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Melinda May

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Melinda May
Marvel Cinematic UniverseandMarvel Comicscharacter
Ming-Na Wen as Melinda May in a promotional image forseason four
First appearance
Last appearance
Created by
Portrayed byMing-Na Wen
Riley Go (young)
In-universe information
Full nameMelinda Qiaolian May[1]
NicknameThe Cavalry
Occupation
FamilyLian May(mother)
William May(father)
SpouseAndrew Garner(divorced)
SignificantothersPhil Coulson(deceased)
Grant Ward(deceased)
ChildrenRobin Hinton(adoptive daughter; alternate timeline)
NationalityChinese American[2]

Melinda Qiaolian May,also known asThe Cavalry,is afictionalcharacterthat originated in theMarvel Cinematic Universebefore appearing inMarvel Comics.The character, created byJoss Whedon,Jed WhedonandMaurissa Tancharoen,first appeared in thepilot episodeofAgents of S.H.I.E.L.D.in September 2013, and has continually been portrayed byMing-Na Wen.

Fictional character biography

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New Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D.

[edit]
Further information:Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. season 1

Melinda May is brought on to the recently resurrectedS.H.I.E.L.D.agentPhil Coulson's team as pilot and field agent, to investigate superhumans and other related phenomena.[3]She is shown to be in a relationship with fellow agentGrant Ward.[4]Coulson tells agentSkyethat May, during a mission in Bahrain in 2008, single-handedly took out a superhuman threat and several accomplices, saving a team of S.H.I.E.L.D. agents, though a young girl was killed in the crossfire. Left traumatized by the experience, May withdrew from field duty. Later, her trauma is shown to be gradually healing.[5]She also ends her relationship with Ward. Unknown to Skye and Coulson, May is monitoring their conversation, and reporting to someone else.[6]When theHydraUprising begins, May reveals that she knew the truth about Coulson's resurrection[a]and was monitoring him on directorNick Fury's orders, and Coulson refuses to trust her any more.[9]Feeling unwanted, she leaves, searching to find out the truth behind Coulson's resurrection.[1]She finds the truth and brings it back to Coulson.[10]May later incapacitates Ward, who was adouble agentfor Hydra, and after Ward's mentorJohn Garrett'sdeath, goes with the team to the Playground to help restart S.H.I.E.L.D., under the newly promoted director Coulson.[11]

Fall of S.H.I.E.L.D. Aftermath

[edit]
Further information:Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. season 2

May is Coulson's unofficial deputy.[12]She later meets her ex-husbandAndrew Garner.[13]When another S.H.I.E.L.D. faction led byRobert Gonzalesemerges and occupies their base, May helps Coulson to escape,[14]but later accepts a position on Gonzales' board.[15]It is revealed that in 2008 at Bahrain, theInhumanEva Belyakov and some gangsters took a S.H.I.E.L.D. team and several locals hostage, and May entered the building they were using to rescue the hostages. She found them acting out of character, and they attacked her, but she defeated them and killed Eva in a fight, before discovering Eva's daughter Katya was the real threat, having taken control of the hostages to feed on their pain. When Katya killed the Bahrainis she was controlling, May was forced to kill Katya. S.H.I.E.L.D. assumed Eva was the threat and Katya was caught in the crossfire, and May was lauded for saving the S.H.I.E.L.D. team single-handedly and given the nickname 'the Cavalry'. However she became deeply traumatized; her marriage to Garner also suffered, eventually leading to divorce.[16]When the two S.H.I.E.L.D. factions unite, May becomes a member of Coulson's council of advisors.[17]At the end of the season, May takes a break from S.H.I.E.L.D. to be with Garner.[18]

Return to S.H.I.E.L.D.

[edit]
Further information:Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. season 3

May has been on leave from S.H.I.E.L.D. for six months and is looking after her father (William May), who was injured in a car accident.Lance Hunterhopes that May will help him find and kill an absconding Ward, and notes that she suspects that Ward was behind her father's accident, but May is hiding from her life at S.H.I.E.L.D. and difficulties in her relationships with Garner and Coulson. May is eventually convinced by her father that getting back into her S.H.I.E.L.D. life by going with Hunter is the best thing for her, and the two leave to infiltrate the new ranks of Hydra.[19]She later learns that Garner is the Inhuman serial killer Lash.[20]May struggles with this revelation;[21]she continues to work in S.H.I.E.L.D. as the agency attempts to bring downGideon Malickand laterHive,losing Garner in this battle.[22]

STRIKE Trainer and Framework

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Further information:Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. season 4

