Hellfire

: "You really hate yourself that much?""I don't hate myself. I hate all of us."
: ―Quake and Hellfire[src]
James Taylor "JT" James is an Inhuman who was taken to Afterlife under the leadership of Jiaying but was expelled from their community before undergoing his Terrigenesis for trying to steal from their archives. After he finally gained his Inhuman powers, from the intervention of Hive and Daisy Johnson, James started calling himself Hellfire. Following his liberation from Hive's influence, James started hating what he became and made his deal with the terrorist group the Watchdogs to help them exterminate all the Inhumans. When Quake and Jemma Simmons had visited James to warn him about the attacks on registered Inhumans, Hellfire betrayed them, as he gave them up to the Watchdogs. During that event, he was then attacked and then defeated by Ghost Rider and taken back into custody by S.H.I.E.L.D..
== Biography ==
=== Early Life ===
==== Terrigenesis Denied ====
: "He's a demolitions expert, Australian, former mercenary. Few weeks after I got there, Jiaying caught him breaking into her private archives."
: ―Lincoln Campbell to Daisy Johnson[src]
James Taylor James was born in Brisbane, Australia, where he became a mercenary and a demolitions expert. Over these years, James was identified as a descendant of Inhumans, and he was then brought into Afterlife by Gordon. However, James had never fit with the community of Afterlife, and he soon became more frustrated about not being granted his Terrigenesis. When the leader of Afterlife, Jiaying, then caught James stealing a Kree Orb which had some connection with Hive, she banished him, resulting in James holding a bitterness to their community.
==== Asked for Help ====
: "Why don't you tell us what you found?""Why? I don't really do things out of the kindness of my heart. Haven't really understood that behavior, to be honest."
: ―Daisy Johnson and JT James[src]
While living in the middle of South Dakota alone in a house built with wire fences and protected by land mines, James was visited by Lincoln Campbell and Daisy Johnson, whom he ordered to leave before they regretted it, stepping outside with his rifle. Johnson took another step and accidentally stood on a mine; James reminded her that he had warned her not to take another step. While Campbell tried to help her, James commented on how he always knew Jiaying would send somebody for him, although he had assumed it would be Gordon instead of Campbell.
Johnson revealed herself to be an Inhuman and created a shockwave which kept the mine in place before she allowed it to safely explode. Furious at the incident, Johnson then sent her massive shockwaves through the ground, causing all of those mines James had planted to explode at the same time. James grabbed his rifle, as he prepared to shoot Johnson but Campbell fired a blast of electricity from his hand which then sent James flying backwards against a wall, knocking him out before Campbell and Johnson took him inside and waited for him to wake up, so they would finally be able to begin questioning him.
When James awoke, he then found that Johnson had stolen his knife as they had demanded to know what he had stolen from Afterlife and what he knew of Hive. James then mocked Campbell about the idea that Jiaying had granted him powers, before he was told that Jiaying was dead, Afterlife had been destroyed, and that Campbell was now working with S.H.I.E.L.D., although James remained skeptical of that. When James demanded something in exchange for the information, Campbell offered him one of the Terrigen Crystals which would finally grant him the Inhuman powers that James so desperately desired.
James agreed to help as he handed over the Kree Orb, which he had explained that Hive had stolen while battling the Kree Empire with his armies of Inhumans, telling them that he believed that Jiaying had no right to keep all this information from them. James then demanded to have the Crystal so he could finally undergo a Terrigenesis, however, Campbell betrayed him and threatened James as they took both the Orb and Crystal. Furious, James reminded Campbell of how he had nearly killed his previous girlfriend in a car accident before the pair left his home while James still continued to yell at them both.
=== Under Hive's Control ===
==== Undergoing Terrigenesis ====
: "What brings you out here to the middle of nowhere? Did you break things up with blondie? You're looking for a lap to cry on?""Are you drunk?""Well, I'm Australian, so yes. Who's Aladdin?"
: ―JT James and Daisy Johnson[src]
A few days later, James was alone inside his home drinking beer and watching television when he heard the knock at the door, only to find that he was getting visited once again by Daisy Johnson, who asked how he had been. However, James had simply made joking comments about whether or not she had broken up with Lincoln Campbell, and come back to see him as the result. However, James then noticed that Johnson was with another man, who she revealed was Hive, whom she had thought he should meet, much to James' shock.
