"You remember that speech you used to give us, Nick, about how one man can accomplish anything once he realizes he can be something bigger? Well, now I am."
Jonathan "John" Garrett was a turncoat S.H.I.E.L.D. agent who joined HYDRA after being refused aid by S.H.I.E.L.D. when he was injured during a mission in Sarajevo. He survived his injury by becoming the first subject of the Project Deathlok. While maintaining his cover as a loyal S.H.I.E.L.D. agent, he used his own Level 7 clearance to give himself the moniker of the Clairvoyant, the mastermind behind the Centipede Project. During his time as an agent, he recruited Grant Ward into HYDRA and became a fatherly figure to him. During the HYDRA Uprising, Garrett revealed his betrayal, fled S.H.I.E.L.D. and then restarted the Centipede Project with the goal to recreate the life-saving drug of GH.325, which he desperately needed to heal his failing organs. He attempted to use the knowledge given to him by the drug to take over the world, but was stopped by Phil Coulson, Deathlok and Nick Fury in the Battle at Cybertek, and was subsequently vaporized by Coulson with the Peruvian 0-8-4.
John Garrett was recruited into S.H.I.E.L.D. after graduating with high test scores, as well as becoming a skilled pilot,[5] where he was assigned to serve under Nick Fury as his Supervising Officer.[2] Over the years, Garrett was partnered with Phil Coulson in many missions[1] and had a mission with Victoria Hand in Lisbon.[2]
Seeking Revenge[]
"I got fragged by an IED outside Sarajevo. When I radioed for medevac, I got nothing but an earful of excuses. That's when I realized I was more loyal to S.H.I.E.L.D. than S.H.I.E.L.D. was to me. So I decided if I made it out, if I survived, I was going to treat them the way they treated me. Then I stuffed my intestines back inside, duct taped myself shut and humped my way out."
In 1990, he stepped on an IED during a mission in Sarajevo, Yugoslavia. The blast left him in a mortally wounded state, and his calls for extraction were met with excuses. Realizing that he was more loyal to S.H.I.E.L.D. than S.H.I.E.L.D. was to him, Garrett swore that if he survived, he would treat S.H.I.E.L.D. in the same manner in which they treated him. Garrett moved his intestines back into place, duct-taped his wounds shut and made his own way to safety.
Garrett's own personal Cybertek injury file
Garrett survived those wounds, and would soon be recruited into HYDRA while maintaining his cover as a loyal S.H.I.E.L.D. agent. With the help of the Cybertek corporation, he became the first test subject in Project Deathlok, a project carried out by Garrett's new allies in HYDRA and Cybertek to build a super-soldier via cybernetic prostheses. Decades later, Garrett's organs would start failing, and his biomechanical parts would be the only thing that kept him alive.[3]
Garrett became the mastermind behind the Centipede Project, a science group dedicated to the creation of Super-Soldiers. Garrett, however, saw it as a means of finding a way to reverse his failing health. Garrett was also a mutual friend of fellow HYDRA agent Alexander Pierce and frequently contacted him for orders.[6] Garrett recruited Edison Po into Centipede, and for a time, Po was the project's only means of contact with Garrett, even while Po was in Havenworth Federal Penitentiary.[7] Garrett also recruited billionaire Ian Quinn.[8]
Using his access to personal files, psych evaluations, and other classified information, Garrett almost seemed to be able to read minds and foretell the future. Using this seeming ability, Garrett took on the alias of "The Clairvoyant" to those within Centipede. Garrett also recruited Carl Creel who was on S.H.I.E.L.D.'s gifted Index. Garrett was assigned to take him off the Index and terminate him. However, in reality, Garrett faked Creel's termination and recruited him into HYDRA as one of their assassins.[9]
"I work for a secret organization that's always looking to recruit young men like you." "And why should I trust you?" "You shouldn't. Don't trust anyone, ever, especially me."
In 1999, Garrett met Grant Ward in a Juvenile Detention Facility in Massachusetts, where he was serving time for burning down his family home with his brother inside. Garrett informed Ward that his brother wished to have him tried as an adult to get the maximum penalty. Garrett explained that he worked for a secret organization that was looking to recruit young men like him where no one would ever screw with him. He made him a one-time offer to join HYDRA when Ward agreed, Garrett's soldiers broke him out of prison.[3]
"Stop blaming me for your own failure, makes me not like you. You want it easy, go back to juvie. They'll give you three squares and a cot, confirm what your family believe, what everybody believes, that Grant Ward is weak and worthless."
Garrett took Grant Ward out to the Wyoming wilderness where they shoot ducks and Garrett discussed how he wished to retire out there one day in the future, while Ward continued to worry that the police might find him, although Garrett assured him that his brother and the rest of his family were happy to be rid of him. While Ward asked about S.H.I.E.L.D., Garrett informed him that he would be living him out in the wilderness for the next two months to fend for himself, leaving only Buddy as a company and no equipment to survive.
Garrett was instead sent overseas from the United States of America for six months, leaving Ward with no communication and expecting him to give up during this time. When Garrett finally returned he was impressed to find that Ward had made a camp for himself and had survived along with Buddy. Ward, however, was less pleased to see Garrett and pulled a shotgun out, threatening to blow his head off, while Garrett offered him tacos to make peace. Ward explained that although his first few weeks had been rough, he had survived by raiding campsites and stealing food and weapons.
While Garrett complimented Ward's efforts, telling him that he had stepped up in a big way and that he could not be prouder of him even if he was his own son, he quickly changed the mood as Garrett pulled out a pistol from the supposed bag of tacos and aimed it at Ward's chest. While Ward looked at the weapon in horror, Garrett explained that the gun was for his next lesson and fired four shots at Ward's camp with perfect accuracy before promising to train Ward ready to join S.H.I.E.L.D., handing him the gun and claiming that within two years Ward would be a better shot than he was.[3]
"It's gonna be hard when you get there. If you're gonna work within S.H.I.E.L.D. for HYDRA you can't ever get attached to anyone or anything, you have to fight that weakness in you." "Yes, sir." "Good. Now take care of Buddy and we'll get out of here."
For five years, Garrett taught Grant Ward how to survive at all costs, turning him into an expert marksman and fighter and giving him the emotional state to trust in nobody but him. While eating in their camp, Garrett told Ward the story of how he had gained his many cybernetic enhancements, noting that he had felt betrayed by S.H.I.E.L.D. and found new allies within HYDRA who had given him the chance to gain revenge against those who had left him to die.
