Andrew Garner

* Civilian
* Lash

## Character

"*I don't know what I'll do! Instinct will take over again, like it did at the convenience store."
"Instinct?"
"Look I didn't want to hurt anyone but I didn't know what was happening."
"You killed all those people...*"
—Andrew Garner and Melinda May[src]

**Andrew Garner** is a character on Marvel's *Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.*. She first appears in the thirteenth episode of the second season of *Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.*. He is portrayed by guest stars Blair Underwood and Matthew Willig.

## Biography

### Early Life

Doctor Andrew Garner met S.H.I.E.L.D. Agent Melinda May and they soon decided to elope and begin a life together. A few years into their happy marriage, they discussed beginning a family, and planned to start after the completion of May's mission in Bahrain. After enjoying a hot shower and breakfast with his beloved wife, Garner greeted Phil Coulson when he arrived to collect May and offered him a cup of coffee before he said goodbye as she and Coulson left for the mission.

While relaxing at home that evening, Garner received a phone call from May in Bahrain, giving details of her mission: to infiltrate a building in an attempt to free agents and a little girl who had been kidnapped by enhanced terrorists. While May made her fears about the likelihood of completing the mission successfully clear to her husband, Garner spoke to her calmly and gave her tips on how to approach the girl safely and told her to be careful; May said goodbye and went on the mission, which although successful, left her traumatised and unwilling to discuss the details to anyone, even Garner and Coulson.

After the mission, May came home cold and mentally scarred from the experience, finding it difficult to even make skin contact with her husband. The effects of the mission caused her to leave field work and begin working in an office at S.H.I.E.L.D.. Eventually, Garner and May separated due to the change in May's personality. May tended to avoid speaking about her marriage to Garner, as evidenced by her short answer when asked about the subject during her "orientation" by Eric Koenig.

#### Dinner with Lian

Garner was called by Lian May and was invited to dinner; she had taken Melinda from Canada to Washington, D.C. Garner learned from his ex mother-in-law that Melinda was alive despite the HYDRA Uprising, making him feel relief since Melinda was not returning his calls.

#### Clandestine Meetings

Garner and Phil Coulson had secret meetings after the HYDRA Uprising, as Coulson was suffering from a mental breakdown in which he would carve alien symbols onto walls; no one was informed, not even Melinda May. Coulson felt that he had no one else with whom he could discuss his writings due to their top secret nature; so he went to Garner who he knew he could trust and who would understand.

### Reunion with Melinda May

While at work at Culver University, Garner was speaking to a student when he spotted his ex-wife Melinda May waiting for him. She explained that Phil Coulson was now running S.H.I.E.L.D. and they required his help with a newly powered individual. They also discussed why May did not return his calls during the HYDRA Uprising; she said it was a busy time, to which he frowned, citing that Lian May kept him informed. Garner asked May if she had returned to field work; Garner disapproved when she said she had. Garner made it clear that his responsibility would be to the subject, not to her, not to S.H.I.E.L.D.

#### Working with Skye

Garner agreed to travel to the Playground where he was greeted by Coulson; May agreed to allow him to use personal information about their previous relationship to appease the subject, Agent Skye, who had developed the power to create earthquakes. Agent Jemma Simmons gave Garner a breakdown of Skye's medical situation, but Garner decided he would rather meet Skye to learn the information. Garner found Skye a fairly difficult patient to reach as she would often skirt around questions, often using humor to ignore the situation. Garner continued to get through to her all the same.

After their first session, Garner took a break and spent time with Melinda May. They joked about May's poor cooking skills and discussed whether or not she was in a relationship, with May asking about the photographs she had seen on Garner's desk. As they were talking they were interrupted by a sudden earthquake. They ran to the Bus and found Skye asleep, with bad dreams causing the quake; they were able to wake her and stop the shaking. Simmons recommended that Skye take a sedative, but Garner advised not to give her drugs.