Having invited Johnson and Hive inside of his home, James had then listened on while Johnson explained that they had already paid a visit to Alisha Whitley before coming to speak with him. However, James then recommended to Johnson that, although he really believed that she was really attracted to the danger, claiming to know her type, the idea of working with Hive seemed like it would be a bad idea, noting that if Jiaying was afraid of him, then this was likely for good reasons. Interrupting them, Hive had then noted to James that they knew that the Kree Orb he had given her, was missing its companion piece.
However, James had then continued to deny any real knowledge for the companion piece for the Kree Orb, while insisting that this was all he had stolen from Afterlife before being exiled, while also promising that he would not have attempted to lie to Johnson. As James began talking too much, Johnson then interrupted him, by simply smashing one of the Terrigen Crystals onto the floor, which then filled the room with the Terrigen Mist, much to James shock. Johnson and Hive then stood by and watched while James finally underwent Terrigenesis, as he began to yell out in pain, while he was engulfed into his cocoon.
James eventually came out from Terrigenesis, and began discovering his new Inhuman power, although he had felt as though his body was burning from the inside, discovering that he had gained the power to force any object to explode, although he had no control over this gift. Having caused an explosion inside his home, James fell outside, and knocked into his box, which he inadvertently caused to explode, with Johnson noting that he would no longer need any C-4. As James had begged for his help, Hive then sent dust into his eyes, which allowed James to control his gifts and also made him instantly loyal to Hive.
With him now determined to assist with Hive's mission, James then immediately revealed that the other half of the Kree Orb was hidden underneath his home, as he had buried it there, allowing Johnson to use her shockwave powers to uncover it. As the three of them looked down upon the Kree device, James had then questioned what it was, to which Hive explained that it was the only thing that would be able to destroy them. Having gotten what they needed, Hive then ordered James to place all his C-4 around his home for S.H.I.E.L.D. agents to find, intending to kill them before they could uncover their plans.
==== Kidnapping of Holden Radcliffe ====
: "Now, I want your honest opinion on this. What do you think of the name "Inferno"? I like it, but I don't love it. Firestarter? Well, feels a little '90s. And Burning Man, I mean, that would've been perfect if it wasn't for some bloody desert hippy fest.""How about Blowhard?"
: ―JT James and Alphonso Mackenzie[src]
Under Hive's orders, James had then traveled to Romania, in order to assist in the kidnapping of Holden Radcliffe, as James had been given the task of attempting to distract the Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., while Daisy Johnson found and took Radcliffe. James went straight to the bar, where he annoyed the bartender by stealing drinks while discussing the cyborgs. James then demonstrated his own powers by lining up some of the drinks and then causing them to explode.
The explosion caused everyone in the bar to run in fear, while James had jokingly claimed that it was really their barman who caused that explosion. James was then confronted by Alphonso Mackenzie, who demanded to know where Johnson was, causing James to comment on how many men were currently out searching for Johnson. Ignoring Mackenzie's threats, James had then simply turned back around into the bar, where he casually placed his hand onto a lamp, causing it to overheat, before James then threw the lamp at Mackenzie, moments before it exploded, although Mackenzie was able to get into cover.
Needing to delay S.H.I.E.L.D. for as long as he could, while Radcliffe was being kidnapped, James began throwing various boiling items at Mackenzie and making them explode upon impact. While Mackenzie took cover, James asked his opinion on several potential codenames for himself, including Burning Man, which he had claimed would have been perfect if this was not taken, while Mackenzie suggested he go with Blowhard, as James would not stop talking. When James threw a boiling bottle at him, Mackenzie managed to shoot at it, which then caused an explosion between them, before they both escaped.
==== Taking Over Union City ====
: "This is where it all begins.""You bought us a house?""No. I bought us a whole town."
: ―Hive and Hellfire[src]
Regrouping with Hive and the rest of the Inhumans, James had then told Alisha Whitley that he had settled onto Hellfire as his codename, noting that he preferred it to the name Scrotch, despite worrying that it may be too on the nose. Hellfire had then listened as Hive spoke to the captured Holden Radcliffe, who was amazed that they were all Inhumans, as Hive commented that he was an experiment from thousands of years ago, which the Humans were finally at the level of actually recreating.