Following the re-legalization of S.H.I.E.L.D. and the appointment ofJeffrey Maceas director, May is given the task of rebuilding and training the new STRIKE team. During one of her missions, she is touched byLucy Bauer,a woman with ghost-like powers,[23]causing her to become paranoid.[24]AgentJemma Simmonsand S.H.I.E.L.D. allyHolden Radcliffe"cure" May by killing and reviving her.[25]Prior to S.H.I.E.L.D. victory's onEli Morrow,May was incapacitated and kidnapped by Radcliffe'sandroidAidaand was replaced by anandroid decoyof herself.[26]After several escape attempts,[27]May's mind is trapped inside the Framework, avirtual realitywhere she lives as a Hydra agent.[28]With the help of Skye (who now goes by her real name Daisy Johnson) and Simmons, May eventually escapes the Framework,[29]only to face the threat of Aida, now an Inhuman.[30]Following Aida's defeat, May and the others are sent to the year 2091 by an unknown force.[31]

Future and Present

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Further information:Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. season 5

May and the others find themselves in the Lighthouse, a bunker used to contain the rest of humanity following Earth's destruction.[32]May is captured by theKreewho rule over the station and sent to Earth's surface.[33]There she meets Robin Hinton,[34]who had been raised by May in her past.[35]Discovering the way to return to the present,[36]May and the others return to the Lighthouse and manage to return to the present.[37]They immediately work to prevent the destruction of Earth,[38]come into conflict withGeneral Hale's Hydra, and later with an extraterrestrial force called the Confederacy.[39]Following their victory over a gravitonium-enhancedGlenn Talbot,thus saving Earth, May joins Coulson, who is dying, on his final days onTahiti.[40]

Coulson Look-a-like

[edit]
Further information:Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. season 6

One year later, May assists in dealing with threats involvingSarge'sgroup[41]andIzel.[42]She like Daisy believes that she can get Coulson back through Sarge, hisdoppelgänger,but gets mortally stabbed by Sarge and sent to a dimension where Sarge and Izel are trying to free their kind on Earth.[43]May survives as death is meaningless in this dimension, and prevents three of Izel's people from unleashing their kind. After returning to Earth, she kills Izel and collapses from her injuries, while Mack kills Sarge. Simmons arrives and places May in astasispod in order to recuperate.[44]

Chronicom War

[edit]
Further information:Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. season 7

May is healed byEnoch,aChronicomand ally of S.H.I.E.L.D., but she escapes from her stasis pod without his knowledge.[45]Following her recovery, she appears to have no emotions;[46]Elena "Yo-Yo" Rodriguezand Simmons discover that May has lost her own emotions but insteadcan feel everyone else'swhenever she is in proximity of them.[47]After infiltrating the Chronicom ship to save Daisy's sisterKora,May overpowersSibyl,the leader of the Chronicom hunters, and combines her abilities with Kora's to magnify a beacon of empathy into the Chronicom army, stopping their assault on S.H.I.E.L.D. Following the defeat of Sibyl, a year later, May is a professor at S.H.I.E.L.D.'s Coulson Academy.[48]

Concept and creation

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Wen was cast as May in October 2012.[49]Whedon had the character, who was originally listed with the name Agent Althea Rice on casting sheets,[50]"rolling around in his head" for a long time.[51]In preparation for the role, Wen was "given a couple of background stories" about May, but found it challenging to play a character who is respected by those around her when the audience doesn't know why, stating "It's a challenge in different ways....I use some of my own personal experience where we've been scarred or we've been greatly disappointed".[51]When May's past was revealed in "Melinda",Wen called it" devastating ", explaining" She was married, she was in love with Andrew, she had a job that she excelled at and loved and believed in—so her world was pretty perfect...To have learned what she had to do, for the good of the many...I can understand why it would traumatize her so much and cause her to retreat. "[52]The character is of Chinese descent, like the actress portraying her,[53]although she was not written that way.[54]May's shirt is the same blue as many S.H.I.E.L.D. agents inThe Avengerssuch asMaria Hill,so as to have some continuity between her uniform and those established in the films. The rest of her costume is inspired by military flight suits, including a leather vest, and pants with stretch panels to aid with fighting.[55]

Characterization

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Following the series premiere, Wen teased the character, saying that "she's very much the observer, and whenever she wants to put in her two cents, it's something that you want to listen to and kind of pay attention to...She's slow in getting acclimated to part of the group and being in the field again."[56]Talking about May's reasons for staying with S.H.I.E.L.D., Wen explained "May's friendship and...loyalty and her love for Coulson [keeps her there]. Maybe not romantic [love], it's just really—it's hard to describe—it's a bond, it's unbreakable, and she will watch over Coulson and take care of him and help him through whatever he needs to at this point in his life... She wants to be there for him, and if it serves S.H.I.E.L.D., that's just more or less a side effect, really."[57]Wen admitted that May develops a relationship with Skye over the course of the series, going from thinking of Skye as "someone that she didn't want as part of the team and didn't understand why Coulson wanted her" to wanting Skye "to be the best agent that she can be." After discovering that Skye is an Inhuman, Wen stated that "it's like when you have your child or your daughter losing control or getting involved with situations or people that you're not sure about. You don't have the control anymore. It's very frightening. For Skye to be an unknown entity, May still holds out hope. She hopes that her training with her will help her be able to control her new powers, but you never know. Sometimes the power overtakes everything else."[58]