Despite Skye's constant attempts to avoid giving real answers to Garner's questions by using sarcasm and humour, he eventually made her accept that she was avoiding the truth that she was different since her transformation; she confessed to struggling with the thought of going from a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent to being on the Index, having nightmares of agents aiming their guns at her. He then decided to speak to her about her levels of control. Skye insisted that due to May's training she could keep it controlled.

During the session, the plane began to shake again. Garner tried to calm Skye down but they quickly learned that the shaking was not due to her. Garner learned that May had taken off in the plane to assist Agent Phil Coulson in a mission. Garner stormed into the cockpit where May argued that she would have explained as soon as she put the plane on auto-pilot but Garner remained furious; May explained that there was not enough time to get them off the Bus and she did not want to interrupt him during his session.

#### Ambush at Manitowoc

They traveled to a high school in Manitowoc, Wisconsin, where a team of villains, led by Skye's father, Calvin Zabo, had challenged Phil Coulson to a fight. When Skye offered to help in the battle, Garner felt that Skye was not emotionally ready for such a confrontation; he acquiesced when Skye convinced him and May that her relationship with Zabo could be used to their advantage.

May arrived and pretended to use Skye as a bargaining tool, aiming a gun at her neck. Before Zabo could be stopped by S.H.I.E.L.D. however, he was teleported away from the scene by a mysterious eyeless man. A fight broke out between the S.H.I.E.L.D. agents and the rest of the team of villains. Garner took Skye to a safe place; however she began to cause another earthquake. Skye absorbed the quake into her arms, causing them to bruise and her to faint; Garner ran to her aid.

#### Leaving S.H.I.E.L.D.

With Skye safely on the Bus once again, Garner witnessed Skye wake up with her bruised arms bandaged up. He decided to return to the university; May tried to convince him to stay at S.H.I.E.L.D., but he politely refused and left, claiming that his reasons had something to do with the pictures on his desk. Ultimately, Garner recommended that Skye be relieved of field assignments.

### May's Phonecall

A few days later, Garner received a phone call from a distressed Melinda May, who claimed to simply want to hear his voice. Garner noted that he had not had a call like this from May since the mission in Bahrain, meaning that she was in a mission that would not end well. May told him there were many things she never said to him that she wished she had; Garner told her he did too and told her get home safely.

### Working with Coulson

Melinda May survived her ordeal and reconnected with Garner, spending more time together and even arranging holidays and drinking together. Garner was also called by Phil Coulson to assist him in evaluating his team and assessing if Skye was ready to lead a new team of powered people to assist S.H.I.E.L.D. Although Garner pressed, Coulson claimed he did not wish to speak about the fact that he had lost an arm during his last mission. Garner gave Coulson his folder on his recommendations for Coulson's new program before joining May on their holiday.

### Vacation with May

Garner took Melinda May to Maui in hopes of rekindling their relationship.  During their last evening together on the holiday, Garner took a photograph of May as she overlooked the sunset before joining her for a drink. May spoke to Garner about the possibility of leaving S.H.I.E.L.D., as she did not want her career to ruin their relationship. Garner happily raised his glass in toast of new beginnings.

#### Terrigenesis

Returning to America, Phil Coulson sent Garner the books Jiaying had kept on the history of the Inhumans for him to study, including a list of all the Inhuman locations that she had known about. As Garner sat in his office preparing to study the books, he spoke to Coulson, who questioned when Melinda May would be returning to S.H.I.E.L.D., but Garner insisted he should wait for her to contact him.

As Garner sat down to study the first book, he was horrified to find it had been booby-trapped with Terrigen Mist, designed to kill any human who attempted to read the books. Instead of being killed, however, Garner's body went through Terrigenesis, where his body became cocooned and every cell in his body was changed. As his body became freed, Garner felt as through he had completely changed and had an incredible desire to track down and be near any other Inhumans, although he did not understand why.

### Lash's Killing Spree

Using Jiaying's book, Garner was able to track one of the Inhumans. Feeling an incredible desire to be near him, Garner approached and suddenly transformed into a monstrous grey-skinned beast. Garner's instincts took over and he killed the Inhuman by ripping a hole in his chest. Unable to face what he had become, Garner kept it secret from Melinda May. Using intel gathered from Dwight Frye, a fellow Inhuman who reacted whenever others were nearby, Lash was able to track down the Inhumans he killed.