Hive commented that Radcliffe's intellect made him the most likely to succeed at recreating the Kree experiment that the Kree Reapers had used to create his power all those centuries ago, much to Radcliffe's surprise and appreciation. James listened while Hive noted that they intended to rewrite humanity and that this would all soon begin there. Looking around at their location, James asked Hive if he had bought them a house, but Hive explained that he had bought the entire town for their experiments, using Gideon Malick's money, which Hive had taken following Malick's demise, much to the delight of James.
==== Talking with Daisy Johnson ====
: "It is good to be back in the real world again.""What made you go all Ted Kaczynski in that trailer, anyway?""Don't know, just never found people to be my cup of tea. They didn't like me and I didn't like them, so I thought I'd do everyone a favor and move as far away as humanly possible."
: ―Hellfire and Daisy Johnson[src]
Enjoying his downtime at Union City with the other Inhumans, James had kept himself entertained by playing on their pinball machines and drinking the beer, while he just left Holden Radcliffe to continue with his work at recreating the Kree experiments, while Alisha Whitley had one of her doubles in charge of their bar. Once he finished his pinball game, James then bragged about his score while commenting to Daisy Johnson on the great taste of the free American alcohol.
James and Johnson had then discussed the difference between beer from Australia and the United States of America, with James claiming that the American beer would only be superior whenever it was free. When James noted how it felt to be back in society, Johnson asked him why he actually had decided to live so far away from civilizations in his trailer, comparing him to Ted Kaczynski, to which James simply explained that he had never liked many people and was not well liked himself and so had simply decided to move as far away from them as was possible, before admitting that he did become extremely lonely.
Changing the subject, James invited Johnson for a dance which she quickly refused and suggested they keep their friendships to pinball. Accepting her rejection, James questioned if Johnson was still pining for Lincoln Campbell, which offended her so James then apologized. James questioned why Johnson was keeping ties to S.H.I.E.L.D. as they were trying to stop what they were doing within Union City, but Johnson insisted that it was not their fault as they did not understand what Hive's goals actually were, but James noted that they were on opposite sides and that this conflict would not end well for her.
==== Flirting with Melinda May ====
: "I'm James. I'm single, thirty-three, originally from Brisbane. I'm a Leo, with a little dab of Scorpio thrown in there for good measure. I like a decent drink, a decent meal, and an indecent lass and not necessarily in that order. And you are?""Nauseous, and wondering what you're doing here."
: ―Hellfire and Melinda May[src]
While he was playing another game of pool by himself, James was then approached by Melinda May, who immediately demanded to know why he was there. While James had attempted to flirt with May, introducing himself and explaining his star sign, May appeared to be annoyed by James' flirtation. May had then acknowledged that James would likely not from HYDRA, commenting that he must have been bought with the new workers since Gideon Malick's death.
As May continued to demand to know who he was and what he was doing there, James noted that he was not HYDRA, and proceeded to demonstrate his Inhuman power to her by causing a ball to explode by her feet. Realizing that he was actually Inhuman, May apologized while James boasted that he was one of Hive's original choices for his Inhuman army. James then offered to get May a drink to atone for the misunderstanding, while he continued to flirt with her, with May questioning if he had always been like this, with James questioning if she had meant him being a hundred and one percent awesome.
As they got a beer together, James discussed how Hive had chosen him to join his Inhuman armies and explained that going through his own Terrigenesis had not changed his personality as May suspected, boasting about how awesome he claimed to be. James went on to explain that Hive had his plan to transform Humans into Inhumans by recreated the original Kree experiment with the Terrigen Mist, offering to help May go through the changes once Hive completed his plans. The pair moved to their pool table as James had ranted about Hive's greatness, comparing him to Ziggy Stardust and calling him epic.
While May claimed that she would be interested in meeting Hive and learning more about his plans for their future for humanity, so James offered to try and set up the meeting between them in an attempt to impress her, however, May had appeared to become less impressed when James had explained that Hive could be busy that night. In an attempts to win back May's favor, James insisted that Hive was only busy currently, as he using their Kree Orb in an old mining facility on the outskirts of the city. With his information May knocked out James with the pool cue before regrouping with her S.H.I.E.L.D. allies.