Nearing the end of his training, Garrett succeeded in recruiting Ward into S.H.I.E.L.D. where he wanted him to work undercover as he secret HYDRA agent. While weapons training, Garrett informed Ward that he would be joining the S.H.I.E.L.D. Academy, Garrett ordered Ward to kill his dogBuddy.[3] Despite the toughness of the training, especially during the first few months, Ward developed an almost blind loyalty towards Garrett,[10][11] while Garrett always voiced his pleasure with Ward to other members of HYDRA, like Sunil Bakshi[12] and Gideon Malick whom he continued communication with.[13]
When several of Garrett's officers, including Agent Dan Monroe, began to ask the wrong questions or get too close to the truth during Garrett's "investigations" of Ian Quinn, Garrett had them eliminated.[1] One secret Garrett did not know was the truth of the mysterious resurrection of Phil Coulson after the Battle of New York, as that Level 10 file was beyond his own access. Garrett arranged for Coulson's capture by Centipede[14] and his interrogations by Edison Po and Raina and the painful use of a Theta Brain-Wave Frequency Machine, a device designed to bring out hidden or lost memories, but they were stopped before they could learn the truth.[15]
After Centipede Project delivered the latest Deathlok model, Garrett sought to have enslaved S.H.I.E.L.D. agent Mike Peterson outfitted with the latest technology. Arranging through Ian Quinn the purchase of a Cybertek Prosthetic Leg for Peterson through Cybertek, Garrett lured Coulson and his team to Italy. When Skye, a member of Coulson's Team, infiltrated Quinn's Italian mansion, Garrett ordered Quinn to shoot Skye twice in the stomach, forcing Coulson to seek out his own answers about his return in order to save Skye.[16]
"Let me be clear, you have no rights, you have no lawyer and the only thing keeping Agent Coulson from throwing you out this plane is the very weak heartbeat of the young agent downstairs, and the only incentive I have for not tearing your tongue out is you use it to answer my questions."
Once Phil Coulson had taken Ian Quinn into his custody on board the Bus, Garrett, along with his new S.H.I.E.L.D. protege Antoine Triplett, rendezvoused with Coulson under the pretense of being under orders to bring Quinn into S.H.I.E.L.D. custody, thus putting himself in the centre of Coulson's search. Once he arrived on the Bus, Garrett spoke to Coulson and explained his reasons for being there while also introducing him as one of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s best to Triplett.
Garrett ordered Triplett to collect Quinn while he spoke to Coulson in private. While Garrett joked that just because Nick Fury had given Coulson the Bus did not mean that he could disobey direct orders before admitting that his team had been chasing Quinn for months. Coulson told Garrett about Quinn shooting Skye, unaware that Garrett was the Clairvoyant who ordered the shooting and he really was talking to his enemy. Feigning shock, Garrett said that Quinn usually paid others to do his dirty work. Garrett then explained that he had lost three of his own Agents chasing Quinn, all of whom he had really killed himself including Dan Monroe, and told Coulson he would allow him to keep Quinn on the Bus until Skye's life could be saved.
Garrett and Coulson found Grant Ward and Antoine Triplett fighting over the protection of Quinn and soon broke up the fight, explaining that they had come to an agreement about how to proceed. Garrett jokingly commented that he could also be a sweet talker when he needed to be, noting that he had been able to talk Ward into many things during their time working together. Once Garrett and Ward had happily greeted each other, Garrett explained that saving Agent Skye was now their top priority as they believed that she could then also provide them with information about Quinn's activities.
Garrett joined Coulson in questioning Ian Quinn, who had just been brutally beaten by Melinda May earlier that same day. When Quinn tried to mock Garrett, he threatened to rip his tongue out. Garrett asked about Cybertek and the Project Deathlok, only for Quinn to joke about Skye's shooting, giving Garrett a reason to hit him. Unaware that he was talking to the Clairvoyant, Quinn explained that he was ordered to shoot Skye by the Clairvoyant and claimed that the Clairvoyant had given him the information to kill Garrett's men, but the one thing he didn't know is how Coulson had mysteriously returned to life after being killed by Loki.[17]
"Comms are down. There's too much mountain on top of us." "Trust me, it's better. You don't want them hearing the horrible death we're walking into. Humor, son. You Brits are too serious."
Garrett agreed to assist Phil Coulson on his raid of the Guest House in order to obtain the mysterious miracle drug called GH.325 as a part of Coulson's desperate effort to save Skye's life, hoping also to gain the answers he sought about his resurrection. However, Coulson was unaware he was leading to Garrett to the right location for him to get what he needed as part of his plan. Upon arriving they were treated to a message demanding they use a code to enter the base; but, none of them recognized it. With no other alternative, they blew open the door and entered the base, prepared for a violent firefight.[17]
Garrett prepares to enter a firefight
The team went down the elevator shaft, only to find the agents inside had shut off the lights and armed themselves. As they prepared for the fight, Garrett teased Leo Fitz while he was trying to communicate with Jemma Simmons about their chances of dying horribly during the mission, telling him that he should get a better sense of humor. Fitz assisted them in breaching the bullet-proof glass before they were quickly shot at by the guards inside the base. Taking cover, Garrett and the team assessed how many enemies they had to deal with and prepared to fight back against them as quickly as possible.
Garrett learns there's a bomb in the base
After a brief and fierce skirmish, both guards were killed, with Garrett shooting Beta in the gut while Alpha was wounded and attempted to escape. Just before he died, Alpha revealed that the facility was rigged with explosives. Garrett and Grant Ward agreed to stay behind in order to find and disarm the bomb while Coulson and Fitz explored the facility searching for GH.325. They soon learned that the bomb could not be disarmed in enough time and helped Fitz to escape back to the Bus with Ward and the drug before Garrett went searching for Coulson deep within the facility.[17]
While searching the facility for Phil Coulson, Garrett, unbeknownst to either Coulson or Leo Fitz, also took other drugs he could find in the hope of finding the correct one that had brought Coulson back from the dead and hid as many of them as he could in his vest. When Garrett eventually found Coulson, his friend had a look of confusion and horror upon his face as he had seen something hidden inside the facility which had clearly shaken him to his very core.
When Garrett explained that both Fitz and Ward had already taken the drug to Skye to try and save her life, Coulson begged them not to give it to her, with fear in his eyes. Garrett, however, managed to calm Coulson down and told him that they would tell her themselves but first, they had to get out of the facility before the bombs exploded and they became buried in the rubble. Together they ran through the facility's corridors and up the escape stairway until they made it out of the facility and back onto the Bus moments before it imploded, allowing them to be flown into the air to safety.
They found Skye just after Jemma Simmons had injected her with the drug despite Coulson begging her not to. Simmons explained that Skye was already dying so the drug could not do any harm and the group watched as Skye had a sudden and violent seizure before calming down, with Antoine Triplett confirming that the drug had seemingly steadied her heart-rate. Melinda May asked Garrett about what had happened inside the base and Garrett explained that he did not know as Coulson had been fine one moment and the next it was like he had seen some kind of a ghost down there.[17]
With the mission a success, Garrett and Antoine Triplett spoke to Ian Quinn in his cell and explained that all the Clairvoyant's predictions were false and that Quinn would now be arrested for attempting to murder an unarmed girl, noting that they had recorded him admitting to it. Quinn asked what the good news was that Garrett had promised him and was told that the only good news was that he still had his tongue. As he was leaving with Quinn, Phil Coulson thanked Garrett for his assistance.