#### Attack on Lincoln Campbell

Lash's brutal murder spree soon attracted the attention of both S.H.I.E.L.D. and the newly formed Advanced Threat Containment Unit; both of whom believed each other to have been responsible for Lash's killings. During his hunt, Lash tracked down fellow Inhuman Lincoln Campbell, as Garner believed Campbell had an uncontrollable dark side, at a hospital where he was working in an attempt to build a normal and peaceful life for himself; once he arrived at the hospital, Lash tortured and killed a security guard to learn Campbell's location, using his powers to lift him in the air and blast a hole in his chest.

Lash discovered Campbell alongside another Inhuman, Daisy Johnson, and S.H.I.E.L.D. agent Alphonso Mackenzie. Upon finding them, Lash immediately attacked but Campbell and Johnson defended themselves. While Campbell attempted to hold Lash back, Johnson fired a powerful shockwave which pushed him back and Mackenzie shot him multiple times. The combined might of the Inhumans' powers and Mackenzie's gun proved too much and Lash escaped by ripping a hole through a wall.

While the group searched the hospital's corridors for him, Lash was able to sneak behind them by silently disintegrating a wall and knocked Mackenzie back with a hard strike to the chest. Campbell and Johnson combined their attacks to slow him down, blasting him with both a shockwave and bolts of electricity. Lash was able to absorb the attacks and began to walk towards them, but before he could kill the pair, Johnson destroyed the floor below him, causing him to fall before he was forced to retreat upon the arrival of the ATCU looking to investigate the battle.

#### Assessing the Secret Warriors

Back in his normal form, Garner answered Phil Coulson's request to assess for the Caterpillars program Joey Gutierrez, an Inhuman who had gone through Terrigenesis and gained the ability to melt metal when he was nervous. A Quinjet was sent to transport Garner to the Playground for the evaluation; though Garner was impressed to have a private jet carry him, he found the seats uncomfortable which he complained about to Johnson and Mackenzie.

When Garner arrived, he was greeted warmly by Daisy Johnson and Alphonso Mackenzie; Johnson offered him food and drink, but Garner told her that her bribes would not make his work any faster. Johnson jokingly told him that she did not want to be analyzed and that she only wanted Joey Gutierrez assessed. Garner went to do his interview as Johnson asked him about Melinda May; he retorted that she should ask May herself but soon learned that May had still not returned to S.H.I.E.L.D. since their vacation.

Later, Johnson had an attitude, guessing that Gutierrez had failed. Garner told her that he lacked control and was not ready for field work in S.H.I.E.L.D. Johnson told him that there were new impending threats, like the Advanced Threat Containment Unit and Lash; Garner replied that there will always be threats, but the safety of everyone was his concern. Hearing Johnson's reasoning, Garner assessed that Johnson was trying to build a halfway house for Inhumans; Johnson dismissed the idea, citing that Jiaying had already done that with Afterlife and it failed.

Johnson wanted Inhumans to feel that they belonged, unlike the way she felt when she transformed. Garner gave an assessment of Phil Coulson, citing that Coulson was being reckless risking all for one person and allowing Lance Hunter to seek revenge on Grant Ward. Garner wanted Johnson to be more careful as he saw her as a leader; Johnson laughed because Garner had analyzed her anyway. Garner then told her that Bobbi Morse was trying to over-compensate for the injury she sustained during her kidnapping instead of accepting her new limitations.

Johnson and Mackenzie were called away to England where they assisted Leo Fitz in a successful mission to bring Jemma Simmons back to Earth through the Monolith. Garner called Melinda May and let her know that her team had pulled off a miracle and Simmons was alive and had been rescued, much to May's clear relief. Garner suggested that she come back to the Playground to see her, but May simply said she was happy Simmons was back before hanging up the phone. Afterwards Garner decided to return to Culver University to continue his work.