==== Capture of the Watchdogs ====
: "End of the line, Inhuman! There's nowhere left to run.""I suppose there's always hell. Well, look at that, a real hotdog. But serious, who follows a stranger down a dark alley dressed as pups? I mean, on principle alone, I can't let this end well for ya."
: ―Pete Boggs and Hellfire[src]
James was ordered by Hive to set a trap for the Watchdogs, in order for them to be used in their Kree experiments, to transform them into the Inhumans. Leaving a cafe with his hood covering his face, James allowed himself to be followed by the Watchdogs' van, until he then ran down an alleyway and let them all follow and corner him, where they drew their weapons and told him this was the end of the line, preparing to kill him.
Reminding confident, Hellfire had then grabbed a chain and informed them that they could still go down to hell, before he turned the chain red hot and using it to whip the guns out of the soldiers' hands while mocking their efforts and their uniforms, threatening to punish them for following him. As the Watchdogs then attempted to escape, Hive revealed himself, as he informed them that he was the one who had invited them, although he had claimed to be with their ATCU. As Hive told them they would become what they hate, Hellfire had proceeded to drag Pete Boggs across the ground with his burning chain.
==== Creating the Primitives ====
: "I've got to go with the Doc on this one. I mean, these are some very ugly muffins.""They're part of me... and the Inhuman race. I want you to make more."
: ―Hellfire and Hive[src]
Hellfire took the Watchdogs back into Hive's secret compound where he then pushed them into a large shipping container ready for Holden Radcliffe's experiment that he was preparing. However, Radcliffe was horrified at seeing Hellfire pushing all of these Watchdogs inside their compound, questioning if these were the volunteers that had been discussed, with Hive claiming that they were volunteers who had a little more motivation. Once Pete Boggs had then called all of the Inhumans abominations, Hellfire struck him into the face, before locking the door as he told them they were about to join the evolution.
With the Watchdogs now locked inside of the container, Hellfire then listened, while Hive commented on how these men's lives had been filled with hatred, and they would now be given their opportunity to find peace by joining their race, calling this a gift. Having collected a beer, Hellfire then stood beside the clearly nervous Radcliffe, as Hive ordered Radcliffe to fill the container with Terrigen Mist. Hellfire then stood by and listened to the Watchdogs, while they began screaming in terror and desperately attempted to escape, as the Mist consumed the entire container, until there was nothing but complete silence.
Eventually, the group decided that enough time had passed to check on their experiment, as Hellfire collected the Hellfire Chain to defend them, unsure of what they would find inside of their container. When Hellfire eventually opened up the container, they discovered that the Watchdog soldiers had undergone their Terrigenesis and transformed into hideous Primitives, who gained superhuman strength, and were loyal to Hive's every order. Despite Hellfire getting disgusted by the appearance of the Primitives, Hive remained impressed with his new slaves, as he had then ordered Radcliffe to create more Primitives.
Taking some time away from the base to collect some beers, Hellfire eventually returned to discover that Lash had entered their base and had attempted to kill Hive, resulting in Hive being injured and unable to defend himself. Hellfire charged at Lash, who had his back turned while on board the Quinjet while protecting Daisy Johnson and freeing her from Hive's mind control. Hellfire stabbed Lash through the back using the Hellfire Chain, fatally wounding the beast, before Johnson had then managed to launch him back with her powerful shockwave and escaped with Lash dead and Hellfire's leader needing help.
==== Launching the Warhead ====
: "Dude, what the actual hell?""I need connection. I want connection. A connection. To connect, we have to... disconnect. We need to disconnect it.""Disconnect what?""Disconnect the warhead... for absolution.""So, you got that? Do you want to fill a brother in?"
: ―Hellfire and Hive[src]
Following the orders of Hive, Hellfire joined R. Giyera in taking control of a missile silo where they killed many of the staff and took the rest hostage. Hive asked Hellfire if these men were willing to launch the missile for them, in order to unleash the Terrigen Mist upon the Earth, which they confirmed. Meanwhile, Giyera had assured Hive that it would be near impossible for S.H.I.E.L.D. to reach the island without being spotted by the radar scanners, ensuring that their plans would be completed without being challenged.
