading a tactical team with gymnastic maneuvers, and later performing a complex flip over Lash's recreation.
Superhuman Stamina: Deathlok is more resilient to fatigue and exhaustion, especially after getting his cybernetic implants. He showed signs of fatigue while training with S.H.I.E.L.D. before getting them, but after the upgrade, he could fight and exert himself for long periods without any sign of strain or weakness.
Superhuman Reflexes: With his artificial enhancements came better reflexes allowing him to dodge incoming attacks, making him a great combatant and killer.
Enhanced Vision:
Deathlok's augmented visual abilities
Thanks to the Backscatter X-Ray Eye Implant he possesses, Deathlok is capable of seeing through solid objects, which also allowed him to see in the darkness as a form of night-vision. His vision was later upgraded to include a targeting system, thermal vision, and a visual output to his audio scanner. It can also see through a Photostatic Veil.
Regenerative Healing Factor: Peterson was able to heal from his injuries thanks to the Centipede Serum, as evidenced when he took a shot from a shotgun but showed no significant damage upon getting up. However, he was unable to regenerate the missing leg that he lost in an explosion or the facial scars he suffered from burning, needing treatment inside an Hyperbaric Chamber to heal those wounds.
Abilities[]
"I didn't just want to cross him off, I wanted to make a spectacle. People are killed by guns everyday in Bogotá, but how often does a monster punch a drug lord's head clean off?"
During all of his months as a S.H.I.E.L.D. trainee, Peterson was taught basic combat skills to take advantage of his strength, and he managed to overpower skilled Centipede SoldierBrian Hayward despite getting seriously injured. As Deathlok, his fighting style changed to take advantage of his immense strength and durability, often breaking his enemies' necks or stomping them with his bionic leg. Together with Coulson, he was also able to defend himself against the duplicates of Lash and Hive.
Marksman: Deathlok was able to use his arm missiles to great affect. He was able to shoot John Garrett as well as accurately shoot his missile into a Quinjet that was taking off. He also shot a Monolith Creation.
Acrobat: While fighting against recreations generated by the Fear Dimension, Deathlok displayed extreme agility and movement speed, easily jumping over Lash's recreation and fake Vrellnexians to take them down and quickly moving around them so they could not hit him.
Pilot: Upon rescuing Phil Coulson and Lance Hunter from Robert Gonzales' S.H.I.E.L.D. agents, Deathlok captured and flew a Quinjet after downloading instructions and the plane's schematics.
Equipment[]
Cybernetic Enhancements[]
"Three men, heavily armed, bet there's more where they came from." "Does it matter? They got a cyborg on board with rockets in his arm"
Deathlok is outfitted with a device made of Chitauri metal which injects a serum based on Abraham Erskine's Super Soldier Serum mixed with gamma radiation and Extremis, designed to enhance his physical attributes to a super-human level. After being captured by HYDRA, Deathlok was given another Centipede Device on his other forearm, as well as placed within his chestplate and embedded into his spine. However, even with the addition of two more centipede devices, his strength and other physical attributes appeared relatively unchanged.
"Good morning, Mr. Peterson. Stand by for further instructions."
A prosthetic ocular implant that allows Deathlok to see through solid objects when his eyes are closed and is also the means used by his handler to send orders and instructions.
Computer Enhancements: Deathlok has two USB ports, one of which he used in his attempt to download Skye's encrypted hard drive.
"That is the best money can buy, my friend. Every piece of technology in you is top-of-the-line."
Cybertek Prosthetic Leg: Deathlok's missing leg has been replaced with a cybernetic prosthetic designed and built by Cybertek that enhances his speed. It also enhances the strength of his leg, allowing him to crush a man's chest with a single stomp. It was removed and dismantled when he was captured by HYDRA.
Ballistic Armor: Deathlok was equipped with armor plating that can withstand high caliber gunfire, such as shotguns, with very little to no damage at all. It could also withstand an electrical shock.
Installed on to his left forearm, this unit allows Deathlok to fire guided mini-rockets at his targets. With his new upgrade from S.H.I.E.L.D., the explosives were replaced with EMP rockets, which were strong enough to take down a Quinjet.
"What did you do to him?" "Stopped his heart." "His heart..." "Isn't beating. He's having a heart attack."
Heart Stopper: Deathlok used this on Grant Ward to make Skye unlock her hard drive, stopping his heart from beating and duplicating a heart attack. When Skye acquiesced, Deathlok tapped the device once to make Ward's heart beat, twice to accelerate the pulse.
Internal Prostheses: Deathlok was implanted with cybernetic enhancements underneath his skin, enhancing his strength, cybernetic bodily functions, and endurance even more.
Weapons[]
Kimber Solo: Peterson was given the gun by Ian Quinn to test his new found loyalties to both HYDRA and the Clairvoyant, telling him to shoot and kill Skye; however, Peterson noted that these were not his orders and gave the gun back to Quinn.
Other Equipment[]
"It's perfect, for an array of tactical missions." "Yeah, also measures your heart rate, systolic pressures, and glucose levels." "All while providing state-of-the-art ballistic protection."
During his brief time as a S.H.I.E.L.D. trainee in the field, Michael Peterson had worn a Tactical Suit designed by agents Leo Fitz and Jemma Simmons. It was made of the polymer blend with ten layers of treated composite materials, and its main function was to monitor Peterson's vitals while providing a state-of-the-art ballistic protection for him.
Hyperbaric Chamber: Following his injuries, Peterson was contained inside of the Hyperbaric Chamber, as he was being transported by HYDRA to become upgraded. Peterson was eventually released from the chamber by Ian Quinn, once he was presented with his new Prosthetic Leg.
Vehicles[]
Skye's Van: Peterson kidnapped his son and brought him to Skye's van, forcing Skye to erase all files of Peterson's existence. Skye then drove Peterson and his son to a train station.
Bus: When Peterson worked with Phil Coulson's team, they used the Bus as their base of operations. Jemma Simmons treated Peterson's wounds on the bus after a mission. Peterson was later forced to kidnap Skye and bring her to the bus, where he worked on HYDRA's orders. Peterson stood at John Garrett's side on the Bus while Garrett took it over.
Peterson Residence: Peterson lived in a house with his son, although they struggled to make ends meet. Peterson talked to doctors at the Centipede Project on the phone in his house, and got frustrated, so he threw the phone at a picture of his ex-wife.
Ruthie's Skillet: After saving a woman from a fire, Peterson went to a local diner where Skye approached him and encouraged Peterson to go public.
Union Station: Peterson tried to get him and his son out of town. Peterson kidnapped Skye to help him. She brought Peterson to Union Station where the S.H.I.E.L.D. agents saved his life.
Playground: Peterson was taken to the Playground was that Leo Fitz and Jemma Simmons could repair his damaged cybernetic parts. He later returned to the Playground, having heard that it was destroyed by Aida, and rescued the agents inside.
Lighthouse: At the request of Deke Shaw, Peterson went to the Lighthouse and helped Coulson through his attempt to close the rift into the Fear Dimension. He then attended Leo Fitz and Jemma Simmons' wedding in the Lighthouse.
Prisons[]
Ian Quinn's Villa: Peterson was taken under Centipede's thrall and made to work for Ian Quinn at his villa. Skye attempted to save Peterson, but was captured before she could.
Michael Peterson shares the first name and many traits with the Michael Collins version of Deathlok in the comics. On the other hand, the Henry Hayes version of Deathlok was inspired by Peterson.