#### New Student

With the new fall semester, Garner taught Psychology 101 at Culver University. As he was finishing a class, a new student approached him, asking permission to join. Garner told him that he would have to get caught up with his previous lessons; Garner then signed the permission slip. Noting that students join psych 101 to gain insight on their family issues, Garner asked the student why he was joining; Alexander Braun said that he had family issues.

Garner was called to do a psychological assessment on Jemma Simmons; Phil Coulson wanted to know about her mental health even though she passed the physical tests given to her.

#### Assassination of Shane and Lori Henson

Intel from Dwight Frye led Garner to two Inhumans named Shane and Lori Henson, who had been members of the Afterlife community and were living happily with their powers for several years. After transforming into Lash, he found the pair at their apartment where they were talking to another Afterlife Inhuman named Alisha, who had come to warn them. Lash broke down the door and immediately overpowered and killed the pair with a massive blast of energy.

When Alisha attempted to attack Lash in revenge for the murder of her friends, he quickly overpowered her and used his incredible strength to pin her down before killing her with a blast of energy, ripping her chest open. However, it had only been a duplicate, as the real Alisha was at a safer distance directing the clone's activities. Moments later, S.H.I.E.L.D. and the Advanced Threat Containment Unit were called to the scene by one of the Hensons' neighbors and Lash was forced to flee once again.

#### Simmons' Mentality

Back in his normal form, Garner dealt with the emotional breakdown and shock Alisha had suffered after experiencing the death of one of her clones from his alter ego Lash. Garner watched over her as she tried and failed to sleep, lying in bed and clutching her stomach where Garner had killed her just hours earlier.

Garner tried to get information from Simmons about her experiences since travelling through the Monolith, but she remained very evasive. When Garner attempted to relate to her by saying that survivor stories fascinated him because they do not give up hope, Simmons revealed to Garner that she did give up at one point. Simmons then self-diagnosed, telling Garner that he was searching for symptoms of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder; she reluctantly revealed that she did not feel safe though among friends.

#### Reunion with May

Garner discussed his session with Jemma Simmons to Phil Coulson; he also berated Coulson for sending Alisha into the field without discussing with him, desiring to know more about the Inhumans that Coulson was keeping from him. As they talked, Garner was shocked to see Melinda May arriving at the Playground, although she barely acknowledged Garner and spoke to Coulson.

Desiring to talk to May, Garner waited outside Coulson's office while she had a meeting with him. When she finally did appear she expressed her surprise that he was still there and made it clear that she did not want to talk to him. While chasing her to get a conversation, Garner explained that it was his fault that things did not go well in Hawaii, but May insisted he just didn't love her. Garner asked her to meet him later so they could talk, but May refused and left.

#### Attack on Dwight Frye

After his departure from the Providence, Garner transformed into Lash again. When S.H.I.E.L.D. and the ATCU found and arrested Dwight Frye, Lash tracked the van carrying them, intending to stop Frye from giving them information about him. When they came into sight, Lash jumped on the roof of the van and ripped it open before fighting the agents inside, easily overpowering all of them including Alphonso Mackenzie, who attempted to punch Lash in the face. In an attempt to stop him, Daisy Johnson fired a shockwave towards Lash which caused the van to crash and roll onto its side.

With the agents inside defeated, Lash dragged Frye out onto the street where he begged for his life; Frye attempted to convince Lash that he had only told the agents the truth, that Lash was being merciful in his killings of the Inhumans. Lash assured Frye that his actions were not out of mercy, but necessity, before executing him. As Lash walked away from the scene, he spotted Daisy Johnson lying inside the van but chose not to kill her, instead transforming into human form and walking away.

#### Surrounded

Garner went to Aaron's Market where he saw a man using his cell phone to record his actions. When he approached the man to ask him what he was doing, Alexander Braun, carrying a cigarette lighter, entered the store and told Garner that he was hard to track. Garner saw a third man enter, carrying gasoline containers, and lock the door as the convenience store cashier ran.