However, despite their best efforts, S.H.I.E.L.D. had still been able to fly their Quinjet under all their radars, and successfully stopped their launch, having used Glenn Talbot's resources to override the base's launch system, bypassing the Sokovia Accords to do so. Hellfire had then listened as Hive reacted to their latest failure, before he furiously ordered Holden Radcliffe to fix the mistake and launch the missile as intending, with the help of his Primitives, threatening to consume his flesh if he failed, while Hellfire and Giyera were then ordered to track down their enemy, with Hive vowing to show S.H.I.E.L.D. his rage.
While searching for the Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., Hellfire and Giyera had instead found Hive, whose mind had just been damaged by a Theta Brain-Wave Frequency Machine, as he began yelling random orders which made little sense. As they had paused at seeing their leader in such distress, Hive yelled out one memory from Grant Ward's mind, questioning if they believed he was telling them the truth, as Giyera reassured Hive and he and Hellfire helped him back on his feet. Hive then ordered Hellfire and Giyera to leave, before he began accessing all of Will Daniels' memories and yelled out for Jemma Simmons.
Hellfire and Giyera watched on in horror as Hive continued to access random memories of these bodies he used as hosts, recalling Ward's connection with Skye, and the desire to fight weakness, while Giyera attempted to get Hive to focus while Hellfire questioned if he had lost his mind. Despite Hellfire being horrified by Hive's current state, they eventually got their orders from Hive, who commented on the desire to connect, before telling Giyera to disconnect their warhead for their absolution. Although Giyera seemed to understand what they meant, Hellfire just followed behind him and asked for it to be explained.
While Hellfire and Giyera freed their warhead, Hive was captured by S.H.I.E.L.D. and trapped into Suspension Gel. However, this was all part of Hive's plan, as Hellfire and Giyera flew in their HYDRA plane above the Playground where they activated the Terrigen Mist bomb which had been sent into the base. This caused several S.H.I.E.L.D. agents to be transformed into Primitives who freed Hive. They then continued to attack those surviving S.H.I.E.L.D. agents while Hellfire and all of the other HYDRA agents, then flew the ship onto the base and took up control of Zephyr One along with their leader, Hive.
==== Attacked by S.H.I.E.L.D. ====
: "So, when we blow this thing, three continents of people are going to end up looking like these buggers, yeah? Even the ladies? Look, I don't want to seem ungrateful. I'm pumped to be changing the world and all that, but down the road, can we still look at tweaking the formula?"
: ―Hellfire to Hive[src]
Hellfire and R. Giyera flew their ship into the Playground where they had regrouped with Hive, who had defeated Daisy Johnson in their battle. Once Johnson had been loaded into the Containment Module onboard Zephyr One, Hellfire asked how they had taken control of the entire base, only to learn that this was actually due to the work of the Primitives. Hellfire had then asked Hive if Johnson was back on their side following her deserting them, but Hive explained that she was there to ensure they were not shot out of the sky, as S.H.I.E.L.D. would always be unwilling to sacrifice her life.
While speaking to Hive, Hellfire had also learned that he was actually capable of flying Zephyr One, due to the combined knowledge from both Will Daniels and Grant Ward's military training, that was locked inside his head. With Zephyr One into the air, Hive confirmed that he was collecting his thoughts following them being scrambled by the Theta Brain-Wave Frequency Machine, as Hellfire questioned how they would escape themselves to reconnect with the Inhumans before being destroyed in the explosion, but Hive reassured him that they would escape in the Containment Module before the explosion.
Once Hive set the final coordinates for Zephyr One, Hellfire had then begun to question him about the fate of the women of their world, as he became worried that they would also be turned into Primitives, as he requested that they one day tweak Holden Radcliffe's formulas to improve the look of the Primitives, ensuring that he would find them to be more attractive. Hive ignored his requests but when he ordered that they move forward, they witnessed the Primitives dragging in the body of Giyera, who had been shot and killed by S.H.I.E.L.D. agents, who had crept on board the ship, intending to stop Hive's plans.