Garrett then asked if Coulson was really prepared to throw Quinn off the plane if Skye hadn't made it, and Coulson simply claimed that it was Garrett who had made the threat. Garrett then left the Bus and ensured Quinn was locked away in the Fridge.[17]Skye managed to recover from her wounds; she informed them of everything she saw in Ian Quinn's Villa, especially the survival of Mike Peterson and the Cybertek Prosthetic Leg acquired by Quinn. Every S.H.I.E.L.D. agent in the United States was later informed about Peterson, and Garrett's Team were appointed as a running point in his search.[18]
"We've narrowed the list to thirteen candidates." "Narrowed it how? From what?" "Agent Garrett has been taking a second look at S.H.I.E.L.D.'s gifted Index, specifically the rejects." "Individuals S.H.I.E.L.D. interviewed who are believed to have psychic abilities but were ultimately dismissed."
Hoping to throw off Phil Coulson's search for the Clairvoyant, Garrett arranged for himself and Agent Antoine Triplett to be attacked inside a S.H.I.E.L.D. Safe House. Having completed a mission, Garrett and Triplett, the latter being unaware of the incoming danger, shared a drink and discussed the quality of the different Safe Houses they had visited over the years. Triplett took a moment to question if Garrett honestly believed that the Clairvoyant had been investigated and rejected by S.H.I.E.L.D. in the past and he claimed that he did.
Just as Garrett was expressing his hope that the Clairvoyant was not the Amazing Kreskin, there was a sudden security breach as then Deathlok charged inside to attack them. As soon as Deathlok arrived, Garrett and Triplett shot at him with their I.C.E.R.s but Deathlok's enhanced armor allowed him to withstand the attacks, even when Triplett fired two shots with the Taser Projectile Launcher. Seeing that he was outmatched, Deathlok used his Cybertek Prosthetic Leg to escape by jumping through the ceiling after the attack leaving Garrett and Triplett in a state of shock about the sudden attack.
Garrett gave Coulson several false leads from S.H.I.E.L.D.'s Index of gifted individuals as suspects for the Clairvoyant's identity. Garrett and Triplett joined Victoria Hand as well as Jasper Sitwell and Felix Blake on board the Iliad where they met with Coulson's Team on the Bus to discuss what should be done about the Clairvoyant. As soon as they arrived, Garrett defused a potentially volatile situation between the agents by joking that if a fight broke out he would take on Blake which got a laugh. Coulson informed the group that when the Bus was in the air they would all be briefed.
Garrett discusses the Clairvoyant's attacks
Unaware that the leads they had were, in fact, false ones that Garrett had leaked, Coulson's Team discussed the Clairvoyant's attacks, when Blake expressed his doubts on the concept, Coulson noted that his fight with Lorelei who could control minds had changed his own opinion. Garrett pretended that the Clairvoyant's foresight had kept him one step ahead of them all, while also acting as if Mike Peterson's survival and Project Deathlok was all a surprise to him, claiming to Hand that Deathlok's attack on him meant they were getting close to finding out his identity.
Together, they formulated a plan to investigate each suspect in teams of two to try to deceive the Clairvoyant. Garrett was also present as Skye was promoted to an official S.H.I.E.L.D. agent so that she could take charge of this mission. While Coulson sang her praises and explained why she had been given this honor, Garrett noted that her taking two gunshots to the gut from Ian Quinn was more impressive than anything Sitwell had done during his own career. While everyone went back to work, Garrett personally congratulated Skye before leaving her to speak with Grant Ward on their own.[1]
"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." "You ringing the bell or knocking?" "Knocking, of course."
While the plan was being worked out, Garrett spoke to Skye for the first time since her recovery as she explained the details of her plan for the mission. He introduced himself properly and asked her how she was feeling since being shot by Ian Quinn before showing her his own battle scars, included a third-degree burn and explaining how the burn itself did not hurt at all, but the area around the burn had caused him agony but noting a gutshot was worse.
Unaware that he ordered Quinn to shoot her and was indeed the Clairvoyant, Skye personally thanked Garrett for his part in saving her life and they discussed how Grant Ward was now her Supervising Officer; Garrett explained that Skye had changed Ward as joining Coulson's Team had given him something or someone to fight for. As he left for the mission, Garrett told Skye to no longer call him sir, as they were both S.H.I.E.L.D. agents. Garrett and Phil Coulson were teamed up together and they drove to investigate Noriko Sato believed to be the Clairvoyant due to her genius intelligence. En route Garrett told the story of a previous mission.
Coulson laughed when he realized that Garrett was telling a story about a mission had been on together; when Coulson told him that he had been making up sections, Garrett smiled and said that it made it a better story. As they approached the suspect's location, they were diverted down an alleyway and followed by another car. When they heard that another team had been attacked by Deathlok, Garrett and Coulson made their escape. Garrett had arranged for Deathlok to attack Melinda May and Felix Blake while they investigated Thomas Nash, resulting in Blake being wounded.
The teams regrouped on the Bus while Blake was being moved to a hospital. They discussed how Deathlok was much stronger than they originally believed as six shots did not stop him. Garrett commented that Nash was likely in hiding somewhere. Victoria Hand told them that this should not have happened as Blake and May should have had back up and the plan was flawed from the start. Garrett tried to reason with her but was ordered not to call her Vic anymore. Coulson reminded her that Blake was still alive and they now had a suspect in Nash; so Hand ordered him to get their teams ready.[1]
"Let's pack this freak off to the Fridge where he belongs." "Agent Garrett, look at me. Do you believe you can confine me anymore than this chair?" "Can somebody tell me how we turn that stupid voice thing off?"
They were able to track down Deathlok to an abandoned race track in Pensacola, Florida, due to a tracking round that Felix Blake had shot at him. Garrett joined Phil Coulson and Grant Ward. Garrett briefed his soldiers on what to expect during the fight, while Leo Fitz noted that the area was likely empty of civilians. With their weapons ready, Ward asked Garrett what their tactic would be and Garrett informed him they would be knocking on the door, which was their code for blasting down the doors and charging inside.
When his team raided the race track, Fitz used the Golden Retrievers to scan the area until Skye confirmed that Deathlok was inside the building. Garrett and the S.H.I.E.L.D. agents engaged in a firefight with Deathlok, who had orders not to kill anyone but used his own Forearm Rocket Launcher to distract Ward's team before running through the facility while Coulson gave chase. Garrett quickly caught up with Coulson and together they continued searching for Deathlok, while Fitz confirmed that there was somebody else down there close to them. During this raid, the decoy Clairvoyant that Garrett had also arranged named Thomas Nash was found and surrounded.
A controlled voice from the computer mocked Coulson's efforts to stop him, explaining that he had been unable to see how Coulson had returned to life as Coulson himself could not understand it. While Garrett noted that they should take Nash to the Fridge, Nash insisted that his chair was his prison and even threatened to slowly and painfully kill Skye until she gave him what he wanted. Coulson told Nash that he would be arrested, however, to ensure that Coulson's Team in not learn the truth, Garrett ordered Grant Ward to kill Nash, blaming it on Nash's insults driving Ward into a rage.
After the shooting of the fake Clairvoyant, Grant Ward was arrested and taken to the Bus for questioning. While the teams regrouped, Garrett spoke to Phil Coulson about the incident, Garrett said that Coulson may have done too good a job at making Ward a more compassionate agent, which was why Garrett had sent Ward to him in the first place. Garrett suggested that he escort Ward back to the Hub for debrief, but Coulson insisted that he wished to speak to him. With that Garrett left, claiming he would be going back on the hunt for Deathlok, promising to still keep Coulson updated.[1]
"I thought HYDRA was defeated after World War II." "It was. S.H.I.E.L.D. was founded in the wake of that victory." "And now they're back?" "HYDRA always comes back."