A secret S.H.I.E.L.D. Agent assigned by Phil Coulson then intervened, shooting one HYDRA Assassin, before he was killed himself. As Werner von Strucker attempted to hide from the gunfire, Garner transformed into Lash, roaring in pain as his body changed size and shape, much to the horror of his would be assassins. Lash proceeded to knock von Strucker aside before easily killing the other HYDRA operatives in seconds by blasting holes in their chests, while von Strucker managed to escape from the store.

Looking over the wreakage of the store and the dead bodies that littered it, Garner transformed back into his normal form. Knowing that S.H.I.E.L.D. would be aware of he was the target and wishing to keep his Inhuman identity a secret, Garner picked up and threw the lit lighter into contact with the spilt gasoline. As the store burnt Garner watched the flames and stepped towards the front door until the fire blew up the store, knocking him back and making him appear as a victim of the attack, covering how the agents died.

#### Hiding in Plain Sight

Garner was soon found by Phil Coulson and his team who brought him back to the Playground for treatment. As Coulson and Melinda May gathered around him, they asked what had happened; Garner relayed the story of how he had been surrounded by Werner von Strucker and his HYDRA agents, but he claimed that the S.H.I.E.L.D. agent had saved his life and allowed him to find cover, not telling them about his own transformation and involvement. Garner told them he was not sorry that von Strucker was gone as Grant Ward would have made him finish the assassination.

Bored of remaining bed-ridden, and leaving the room before blood work could be taken that would identify him as an Inhuman, Garner took some time to walk through the Playground until he was approached by Daisy Johnson. Johnson asked him about Lash, unaware of Garner's true identity, questioning why he would leave her alive after killing Inhumans like Dwight Frye, but Garner told her that all Inhumans were different. She told him that she had witnessed Lash transform into a normal human being; Garner asked if she had seen whom he transformed into but she assured him she had not. As Garner tried to learn the location of Lincoln Campbell, Johnson was called away by Alphonso Mackenzie.

Still supposedly recovering, Garner sat down with Jemma Simmons who used the same psychological terms on him to prove a point, telling him that going through something as extreme as a near death experience would have aftereffects. Garner confessed that he found it strange to be the patient in the case, learning how it was an experience like being talked down to which only made him feel weaker. As they were speaking, Simmons got a call from Johnson asking her to run a test of Luther Banks' blood so they could learn if he was Lash.

Garner later found Daisy Johnson hiding around a corner on the phone to Lincoln Campbell, who was still on the run. Pretending to be concerned, Garner waited for Johnson to hang up and asked if Campbell had called with any information about Lash but Johnson told him that he had not. Garner then warmly told her that they would figure it out soon enough. Still seeking to find and kill Campbell, Garner asked if he had told her where he was, claiming they should bring him back to the Playground for his own protection, but she claimed to be unaware.

#### Testing Joey Gutierrez

Garner joined Phil Coulson and Daisy Johnson as they walked through the Playground while discussing the ATCU, who were keeping Inhumans locked away for their own protection. Johnson was against their methods while Coulson defended their intentions but not their methods, all while Garner listened closely. Garner argued that Inhumans can easily hurt themselves or those around them and could need a cure provided by the ATCU.

They discussed how Lash was an example of an Inhuman who needed to be stopped and Coulson revealed he had a meeting with President Matthew Ellis to discuss the status of Inhumans with Rosalind Price. Garner suggested that they should present a successful Inhuman case to show the positives of working alongside the Inhumans, Johnson agreed and suggested that they present Joey Gutierrez as an example and Garner volunteered to check in on his progress during training. As he was leaving Garner spoke to Jemma Simmons about her recovery, telling her she did the right thing telling Leo Fitz the truth.

Once he arrived at the Cocoon, Garner watched as Joey Gutierrez demonstrated how he could use his abilities to transform metal objects into whatever shape and size he wished, not just melting and destroying them. As Guiterrez talked about how much control he had now, Garner became distracted by thoughts of transforming into Lash and killing Guiterrez. Feeling excited about his progress, Gutierrez noted that Daisy Johnson believed he could join S.H.I.E.L.D. and become a real asset to her team but his fate was in Garner's hands; Garner agreed, as he debated with himself if Gutierrez should live or die.