Enraged by this, Hive had then ordered Hellfire to find the stowaways and he then soon came across Lincoln Campbell, who had managed to get on board by using the Quinjet. Hellfire ambushed and attacked Campbell, knocking him into a corner; however, Campbell's training with S.H.I.E.L.D. had allowed him to then overpower and then defeat Hellfire with his blast of electricity, before Melinda May knocked him out with a solid punch. However, Hellfire left Campbell with his bomb which severely wounded him before Campbell sacrificed himself to kill Hive to save Daisy Johnson from doing it herself.
=== Deal with the Watchdogs ===
==== Tricking Quake ====
: "The Watchdogs have the right idea, so I struck a deal with them. Help them hunt and kill every Inhuman. Hunted like the animals that we are. And I'm gonna be the last one to go."
: ―Hellfire to Quake[src]
Having been saved from Hive's control following his death, James was taken in by S.H.I.E.L.D. and forced to sign the Sokovia Accords, putting himself and his powers onto the official record. James got himself a job at Primed and Ready Fireworks. During this time James gained a hatred for Inhumans who he blamed for his suffering and made a deal with the Watchdogs to help them find the Inhumans by hacking into his own S.H.I.E.L.D. wristband.
While working at the factory one day, James found himself greeted by Daisy Johnson and Jemma Simmons. Seeing them James sent his customers to speak to Shaun, while he questioned why S.H.I.E.L.D. was visiting him and comparing his working at a firework shop to Shaun stopping smoking. Simmons revealed that the Watchdogs were hunting down Inhumans and explained they were there to protect him, with Johnson suggesting that they join forces and fight back together, which James seemingly agreed with, telling them to meet him later that night.
==== Dealing with Ghost Rider ====
: "I don't know who the hell you think you are, but you just made a big mistake.""Funny, I was gonna say the same thing. Without the accent."
: ―Hellfire and Ghost Rider[src]
James later found Daisy Johnson and Jemma Simmons waiting for him by some storage lockers and teased them for fighting over him. Johnson questioned what he now had to provide them and James claimed that he had some explosives that they could use together, leading to Johnson arguing with Simmons over her methods, while James reminded Johnson that only they understood what it was like to be controlled by Hive and lose everything when they had been his slaves.
However, when James opened his locked, he revealed that it was filled with Watchdogs soldiers, he aimed their guns and Johnson and Simmons. James revealed that he blamed Johnson for everything he had suffered for putting him through Terrigenesis, as James insisted that he had never wanted to suffer Hive's mind control and viewed Inhumans as a curse upon the planet, which was why he had made a deal with the Watchdogs. Johnson risked breaking all her bones to create a shockwave, allowing them to escape while Simmons fired an I.C.E.R. at the Watchdogs as they ran away.
Taking hold of some bowling balls he found in the lockers, Hellfire began hunting down Johnson and Simmons throughout the facility, joining the Watchdogs in their own search. While Hellfire began throwing the balls which he turned into explosives down the hallways he continued mocking Johnson and Simmons, noting that while killing them may not bring him peace it would feel good to him. Before long he found the pair hiding in one of the lockers and used an explosion to subdue them before he attempted to use his Hellfire Chain to cut them both in half with cruel delight.
However, just as Hellfire threw the burning chain back, he was stopped when it was caught by Robbie Reyes who ripped it from his hands before mocking Hellfire's threats and accent. Reyes ordered Johnson and Simmons to go find Agent Phil Coulson for protection while he and Hellfire prepared to fight each other. Seeking to kill his attacker, Hellfire threw one of his explosive balls at Reyes' head, only to be horrified when Reyes was unharmed and instead transformed into the terrifying Ghost Rider who proceeded to use the Hellfire Chain to attack Hellfire and throw him against the wall.
Despite being clearly outmatched by Ghost Rider's incredible power, Hellfire refused to be defeated as he insisted that he would be the last of the Inhumans to die. Once pinned against a wall, Hellfire used his powers to destroy the wall, causing himself and Ghost Rider to fall into a room filled with fireworks which exploded due to the intense heat both fighters were producing, much to the horror of Alphonso Mackenzie and Coulson. The explosions knocked Hellfire out while not affecting Ghost Rider, who turned back into Reyes and dragged Hellfire's unconscious body out of the wreckage and handed him over to S.H.I.E.L.D. who took him into custody.
== Personality ==
: "Were you like this before you got your powers?""What? 101% awesome? You bet. Becoming Inhuman doesn't change your personality."