Concurrent to the launch of Project Insight and HYDRA's subsequent exposure to the world,[19] two UAVs were sent to attack Garrett's Jump Jet through orders from Victoria Hand. Seeing them in time, Garrett piloted his jet towards the Bus where he survived this incident with the help from Phil Coulson, who shot the missiles out of the sky. Garrett then learned that Coulson's plane was being rerouted to the Hub under Hand's orders although they did not know why.
Garrett returned once again onto the Bus and Coulson's Team after being saved from the UAVs, furiously questioning what had just happened although Coulson explained that they had no idea. While their plane was being forced towards the Hub, the team made the discovery that S.H.I.E.L.D. had now been infiltrated by HYDRA, and theorized that Hand was the true Clairvoyant who had been manipulating them all throughout their missions, with Garrett feigning shock and noting that they thought Grant Ward killing Thomas Nash had ended the recent threats of the Clairvoyant's attacks against them.
The team then discussed HYDRA, with Leo Fitz noting that the original HYDRA, led by Red Skull was destroyed in World War II, with Garrett questioning what their motto was. Having discussed the concept that HYDRA had now indeed infiltrated their organization, Garrett recommended that they all escape the Bus while they still had a chance and live to fight another day; however, Fitz demanded that they save Jemma Simmons and Antoine Triplett who were both still at the Hub and likely in danger, so Garrett then recommended using Ward who had been locked away.
Upon landing at the Hub, Hand's soldiers used the Overkill Device to take out the ship's guns while Garrett updated Ward on what was happening, telling him that Coulson's team mistakenly believed Hand was the Clairvoyant. They were then forced to hide as the entire Bus was shot at by the agents outside who shattered the glass. Having been told by Melinda May that Nick Fury had been killed by the Winter Soldier, Garrett and Ward discussed if this was possible, with Garrett noting Fury had proven to be a hard man to kill before questioning if they needed to hide anything from Hand.[2]
"We had a good thing going too, waving the S.H.I.E.L.D. flag as hard as we could. I guess we'll be changing colors now." "For HYDRA? You really believe all that crap, spreading death and destruction?" "I wouldn't say I'm a true believer. Let's just say I felt the wind changing direction and swung my sail."
Once landed at the Hub, Garrett aided Phil Coulson and his team into successfully sneaking past all Victoria Hand's men, who had been ordered to open fire on the Bus' crew. With Hand's soldiers using a Pick-Lock Device to break onto the Bus, Garrett and Leo Fitz left a small grenade behind to distract them while they made their escape. Using the Mouse Hole designed by Fitz, the team was able to successfully get off the plane without detection, as Garrett and Fitz discussed the Mouse Hole, Garrett noted that devices like that would have been taken by top brass.
When Phil Coulson came to believe that Victoria Hand was the true Clairvoyant, Garrett encouraged the notion and also attempted to convince Coulson that she should now be executed, noting how the Clairvoyant had nearly killed Mike Peterson, although Coulson still insisted she should first be questioned. This, however, backfired when Garrett mentioned Raina being subjected to the machine used on Coulson during his own capture; something that Coulson had never mentioned. Coulson then realized the reason behind Garrett's coincidental appearance: he had led the Clairvoyant to the GH.325 drug.
Garrett then realized he unintentionally exposed himself as the Clairvoyant, an agent of HYDRA, and the traitor. After a group Hand's guards entered, Coulson ordered them to arrest Garrett for being the Clairvoyant. However, knowing that he exposed his true nature, Garrett ordered the ones recruited by another HYDRA agent, Jasper Sitwell, to kill their colleagues. Four of Hand's guards, who were revealed to be Hydra agents, obeyed Garrett by killing the other four guards, leading to Garrett officially revealing his betrayal and true allegiance. Garrett held Coulson and all of his teammates as captives. He then confessed to killing Dan Monroe and noted that the fact that Nick Fury had been killed meant he must have learned the truth. He began mocking the group, promising them all painful deaths, although he still offered Leo Fitz a chance to work for HYDRA, which Fitz bravely refused, promising to kill Garrett himself someday soon.
While Coulson noted that Fury would have killed Garrett for such betrayal against S.H.I.E.L.D., Garrett only mockingly noted that all Fury could do now was roll over in his grave. Garrett noted how he could have had Edison Po kill Coulson when he had the chance but did not because he still viewed Coulson as his friend. Garrett then ordered his men to execute Coulson's Team, telling them to only shoot Fitz in the kneecaps. With thanks to Grant Ward and Skye, however, the power was cut out in the room and Coulson attacked Garrett while Melinda May fought the other agents.
With both Garrett and Coulson soon proving to be equally matched, Garrett managed to take advantage in the fight and attempted to plunge a knife into Coulson's throat to kill him. Coulson, however, was able to use a Thunderstick to knock out Garrett, ending the fight. Garrett was arrested by Hand and her loyal S.H.I.E.L.D. agents. As Garrett was being escorted out, Antoine Triplett screamed at him, horrified by his betrayal and part in Dan Monroe's murder. It was then confirmed by Hand afterwards that Garrett would now be taken to the Fridge, Ward asked to personally ensure he is locked away.
While being transported to the Fridge, however, Garrett stayed silent while Chaimson and Jacobson sat on either side of him to keep him from breaking free. Victoria Hand mocked the fact that he was no longer telling his trademark stories seemingly due to his situation. Hand then turned to Grant Ward and asked him if he would like to kill the real Clairvoyant and drop his corpse off the Quinjet to disappear into the mountains, instead of Thomas Nash who she believed Ward was unaware was an innocent man. However, Garrett just locked eyes with both Ward and Hand, waiting for his chance.
Ward stood up and loaded his gun while Hand smugly waited to see Garrett get a bullet in his skull, and immediately shot and killed two S.H.I.E.L.D. agents guarding Garrett, Chaimson, and Jacobson. Ward then turned his gun on Hand and shot her once in the gut then twice in the back of the head, killing her. Ward and Garrett looked at each other in the eye to celebrate their victory. The pair then made their escape, taking control of the Quinjet while Garrett happily told one of his old war stories while flying them to a HYDRA base to hide out and continue their plans to build an unstoppable army.[2]
"You're not clairvoyant?" "Hardly. But if it's any consolation, you weren't alone in believing, not by a long shot." "So you're a liar. You're a fraud." "An artist. A con artist, perhaps, but an artist all the same."
Having successfully escaped arrest from S.H.I.E.L.D., Garrett's next plan of action was to strengthen his HYDRA arsenal. Once he had established a base of operations at the Barbershop Headquarters in Havana, Cuba, Garrett managed to have Raina released from prison with aid from Grant Ward and had her brought to the base. He introduced himself to Raina, who still believed he was a Clairvoyant and claimed that she was honored to finally meet him.