Garner and Gutierrez sat down and discussed his powers and the level of control he had gained since their last meeting, with Gutierrez noting that his abilities allowed him to complete construction tasks that would normally take months, and Garner noted that he also had the power to tear down entire buildings. This comment made Garner think stronger about killing Gutierrez while he discussed how Daisy Johnson intended to put together a team of enhanced soldiers which he believed he could easily join, becoming a powerful warrior, although Garner compared him to a weapon, which he said was that worried him.

### Exposed

While Garner continued speaking with Joey Gutierrez, a team of S.H.I.E.L.D. agents stormed into the room attempting to stop Melinda May, who demanded that they take Gutierrez back to his room and leave her alone with Garner. Once they were alone, May revealed that she knew Garner had been near all the Inhumans who had been killed by Lash and he had avoided having his blood taken. She then revealed that Werner von Strucker had survived the explosion and had told her how he had witnessed Garner transforming into Lash. Garner pretended to be confused during May's reveal of evidence.

Although Garner tried to claim von Strucker was lying, May refused to believe him. As May continued to push Garner into confessing the truth, Garner tried with all his might to withhold Lash from inside him, desperate not to harm his ex-wife. Garner begged her to stop pushing the subject but May continued to beg him to tell her what had happened. Falling into a rage, Garner drew an I.C.E.R. and shot May, knocking her out. Garner then took her back to an abandoned administration building at Culver University, handcuffing her and waiting for her to awake.

Once May awoke Garner ran to her side, explaining he could not be near S.H.I.E.L.D. now, he went on to try and explain how he had desired to tell her the truth for so long. When May tried to rip off the handcuffs, Garner demanded that she stop as he did not know if he could control his rage. Garner confessed to her how Jiaying's trap had caused him to go through Terrigenesis and how he felt an uncontrollable desire to hunt down and kill Inhumans. He told her he had not told her because he was a coward, but he loved her regardless.

Once she calmed down, Melinda May asked if Garner was planning on killing Joey Gutierrez, but he insisted he would not and had no intention of harming Daisy Johnson either, although he defended attacking Lincoln Campbell as he claimed Campbell had a dark side. Garner defended his actions by comparing his killings to how May had killed Katya Belyakov in Bahrain because of the danger she possessed. Garner and May discussed the early days of their relationship and he promised he was still the man she had fallen in love with.

#### Battle with S.H.I.E.L.D.

As Garner and May shared a kiss, they were interrupted by the arrival of Phil Coulson, who had discovered the truth about Garner's Inhuman identity. Once he had ensured that May was alright, Coulson told Garner that he wanted to bring him in safely but had brought reinforcements regardless. Garner told Coulson that since the Inhuman Outbreak all he wanted to do was sort the good from the bad Inhumans, claiming he had only killed those who deserved death and had a moral responsibility in doing what he was doing.

The lights in the room suddenly went out as Lincoln Campbell stormed in and confronted Garner, claiming he had torn his friends apart and had no right to be judge, jury and executioner, but Garner claimed to have every right. Coulson and May both tried to calm him down, trying to order Campbell out of the room while claiming that the ATCU were close to finding a cure, but Garner lost control of his rage and transformed into Lash, claiming that he was the cure. Campbell gathered all his power and fired a blast of electricity at Lash, causing him to flee.

As Campbell chased him down, Lash turned and absorbed the energy currents, stepping towards Campbell and slamming him against the walls of the corridor before preparing to execute him. Before he could Alphonso Mackenzie appeared behind him and shot Lash in the back with an I.C.E.R. before running for his life. Lash caught up with Mackenzie, knocking him out, but before he could execute him, Phil Coulson used his Prosthetic Hand to hold him back, trying desperately to reason with him, but Lash could not listen to reason and turned his attack onto him.