: ―Melinda May and Hellfire[src]
James is a person who loves to hear the sound of his own voice. Maybe because he has spent so much time alone or because he does not like people enough to be talkative to them, James tries to get his point said as fast and as unsubtle as possible. He does not keep the slightest thought to himself, including throwing insults to Lincoln Campbell and openly mocking whoever he meets, including Hive. James upon obtaining his Inhuman powers, began to have a habit of saying sayings related to fire.
This lack of self-control caused Jiaying to deem him unworthy of Terrigenesis, causing him to hate her and other Inhumans associated with her and Afterlife. After gaining powers, James himself admitted that nothing changed about him; thus, Melinda May was able to manipulate him for her own means during an undercover mission.
James became an emotional wreck after his liberation from Hive's influence. Unlike Daisy Johnson, who became the vigilante Quake and helped people, he began to hate not only himself but Inhumans in general. He ended up betraying all Inhumans by giving the Watchdogs access to his tracking watch in exchange for being the last Inhuman to die.
== Powers and Abilities ==
=== Powers ===
: "I'm on fire. Well, a little more than usual."
: ―Hellfire[src]
* Inhuman Physiology: Hellfire is an Inhuman who trained to master his powers at Afterlife pre-Terrigenesis. However, his attitude caused Jiaying to kick him out. He returned to South Dakota where many years later, Hive would knock on his door and perform his terrigenisis.
** Heat Generation: Hellfire can cause items he touches to heat up to the point of explosion. Objects ignited with his power glow brightly for a few seconds before the entire object detonates intensely. The size of the blast created appears to be correlated to the size of the exploding objects; larger objects like coolers and lamps produced a large, violent explosion while smaller objects like pool balls and shot glasses detonated in a small burst. Once he began to fully control his power, he chose a simple industrial chain as a weapon, as it was able to withstand his power without exploding and instead transmitted his power to other objects.
=== Abilities ===
: "I was lighting fuses long before I was the fuse."
: ―Hellfire[src]
* Explosives Mastery: As a former demolitions expert and mercenary, Hellfire has extensive experience with the usage of explosives. He knows how to safely install land mines, which he laid throughout his front yard as a defense. Prior to Terrigenesis, he also had access to C-4, which he used to booby-trap and ultimately destroy his home under Hive's influence. His expertise in explosives proved vital after he became capable of causing any given object to explode, and he frequently uses his expertise to make the best use of his Inhuman powers. After Hive's death, his proven expertise allowed him to work at Primed and Ready Fireworks despite his fire-based powers.
* Chain Mastery: James used a chain and heated it up. He then used it to take down many Watchdogs.
== Equipment ==
=== Weapons ===
* Remington 700: James kept a Remington 700 by his side while he lived in a caravan in South Dakota, carrying it when he saw that Lincoln Campbell and Daisy Johnson came to his hideout. When Johnson detonated all of his landmines, James prepared to use this rifle to neutralize the intruders but was unable to fire after Campbell knocked him unconscious.
* Land mines: James surrounded his home in the Badlands with these explosives planted in the ground to keep out unwanted intruders. Daisy Johnson accidentally stepped on one of these but managed to step off and detonate all of the mines in the ground.
* C-4: James used these explosives to booby-trap his home in the Badlands. Before heading off to Romania with Hive, James planted these bombs throughout his trailer and activated a timer in order to eliminate the S.H.I.E.L.D. team that came to apprehend him.
* Chain: James used a steel chain as his weapon of choice after undergoing Terrigenesis. While being chased by Watchdogs into an alley, he grabbed this item off of a dumpster and infused it with his flames, using it to threaten and disarm his assailants. Later, upon seeing Lash attack Hive, James used this chain to impale and kill Lash.
* Handgun: Once he had assisted with their successful capturing of the Watchdogs, James had taken one of their guns and used it to bring them all back to Hive, striking Pete Boggs to the face with the gun when he insulted Hive.
=== Other Equipment ===
* Kree Orb: During his stay at Afterlife, James stole the Kree Orb before he was banished by Jiaying. James gave the Kree Orb to Daisy Johnson and Lincoln Campbell in exchange of an Terrigen Crystal until he was tricked into giving up it up.