Garrett explained to her that he was not, assuring her that she was not the only one to have been fooled. Raina was mortified at having been deceived and called Garrett a liar and a fraud, although Garrett claimed that he was an artist or at the very least a con artist as he had been forced to use whatever means he had to trick S.H.I.E.L.D. Garrett then complimented Raina on the work she had done for the Centipede Project and reminded her that their goal was always to change the world. Garrett welcomed her into HYDRA and showed her their underground hideout and laboratories.
While they were working out a plan to Raid the Fridge, Grant Ward received a phone call from Skye. Garrett sat down and listened as Skye informed him that Ward's identity had been erased from all S.H.I.E.L.D. files for his safety. When Ward hung up, Garrett teased him over his S.H.I.E.L.D. personality, although he did not that not even Natasha Romanoff could pull it off as well as Ward had, noting Agent Ward's apparent fondness for the New England Patriots. When Ward expressed his disappointment over Garrett arranging for Skye to be shot, Garrett reminded him that he should not have developed feelings for her and ordered him not to forget his mission.
They both then spoke to Raina and Garrett informed her that he was putting her back in charge of the Centipede Project to finish what they had started. Raina questioned how Phase Three could now be completed since they had failed to learn how Phil Coulson came back from the dead, so Garrett informed her that his science team had been continuing the experiments using GH.325 which seemingly had been used to save Coulson. Raina agreed to help and Garrett informed her that her bank accounts had been filled with cash ready for whatever equipment she would need, Grant Ward then gave her Skye's hard-drive filled with all the information needed.
Garrett gives orders to his team of soldiers
Garrett and his team prepared for the Raid of the Fridge, gathering all the guns and ammunition they would need. Garrett spoke to one of his commanders, Kaminsky about the mission and was informed that although they were outnumbered, HYDRA had successfully stolen a helicopter that could be used during the raid. Delighted to be a part of the mission, Kaminsky raised his arms and gave the HYDRA salute, exclaiming "Hail HYDRA." However, Garrett mocked him for his over-enthusiasm before going to his soldiers and inspecting all their weapons and giving them their mission orders.[20]
"It's all here. Slingshot's a fake." "We shot a lot of empty rockets into space. And maybe every once in a while, they put a monkey in one for kicks. You really think Fury would give away all these goodies? We're talking about the same guy that messed around with Tesseract technology and sparked an alien invasion."
Garrett posed as a prisoner and flew to the Fridge. He was escorted to the door by Grant Ward who demanded entry, claiming to be delivering Garrett to his cell. When the guards refused to let them in as Victoria Hand was not present, a S.H.I.E.L.D. Helicopter was called to shoot at them until the guards were forced to open the doors to save their lives. Once they were safe inside, Garrett revealed they had been the ones to call HYDRA so Ward shot the guards before Garrett unleashed gas into the base to knock out the other S.H.I.E.L.D. guards.
Once all of the S.H.I.E.L.D. Guards inside the base had been taken out, Garrett personally oversaw the HYDRA infiltration mission to retrieve secret S.H.I.E.L.D. weaponry from the Fridge. His previous experience in the facility and great knowledge of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s many secrets helped them uncover many hidden weapons. As they then explored the facility Garrett told Ward of the first time he came to the facility escorting John Horton who transformed his hands into lion paws, which caused Garrett to laugh while Ward questioned the logistics of this concept.
Garrett explained to Ward that the Slingshot Program had always been a fake and that Nick Fury had instead kept all the weapons that had seemingly been destroyed, which were now being kept inside the Fridge for future research, including weapons that had been taken from the Chitauri Invasion as well as different otherworldly conflicts. Garrett was able to obtain weapons such as the Berserker Staff and the 0-8-4 found in Peru, telling his men to search for anything either dangerous or alien so they could be included in their ever-expanding armory for their war against S.H.I.E.L.D.
Garrett personally took the 0-8-4 through the base which he used to destroy many of the walls inside the facility to gain access to more sections and hidden rooms faster. Garrett used the 0-8-4 to release the Fridge's full population of prisoners, including Marcus Daniels, as a means of keeping Phil Coulson busy so he would be unable to track him down. Before long, however, Garrett learned that S.H.I.E.L.D. had discovered their activities and were on their way to retake the Fridge from Garrett's HYDRA unit, forcing Garrett to order his men to pack up the weapons they had stolen quickly.
As his team prepared to leave the facility with their stolen weaponry, Garrett found Ward preparing to shoot a hole in the ground floor of the base. Garrett insisted there was nothing there, noting that he had researched the schematics of the base. However, Ward confidently bet him there was as he knew Coulson had hidden something special down below, pricing the bet with dinner, which he noted would be better than the food provided on the Bus. As it turned out Ward was right and they located and stole the Gravitonium as Garrett and Ward happily looked down at their new weapon.[20]
"Heart wants what it wants, can't control everything. So if you can do it the easy way without blowing your cover then by all means." "I just need some time alone with her to get the information." "You'll have it, Coulson will be busy. I'll give you twenty four hours to get the password and get out. After that, well, cross off the team and bring the girl to me."
Having discovered that Phil Coulson and his team had fled to the S.H.I.E.L.D. base Providence which had been given to him by Nick Fury before Fury had been assassinated by the Winter Soldier. Garrett ordered Grant Ward to return to his old team to once again pose as an ally to Coulson and to obtain passcodes from Skye, who encrypted the data pertaining to the GH.325 drugs on a hard drive. Garrett gave Ward just twenty-four hours to get the password, ordering that if he failed he would kill the entire team and bring Skye to him for questioning.
Garrett knew that Coulson would learn that the Fridge had been raided and would likely be dealing with the escaped inmates such as Blackout, so he ensured that Ward's cover story was believable. He punched Ward repeatedly in the face to give him accurate battle wounds, repeatedly asking him who he was, to which Ward said he was a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent, forcing this concept into Ward's mind once again.[20] This tactic was successful as Coulson's team believed that Garrett had been killed from a false report given by Ward about the Raid of the Fridge.[6]
"Do you know what my life was like before I met you? It was really nice. But because of you, I've had my assets frozen. I've been beaten. You almost ripped my tongue out of my mouth!" "But I didn't. I'm regretting that now."
Garrett arranged for Ian Quinn to be freed from prison and brought to the Barbershop Headquarters. When Quinn arrived he immediately confronted Garrett over his arrest and the poor treatment he had endured while within the prison, Quinn claimed that his life was really enjoyable before he met Garrett but now he had lost almost all his money and had endured repeated beatings and humiliation. When Quinn commented on how Garrett had nearly ripped his tongue out of his mouth, Garrett said that he wished he had now while Quinn insisted that he would never do anything else for Garrett.
Quinn then said that Raina had informed him that Garrett was not a Clairvoyant, but had not revealed the reason he had been brought to the base. Garrett revealed that he was giving Quinn the Gravitonium, Quinn then agreed to join HYDRA. In an attempt to maintain his cover and complete his mission, Ward was forced to murder Eric Koenig, the guardian of Providence and escape with Skye. However, due to a message left by Skye and an autopsy report on Koenig by Jemma Simmons, Coulson and Antoine Triplett figured out that Ward lied and that Garrett was alive. Meanwhile, Garrett sent Deathlok to tail Ward to assure that he completed his mission.
