‘Agents of SHIELD’ season 2 spoilers: Brett Dalton on future for Grant Ward

Near the end of “Agents of SHIELD” season 1, the Marvel series delivered a shocking moment when it was revealed that Grant Ward was a traitor to the SHIELD cause. Now, he is spending his time behind bars, potentially either plotting his next move or figuring out if there is a way he can be redeemed.

So where does the story pick back up for Grant? As for the subject of a redemptive moment, and what could be ahead for the character in season 2, Brett Dalton (who is now sporting a Troy-and-Abed-esque evil beard for the upcoming story) said the following in an interview with the powers-that-be over at Marvel:

“I think we got a hint at that in the season finale. Who is Grant Ward without Agent Garrett? He’s always number two. He can follow commands really well. He can do and make tough choices and he can sometimes do unpleasant things in the name of something that he feels he believes in. But we’re not exactly sure who Grant Ward is without somebody telling him what to do … You’ll find out. I’ve had a lot of time to think about that question. I’m really happy that the writers didn’t try to rush a little redemptive arc at the end of last season because I really do think it would have felt rushed. Now we have a whole season to explore that.

“I think it’s a good thing that we got some opportunities in the last season to explore Ward’s past. All that stuff about his family and his brothers and his troubled childhood and Garrett coming along when he was in the juvenile hall and opening a door saying, ‘Do you want the red pill or the blue pill?’ We saw a lot of his past. Now I think we’re going to see a lot of his future and what he decides to do from here on out.”

We do feel like it will take time for the Ward story to resolve itself, mostly because this is a show with a ton on its plate right now. After all, you’ve also got Coulson adapting to his new post, new guest stars including Lucy Lawless and Kyle MacLachlan, and still some other stories to come in regards to HYDRA. The show will be complicated, but it will hopefully continue the momentum and quality that we had as season 1 came to a close.

Where do you think Ward is heading this season? Let us know your predictions in the comments, and head over here to get some further updates! Also, sign up now for some supercharged TV scoop on all we cover via our official newsletter.

Photo: ABC