: "You think they're after me?""Only a matter of time. Take it off.""I wasn't really a willing particpant in this little security measure. Mine doesn't come off."
: ―JT James and Daisy Johnson[src]
* Asset Communication Device: In the wake of the defeat of Hive, James was forced into registering with the Sokovia Accords, and so was given an Asset Communication Device. However, due to his new found hatred for the Inhumans, due to his experiences with Hive, James made his deal with the Watchdogs and allowed them to hack into his Device, giving them access to the locations of other Inhumans. When James was later confronted by Daisy Johnson and Jemma Simmons, his device was then broken off his wrist by Johnson, in order to gain his trust.
=== Vehicles ===
* HYDRA QuadCopter: James and R. Giyera took the QuadCopter to the Playground, where they released the Absolution Virus and entered the Playground.
* Zephyr One: James helped Hive take control of Zephyr One, which led to a fight between him and Lincoln Campbell which James escaped.
== Facilities ==
* Afterlife: James lived in Afterlife for some time, until he became disillusioned with Jiaying's motivations and left, stealing an artifact on the way.
* JT James' Residence: James lived in a trailer, which he booby trapped to prevent people from visiting. He was visited by Lincoln Campbell and Daisy Johnson, and gave them the Kree Orb. He was later visited by Hive, who took control of him and gave him a companion piece.
* Hive's Hideout: To be added
* Primed and Ready Fireworks: James began working at Primed and Ready Fireworks, where he lured Inhumans to be killed by the Watchdogs. Ghost Rider confronted James and brought him into S.H.I.E.L.D.'s custody.
== Relationships ==
=== Allies ===
* Alveus/Hive † - Former Enthraller
* Alisha Whitley †
* R. Giyera †
* Holden Radcliffe †
* Primitives
** Pete Boggs † - Former Enemy
** Jackson † - Former Enemy
* Primed and Ready Fireworks
** Shaun - Colleague
* Elliot - Customer
* Watchdogs - Former Enemies	
=== Enemies ===
* Inhumans
** Jiaying † - Former Ally
** Gordon † - Former Ally
* S.H.I.E.L.D.
** Lincoln Campbell † - Former Ally
** Alphonso Mackenzie
** Melinda May
** Jemma Simmons - Attempted Victim
* Daisy Johnson/Quake - Temporary Ally and Attempted Victim
* Kree Reapers
* Andrew Garner/Lash † - Victim
* Robbie Reyes/Ghost Rider
== Trivia ==
* In the comics, James Taylor James was an American store clerk and alleged descendant of the western hero Carter Slade, with the ability to control supernatural flames. He was a member of the Secret Warriors and a romantic interest of Daisy Johnson until he betrayed the team for HYDRA and is later killed by Nick Fury.
* In The Singularity, James states that he considered "Firestarter" as an alias, but that he decided against it because it "felt a little '90s". This is a reference to the song "Firestarter" by The Prodigy.
** He also considered "Inferno" and "Scorch", both of which are common codenames for pyrokinetic individuals in the comics. Unbeknownst to him "Scorch" had previously been used.
* James is a Leo with a "little tad" of Scorpio.
* In the episode Let Me Stand Next to Your Fire, James was given lines directly from the game Overwatch spoken by the character Junkrat, an Australian pyromaniac who has an obsession with high explosives.
== Behind the Scenes ==
* Justin Eaton and Efka Kvaraciejus were stunt doubles for Axle Whitehead in the role of Hellfire.
== References ==
The Marvel Cinematic Universe Wiki has a collection of images and media related to Hellfire.
The Marvel Cinematic Universe Wiki has a collection of quotes related to Hellfire.
# ↑ Jump up to:1.0 1.1 1.2 Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.: 3.16: Paradise Lost
# ↑ Jump up to:2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. 3.18: The Singularity
# ↑ Jump up to:3.0 3.1 3.2 Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.: 3.19: Failed Experiments
# ↑ Jump up to:4.0 4.1 Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. 3.20: Emancipation
# ↑ Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.: 3.21: Absolution
# ↑ Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.: 3.22: Ascension
# ↑ Jump up to:7.0 7.1 Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.: 4.04: Let Me Stand Next to Your Fire
== External Links ==
* Hellfire on Marvel Database
* Hellfire on Wikipedia