When Skye attempted to escape, Ward and Deathlok took her on board the Bus and tried to force her to open the Hard-drive, when this failed, Garrett ordered Deathlok to threaten Ward's life by using a Heart Stopper to give him a heart attack. This gave Skye the incentive to open the hard-drive and give Garrett the information he desired; however, Skye later was rescued by Phil Coulson.[21]
"You scared me. Hasn't happened like that for a while." "Yes, it has. Been happening more and more. Biomechanics are fine, it's my organs that are failing." "What are you saying, John?" "I'm dying. Cybertek team gives me a month, two tops."
In order to show off his strength, so he would be a more desirable purchase for the United States Armed Forces, Garrett ordered Deathlok to publicly assassinate Alejandro Castillo, despite the ties that the infamous drug lord had with HYDRA. Garrett later personally congratulated Peterson on his successful mission before ordering Kyle Zeller to send him a video of his son as a reward. Grant Ward then confronted Garrett over ordering Deathlok to nearly killing him, before they spoke to Raina. She informed them that she was now getting closer to duplicating the GH.325 to complete the Deathlok Soldiers.
While sat in Phil Coulson's former office, Ward once again confronted Garrett over Deathlok's near assassination of him to get into the Coulson's Team Hard Drive, insisting that ever since they met he had done everything he had asked of him. Garrett reminded him that they both knew Skye would have never allowed Ward to die, noting that Ward himself had called her a soft touch. When Ward insisted that he was not the same child left in the forest years before, Garrett insulted Ward, calling him a weak child who still plays the victim and even questioned why he had ever even bothered to train him.
Garrett admits he's dying from organ failure
Midway through their argument, however, Garrett's cybernetic parts began to fail, putting him into cardiac arrest. Ward took Garrett into the lab and performed an operation to fix his upgrades and save his life, ordering everyone including Raina to leave so he could work in peace. Once he had stabilized, Garrett confessed to Ward that near-death moments were happening more often and that his cybernetic implants were not the issue, as it was his own organs that were failing, slowly killing him and his Cybertek scientists had given him two months to live at most, much to Ward's dismay.
Now recovered, Garrett and Ward met with Ian Quinn inside their Barbershop Headquarters to discuss the next step in their plan. When Garrett commented that Quinn was the new poster-boy for HYDRA Ward commented that was an international fugitive, but Quinn argued that he had only been accused by S.H.I.E.L.D. who had now been destroyed. Quinn informed them the assassination in Bogota had buyers looking to buy Deathlok Soldiers, whom Quinn would be speaking to in Washington. While Grant Ward went to get updates from Raina, Garrett had a haircut from Ernesto.
As the Barbershop Headquarters was being packed away, Garrett made eye-contact with Raina and commented to Ward how she unnerved him. They agreed it was her eyes and Garrett asked what she had texted him about, Ward told him she was questioning Garrett's decision to move the lab. Raina came over and gave Garrett the small vial of GH.325 for him to keep hold of during the flight, she explained that she had been successful in recreating it after mixing all the toxins together and it would heal and regenerate dying cells in the body, although there was only the one vial left.[3]
Ward brought his new hostages on board the Bus and straight to Garrett, who immediately began mocking the pair. Fitz insisted that this was his plane and he wanted it back, but Garrett only laughed at the concept, noting that Phil Coulson and the rest of his S.H.I.E.L.D. team were likely searching through the Barbershop Headquarters and ordered his men to contact Kaminsky to be ready for an ambush. Garrett then ordered his men to get the plane in the air as soon as possible, while also reminding Fitz that he had already given Fitz an opportunity to join HYDRA which he had rejected.
He began to walk away until Fitz employed an EMP Joy Buzzer which short-circuited Garrett's mechanical enhancements. Realizing what had happened, Grant Ward ran over and tried to help his mentor, grabbing the medical units which would normally restart the machinery. While Fitz insulted Garrett, claiming that he was glad that he had done it and begged Ward to let Garrett die, Garrett stared Fitz in the eye and told him that they had both signed their own death warrants. Ward ignored Fitz's pleas and ordered that they both be taken out of the room so he could work in peace.
Garrett, believing he was dying, gave Ward what he thought could be his final order, to execute his own friends Fitz and Simmons. When Ward hesitated to claim that there was plenty of time to do this and he would not leave his side, Garrett asked if it was a weakness, reminding Ward of his training. Garrett insisted that he had cheated death plenty of times before and he would again, and Ward left to deal with his order. Leaving Garrett with Raina, Ward left and found Fitz and Simmons hiding in the Medical Pod and threw them both out of the plane into the sea to their supposed deaths.
The GH.325 was synthesized by fellow HYDRA soldiers. Garrett revealed that he wanted the drug because his organs were failing and he had not gained strength because his own body was too close to death; the Extremis was keeping him alive. Raina ultimately injected the drug into Garrett's Extremis. At first, it appeared to have no effect until suddenly Garrett's entire body began to spasm and his skin began to glow gold. When it stopped, Garrett felt his whole body getting stronger and his mind expanding. Ward asked him how he felt, Garrett answered by claiming that he felt the universe.[3]
"Ward's concerned you're going mad." "The drug didn't just strengthen my body, it gave me clarity of mind. It gave me a vision of the world that's waiting under the surface of this world. You don't think that's mad, do you?"
Garrett later received a call from Kyle Zeller at Cybertek that the Barbershop Headquarters had been attacked by S.H.I.E.L.D. and many of their soldiers had been buried under the rubble. Now changed by the drug, Garrett ignored the call and used his increased strength to rip off a door of the Bus and began writing the Words of Creation on the door with a nail. He had his sanity questioned by Grant Ward, but Garrett told him that he was fine; he had just had too many ideas in his head which he needed to write down.
He then took some time to stare at the Gravitonium, which had once reminded him of a lava lamp; now he claimed to be able to see its true potential. While he was there, Raina came to speak to him. She claimed to have been disappointed that he was not clairvoyant, but now he claimed that the truth was written on the back of his eyes. He began to rant about not only having been given a stronger body by the GH.325 drug, but now being able to see visions of the future and read Raina's mind. Raina took the opportunity to ask him the question she needed answered; what she would become.
Coulson's Team attacked Cybertek Manufacturing Facility where Garrett's team was based. Garrett then interrupted the tour that Ian Quinn was giving to members of the United States Armed Forces where Quinn was trying to pitch the Deathlok Soldiers as the future of the military, with Garrett bringing both Ward and Deathlok as his own protection. Quinn attempted to introduce Garrett as their strategy consultant, but Garrett instead continued to mock and threaten the generals while also claiming that he had the power to see into the future, leading to the General's questioning his sanity.
When Jacobs demanded to know why he heard gunfire, Garrett threatened him again and demanded that he both shut his mouth and give them everything they wanted. When Jacobs claimed that threatening him was a bad mistake, Garrett became bored and eventually killed Jacobs by punching through his stomach and ripping out one of his ribs. When the horrified Ward questioned why he had done this Garrett claimed this was to be the beginning of the end before stabbing Jacobs in the neck with his own torn out rib, while the mortified Jolnes could only look on.[22]
"If you tell me this whole HYDRA path thing you took is because you misheard my damn "one man" speech..." "I am the key to the future of the universe. I'm the origin of all things."