The ATCU agents fired upon Lash, allowing Coulson to escape. Lash charged through the agents, killing them with his incredible strength, knocking them back. As he reached the end of the corridor, leaving a trail of bodies behind him, Rosalind Price attempted to kill him by shooting him multiple times in the chest, but Lash was able to survive the shots and grabbed Price by the throat, holding her up before dropping her off the balcony in an attempt to kill her; however, Daisy Johnson was able to use her powers to catch and save her. Lash then focused his efforts on hunting down and finally killing Lincoln Campbell.

#### Capture

Lash was able to corner Campbell in a small room where he proceeded to throw him across the space. Before he could kill him, however, Melinda May appeared and stood in Lash's way, begging him to stop. May recommended that he kill her, noting that she had often thought of her death but never predicted he would be the one to kill her before she told him how she never knew why he had married her. May promised to not walk out on him again and the loving comments caused Lash to transform back into Andrew Garner.

Once he was human again, May drew her gun and shot Garner multiple times in the chest, knocking him backwards into the Containment Module before locking the door. The shock of the gunshots caused Garner to transform into Lash once again as he tried to punch his way through the door, but the room was gassed and Lash was knocked unconscious. When Phil Coulson asked May how she had known she would not kill Garner with the gunshots, she informed him that she did not know but had taken the risk regardless.

The Containment Module was able to control Lash's powers, leaving him unable to break free; eventually he was able to calm down and transform back into his human form once again. When Garner was finally able to fall asleep in the Containment Module, Phil Coulson, Melinda May, Rosalind Price and Daisy Johnson discussed what they should do with him. It was agreed that he would be taken to the ATCU's facility where he would be put into a coma and observed until a cure could be found which could potentially stop his transformation, which May knew was the only choice she had.

#### Tortured By HYDRA

Having been moved away from Endotex Labs labs in the Containment Module, Garner was left in a empty, pitch-black room. Eventually he was visited by a man who introduced himself as Gideon Malick, claiming to work for the President and S.H.I.E.L.D.. Malick asked if anyone had asked Garner's opinion on the matter, which they had not. They discussed how S.H.I.E.L.D. had not helped him during the Inhuman Outbreak and Malick promised to help him in exchange for S.H.I.E.L.D. secrets.

Garner was once again abandoned without explanation, causing him to bang on the glass. Grant Ward then appeared and promised to explain everything. Garner, knowing very well of the pain Ward had brought upon Melinda May and S.H.I.E.L.D., threatened to kill Ward by ripping a hole through his chest, but Ward remained confident. Ward explained that he would not be sedating Garner but instead would use a gas which would force Garner to transform into Lash. Ward then told Garner that he had found a new way to torture May, using him, before filling the Containment Module with gas.

#### Attack on the HYDRA Castle

Having spent days trapped inside the Containment Module, Garner was delighted when Jemma Simmons appeared beside it and he begged her to set him free. Simmons explained that she was also a prisoner of HYDRA and revealed they were in England where Gideon Malick planned to open the portal through the Monolith. Simmons remained reluctant to set Garner free, having witnessed his killings; Garner admitted they had differing views on Inhumans but claimed they both hated HYDRA and he expressed his desire to help.

Garner promised he would never hurt Simmons, but she noted that Lash might. They were interrupted when HYDRA guards arrived attempting to recapture Simmons. With no other choice, Simmons opened the Containment Module and Garner transformed into Lash, killing the HYDRA guards. Realising he was in a room filled with Malick's captured Inhumans, Garner remained Lash and slaughtered them all without hesitation or mercy before escaping the HYDRA Castle before the S.H.I.E.L.D. team could find and capture him.