As the facility came under attack, Grant Ward became more and more frustrated at Garrett's seemingly lost sense of reality; Ward demanded orders but only got riddles and jokes at which point Ward lost his temper and demanded that Garrett snap out of his and come back to reality. Their conversation was interrupted when Garrett received a phone call from Skye, who informed him that S.H.I.E.L.D. had taken over Cybertek and had also taken Kyle Zeller, who they now knew to be loyal to HYDRA only by force, hostage.
Garrett responded to the S.H.I.E.L.D. victory by cruelly mocking Skye about Leo Fitz's and Jemma Simmons' seeming deaths, to which Skye immediately hung up the phone. Garrett then turned to Ward and told him that the orders he wanted so badly were to collect Skye and bring her to him, which Ward thanked him for. Garrett then turned to Deathlok, reminding him that like the other Deathlok Soldiers his orders were to never leave his side; Garrett mocked his bodyguard by claiming that he loved him too, despite being fully aware of the torment Deathlok was suffering throughout.
As the shooting stopped across the base, Garrett heard the sound of the Noisemaker and ordered Deathlok to investigate. While Garrett had his back turned, however, Phil Coulson was eventually able to sneak up behind Garrett and attacked him; hitting him hard across the jaw. Garrett, however, was unaffected by Coulson's hard punch and responded by fighting back with his incredible new strength from the Extremis in his veins, sending Coulson flying across the room with a single punch, while Garrett's Deathlok Soldiers arrived and began shooting at him while Coulson crawled towards cover.
Coulson was able to gain the upper hand; however, when he finally re-emerged from cover armed with the Destroyer Armor Prototype Gun, given to him by Nick Fury and promptly shot all of the Centipede Soldiers, subduing them while Garrett looked on with amusement. When the Destroyer gun ran out of power, Fury charged forward and shot Garrett multiple times in the chest with little effect. As Garrett stood back up alongside Deathlok, smiling about the men's failed attempts to even slow him down, noting the amusing situation that all four of them had seemingly died and come back at various points.
Garrett continued to rant about his new greater understanding of the universe, with Coulson and Fury commenting on how crazy Garrett had become ever since he had been injected with the GH.325. When Garrett tried to quote back one of Fury's speeches, Fury informed him that he had been getting it wrong the entire time, questioning if he had only joined HYDRA because he had misheard his speech. Garrett attempted to continue his rant about his new power, but Coulson and Fury ignored him and discussed their understanding of the speech's true meaning, much to Garrett's annoyance.
Garrett ordered his bodyguard, Deathlok, to aim his weapons at Fury and Coulson. Unfortunately for Garrett, he was unaware Deathlok was receiving messages from Skye who she had freed his son, enabling him to switch sides. Garrett was incapacitated by Deathlok using his Forearm Rocket Launcher. As Garrett lay injured on the floor, he attempted to crawl towards his gun and ordered Deathlok to stand down, calling on Coulson for help. Coulson did nothing and Garrett was crushed with Deathlok's prosthetic leg, seemingly killing him, as Deathlok started acting on his own orders.[22]
As S.H.I.E.L.D. believed Garrett had been killed in the attack, as his heart had seemingly stopped when Deathlok had attempted to crush him under his Cybertek Prosthetic Leg; however, he had survived due to the Extremis in his veins, despite major injuries including terrible burns to his face and body. Garrett dragged his wounded body from his coffin and managed to kill the only S.H.I.E.L.D. scientist who was looking at him. With his own body nearly completely destroyed, Garrett knew that now his only means of survival were to upgrade himself using the technology that Ian Quinn had been working on for their recent projects.
Garrett upgrades his cybernetic parts
Garrett managed to pull himself across the room with great difficulty and used the Project Deathlok Installer to replace his body parts with all the top level prosthetic parts that Ian Quinn had designed, similar to Deathlok's own armor, complete with Cybertek Prosthetic Leg and Forearm Rocket Launcher which turned him into the ultimate killing machine. The procedure was a success, but the transformation caused Garrett immense pain and caused him to scream in agony and the parts were drilling into his own flesh and muscles. However, Garrett's desire to survive helped him overcome the pain.
Once Garrett stood up proudly with his new powers and upgraded body-armor, which increased his strength and durability to incredible levels, he believed himself to now be completely unstoppable and talked to himself about the importance of ensuring that operatives of HYDRA were definitely killed. However, before he could escape and continue HYDRA's campaign of chaos, he was instantly extinguished by Phil Coulson with the Peruvian 0-8-4, leaving a puddle of blood where Garrett had stood just moments earlier.[22]
Legacy[]
Grant Ward's Future[]
"I thought it might be John Garrett, but his vanity led him to think of nothing but himself." "John Garrett is the only reason I put my faith in HYDRA." "And that is the greatest thing he ever achieved for our cause."
With Garrett finally dead, Grant Ward was taken into custody by S.H.I.E.L.D.[9] where he eventually escaped and joined forces with Daniel Whitehall and Sunil Bakshi, another one of the heads of HYDRA, with Bakshi being an ally of Garrett's.[23] Eventually Ward left HYDRA and worked with Agent 33, whom he told of his abusive time with Garrett.[24] Meanwhile Phil Coulson dealt with a former ally of Garrett's, the Absorbing Man who was now working with Bakshi.[9] Ward eventually pushed his career in HYDRA even further by becoming the Director and working with Gideon Malick who also knew Garrett.[25] However Malick eventually used Ward as the host for Hive, something Malick had considered using Garrett for, but had deemed him to be too self-centered.[13]
Personality[]
Initial Personality[]
"I never had any gifts, at least not the kind you believed in. Just a very high level S.H.I.E.L.D. security clearance and persuasive personality."
John Garrett initially appeared to be a man of honor and principles, garnering respect, trust and even friendship from numerous high-ranking agents and operatives of S.H.I.E.L.D., such as Phil Coulson and Nick Fury due to his Clearance Level 7 and devotion to S.H.I.E.L.D. He had a tendency to live in his war stories and was constantly retelling them. Nonetheless, Garrett would torture informants to get information from them, as when Ian Quinn mocked him during an interrogation, he threatened to rip out his tongue, allowing his immorality to slip through his facade.
Garrett was first and furthermost a survivor and as such, disregarded loyalty or attachment to anything due to having been loyal to S.H.I.E.L.D. previously and being disregarded as an asset. After being left to die with no assurance or backup, he survived by himself and this left him with numerous battle scars, leaving him in constant agony. This also enforced him to believe the only way to survive is by relying on himself alone and doing what is necessary, no matter how ruthless it may be. This allowed him to defect to HYDRA, betray and later torture his friends and submit himself to the Project Deathlok which enhanced his health but had negative effects on his sanity. Garrett only chose HYDRA for a personal reason and claims to not be a true believer of the foundation or beliefs that the organization was built upon, similar to his Protégé, Grant Ward, but he was loyal enough to assist HYDRA's and his own goals, simultaneously.
Despite his true allegiances, he was not above forming genuine friendships but his lack of morals and desperation to save himself allowed him to easily betray or kill people he respected or even slightly care about. After his betrayal, he admitted to Coulson that he genuinely considered him a friend and took no joy in submitting him to pin and torture. He has expressed a respect for other members of Coulson's Team, telling Skye there was no need to call him "sir" and affectionately patting Leo Fitz on the side over him promising he would play a vital part in Garrett's demise. In reality, Garrett had no emotional attachment to anyone due to strongly believing that compassion is a weakness in itself and trained Ward in these ways.
Many people under Garrett's servitude, namely Ward, have immense loyalty and dedication to Garrett himself rather than the cause he serves under, displaying impressive charismatic abilities. However, he was extremely manipulative and willing to change his character to take advantage of the needs of the person he was fooling. With Ward, he acts as a father-figure for the troubled young man, on account of sensing he was in need of one and preyed on this remorselessly in order to get him to join HYDRA. A toxic and abusive paternal figure towards Ward, Garrett utterly refused to allow him to feel attachment to anything and would manipulate Ward's loyalty towards him to abandon and kill whatever he may have cared about to please him, although it never did work as he expected, as exemplified by Ward's pet Buddy and friends Fitz and Jemma Simmons, whom he admitted he cared about before ejecting the two of them from a plane. He was not above emotionally blackmailing a person, such as what he did with Kyle Zeller, or threatening children by kidnapping Ace Peterson to force Deathlok into helping him.
Altered Personality[]
"You didn't tell me he'd gone this crazy." "He's really stepped it up a notch."
To avoid his death, Garrett injected himself with GH.325, which radically changed his personality: he became more arrogant and insane and began to lose touch with reality, claiming to feel "the universe" and prophesying "the end," among other bizarre and at times incoherent statements. The Kree formula caused him to view the coming Inhumans, such as Raina and Skye, as the next step of evolution and that the world would be theirs after the humans were killed, something which Garrett attempted to assist with using his Centipede Soldiers. His apparent madness was so great that even Grant Ward, his most loyal follower, began to question him, and Nick Fury and Phil Coulson were astonished at how drastically the serum had diminished his sanity.
Powers and Abilities[]
Powers[]
"He's flexing his new muscles. He has every ounce of our research coursing through his veins. He feels good."
Artificially Enhanced Physiology: John Garrett had to use the Centipede Device to keep himself alive, and despite its properties, he was unable to gain the powers the Centipede Serum granted until he was injected with GH.325, which managed to heal all the internal injuries he sustained and improve a condition that had been worsening over the years.
Enhanced Strength: Through the Centipede Serum, Garrett gained a considerable amount of strength, enough to send Phil Coulson across a room with a single punch, or to carve a hole in the chest of another. He impaled General Jacobs with his barehand and lifted him up, tearing out one of his ribs and proceeding to stab him with it. He effortlessly pulled a sealed laboratory door off its hinges, greatly impressing Grant Ward and Ian Quinn. After receiving further cybernetic enhancements, Garrett's physical strength was multiplied ten times, according to Quinn, though he had no chance to test it.
Enhanced Durability: Once injected with the GH.325 and mixed with the Centipede Serum, Garrett was able to withstand a punch to the face without strain, a full magazine of handgun shots by Nick Fury, and even the direct explosion of a rocket in his chest, something that, though left him badly wounded, would have killed him before the enhancement. He also survived Deathlok stomping his face in. Only a laser from the Peruvian 0-8-4 by Phil Coulson was able to finally vaporize him.
Regenerative Healing Factor: The Centipede Serum that Garrett was using had an extra healing component in the form of Jiaying's DNA, which kept him alive for many years. However, upon being administered with GH.325, the Kree blood healed far more than the internal injuries that Garrett had sustained years before; its use through the Centipede Serum allowed him to permanently benefit from the healing properties of the drug. Garrett almost instantly healed from more than a dozen gunshots, and despite Deathlok stomping on Garrett's chest with his cybernetic leg, an injury which should have been fatal, Garrett was able to heal enough to survive until his ultimate death.
Abilities[]
"Coulson and I go way back, back to the days when Fury was teaching us tactics. Clearing corners, slicing the pie."
Master Marksman: Garrett was a highly trained marksman skilled in sharpshooting, and one of the best marksmen in the agency. He had such accuracy that he almost did not need to aim in order to shoot an immobile target. Garrett had also become an expert in gunfights, managing to overcome opponents using a diversion and approach them to shoot at point-blank range, as seen when he shot and killed Beta.
Expert Combatant: Garrett was skilled enough in hand-to-hand combat to give Phil Coulson a good fight, once his true allegiance to HYDRA was revealed, who defeated him using a Thunderstick.
Master Spy: Garrett spent years pretending to be a loyal agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. despite being a HYDRA operative. No one knew that he was the Clairvoyant; Ian Quinn predicted that shooting Skye would bring the Clairvoyant, but no one was suspicious of Garrett's subsequent arrival. Garrett also had Thomas Nash in place to deflect suspicion from himself.
Expert Pilot: Garrett was able to avoid the missiles of two S.H.I.E.L.D. UAVs that pursued him; Garrett was able to coordinate his piloting skills with Phil Coulson, who trained with him.
Garrett was provided a series of biomechanics to keep him alive due to his failed organs from an IED incident in Sarajevo.
Centipede Device: Garrett was outfitted with an internal device that injected him a serum based on Abraham Erskine's Super Soldier Serum mixed with gamma radiation and the Extremis formula. Given his condition, the serum was not as effective on Garrett as it was on other subjects, and it simply helped him to stay alive until he was cured by the GH.325.
Forearm Rocket Launcher: Garrett was also installed with two rocket launchers on to his forearms, allowing him to fire guided mini-rockets at his targets.
Other Equipment[]
Pick-Lock Device: A little explosive that Garrett used to enter a secure room inside the Fridge, where the items that supposedly had been sent to space through the Slingshot were being kept.
Bus: Garrett boarded the Bus to help Phil Coulson in his search for the Guest House, where he greeted Coulson's team. As the base exploded, he rushed back onto the Bus, which he then left with Ian Quinn. Garrett later returned to the Bus to help Coulson track down the Clairvoyant, and again after being attacked by other S.H.I.E.L.D. planes. They discussed HYDRA's infiltration into the organization and returned to the Hub. Garrett took over the Bus after betraying S.H.I.E.L.D., using it to move supplies and hold hostages. Leo Fitz attacked Garrett on the Bus, leading Garret to believe that he was dying. However, Raina injected him with GH.325, saving his life. Garrett flew the Bus to the Cybertek Manufacturing Facility.
Cybertek Manufacturing Facility: Garrett went to Cybertek's manufacturing facility as Phil Coulson's team infiltrated it, where he confronted Coulson and Nick Fury, before he was seemingly killed by Deathlok. Garrett attempted to upgrade himself in the facility, but he was killed by Coulson before he could.
In the comics, John Garrett is a former CIA and S.H.I.E.L.D. agent that was later transformed into a cyborg to save his life as he sustained serious injuries in the line of duty.