## Powers and Abilities

### Powers

* **Superhuman Durability**: As Lash, Garner is able to withstand various forms of attack, such as Daisy Johnson's vibration blasts, or Lincoln Campbell's energy currents, without suffering serious wounds. He can easily withstand multiple gunshots; bullets penetrate his skin, but they do not seem to slow him down. This may also apply to his human form, albeit to a lesser extent, judging by the fact he survived Melinda May shooting him multiple times long enough to transform into Lash.
* **Energy Blasts**: Lash is able to generate a form of superheated blue energy that is hot enough to incinerate durable materials like metal. This was displayed significantly during his battle with Daisy Johnson, Lincoln Campbell, and Alphonso Mackenzie, in which he utilized his energy to incinerate holes in the hospital walls to provide an escape route. The energy can also be channeled into concussive blasts with enough explosive power to blast a hole in a person's chest; this was his primary method of executing his victims.
* **Transformation**: A unique trait amongst Inhumans with physical transformations, Garner can transition between his human form and his Lash persona at will or when in mortal danger. Though the transitioning from his human form to his Inhuman form is evidently painful, he does not have complete control over it, and this ability is a result of an incomplete transition; once the transition is complete, Garner will lose this ability and permanently remain as Lash.
* **Regenerative Healing Factor**: Lash is able to recover from wounds in a matter of seconds to minutes, such as the ones from when he was shot multiple times in the chest by the ATCU in Culver University, and the bullets shot by Melinda May while in his human form, that only triggered an immediate transformation.
* **Superhuman Strength**: As Lash, Garner has superhuman strength, being able to accomplish feats of strength a human being would find difficult. He managed to easily throw Werner von Strucker across a room with little effort.

### Abilities

* **Master Psychologist**: Garner has a Phd in psychology and used his skills to analyze agents and have them confront issues about themselves that they attempt to ignore. Coulson went to Garner as Coulson began to lose control over his urges to write the Words of Creation and made Garner the therapist of the candidates of the Caterpillars program.

## Appearances

* *Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.*
	+ *Season Two*
		- *Melinda* (flashbacks) (chronological first appearance as Andrew Garner)
	+ *Season One*
		- *The Only Light in the Darkness* (Andrew Garner mentioned)
	+ *Season Two*
		- *One of Us* (first appearance as Andrew Garner)
		- *Love in the Time of HYDRA* (Andrew Garner mentioned)
		- *Melinda* (Andrew Garner mentioned)
		- *The Dirty Half Dozen* (Andrew Garner mentioned)
		- *Scars* (Andrew Garner mentioned)
		- *S.O.S. Part Two*
	+ *Season Three*
		- *Chaos Theory* (flashbacks)
		- *Laws of Nature* (first appearance as Lash)
		- *Purpose in the Machine* (as Andrew Garner)
		- *A Wanted (Inhu)man* (both mentioned)
		- *Devils You Know* (as both)
		- *Among Us Hide...* (as both)
		- *Chaos Theory* (as both)
		- *Many Heads, One Tale*
		- *Closure* (mentioned)
		- *Maveth*

## Trivia

### Comic Notes

* In the comics, Lash was a rogue Inhuman from the hidden city of Orollan, who sought to judge if Inhumans were worthy of their powers, and hunted down and executed those he deemed unworthy.

### Behind the Scenes

* Garner is the second *Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.* character to be portrayed by more than one actor. Blair Underwood portrays Garner and Matthew Willig portrays Garner's alter ego Lash. The first one was Kara Palamas.

## References

1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 *Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.: 2.13: One of Us*
2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 *Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.: 2.17: Melinda*
3. ↑ *Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.: 1.19: The Only Light in the Darkness*
4. ↑ *Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.: 2.19: The Dirty Half Dozen*
5. ↑ *Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.: 2.14: Love in the Time of HYDRA*
6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 *Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.: 2.22: S.O.S. Part Two*
7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 *Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.: 3.02: Purpose in the Machine*
8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 8.3 8.4 8.5 8.6 8.7 *Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.: 3.07: Chaos Theory*
9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 9.3 9.4 9.5 *Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.: 3.04: Devils You Know*
10. ↑ *Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.: 3.01: Laws of Nature*
11. ↑ *Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.: 3.03: A Wanted (Inhu)man*
12. ↑ 12.0 12.1 12.2 *Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.: 3.06: Among Us Hide...*
13. ↑ *Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.: 3.08: Many Heads, One Tale*
14. ↑ *Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. 3.10: Maveth*