On how May deals with her ex-husband Andrew becoming the Inhuman killer Lash, Wen said, "She's come to the understanding that it was something he had no control over. The betrayal might be not sharing that information of what happened to him with her. I think she understands that, in a way, he was scared and trying to be protective of their relationship and doing it all for the wrong reasons. I think, ultimately, Agent May is kind of shut down when it comes to Lash and Andrew at this point. That's why she's re-focusing all her energy back into S.H.I.E.L.D., back being by Coulson's side. That's where she's most comfortable."[59]Wen went on to describe May as "unconventionally maternal...she's taking care of Simmons and really believing that she needs to be able to protect herself, she's very, very concerned about the family's well being."[60]

Reception

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Wen received nominations for 'Favorite Actress in a New TV Series' at the40th People's Choice Awardsand 'Favorite Female TV Star – Family Show' at the29th Kids' Choice Awards.[61][62]Wen was also namedTVLine's "Performer of the Week" for the week of April 12, 2015, for her performance in "Melinda", specifically her portrayal of May in the flashback sequences.[63]

Other appearances

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Comics

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May made herMarvel Comicsdebut inS.H.I.E.L.D.vol. 3 #1 (Feb. 2015) fromMark WaidandCarlos Pacheco.[64]She joinedPhil Coulson's team to regain the Uru Sword, an ancient weapon that belonged toHeimdall.She battled a group of terrorists who were in possession of it and was later debriefed byMaria Hill.

Her next assignment was protectingWiccanfrom a man who had special bullets that could harm magic users. WithScarlet Witch's help, the team traveled toAntarcticato find the source and managed to defeat the people who were making the bullets. However,Dormammutook possession ofLeo Fitzand shot Scarlet Witch.[65]May had to travel to the Dark Dimension with Coulson and Jeremiah Warrick, a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent with the head of an owl. She fought off an army ofMindless Ones,but was outnumbered. She witnessedAbsorbing Mandefeat Dormammu afterwards.[66]

May later teamed up withMockingbirdto take out a surgeon who was doing illegal experiments.[67]She and Coulson were later contacted bySilkto aid her,Hulk,Wolverine,and eventuallyGhost Riderinto fighting an alien creature that was mimicking powers.[68][69]

Web series

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Melinda May appears in the digital seriesAgents of S.H.I.E.L.D.: Slingshotwith Ming-Na Wen reprising her role.[70]

Video games

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See also

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Notes

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  1. ^As depicted in the episodes "The Magical Place"and"T.A.H.I.T.I.".[7][8]

References

[edit]
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  32. ^"Orientation, Part One".Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D..Season 5. Episode 1. December 1, 2017.ABC.
  33. ^"Fun & Games".Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. network= ABC.Season 5. Episode 6. January 5, 2018.
  34. ^"Together or Not at All".Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.Season 5. Episode 7. January 12, 2018. ABC.
  35. ^"The Last Day".Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.Season 5. Episode 8. January 19, 2018. ABC.
  36. ^"Best Laid Plans".Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.Season 5. Episode 9. January 26, 2018. ABC.
  37. ^"Past Life".Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.Season 5. Episode 10. February 2, 2018. ABC.
  38. ^"All the Comforts of Home".Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.Season 5. Episode 11. March 2, 2018. ABC.
  39. ^"Rise and Shine".Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.Season 5. Episode 15. March 30, 2018. ABC.
  40. ^"The End".Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D..Season 5. Episode 22. May 18, 2018.ABC.
  41. ^"Window of Opportunity".Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.Season 6. Episode 2. May 17, 2019. ABC.
  42. ^"Leap".Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.Season 6. Episode 10. July 19, 2019. ABC.
  43. ^"The Sign".Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.Season 6. Episode 12. August 2, 2019. ABC.
  44. ^"New Life".Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.Season 6. Episode 13. August 2, 2019. ABC.
  45. ^"The New Deal".Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.Season 7. Episode 1. May 27, 2020.ABC.
  46. ^"Know Your Onions".Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.Season 7. Episode 2. June 3, 2020. ABC.
  47. ^"Out of the Past".Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.Season 7. Episode 4. June 17, 2020. ABC.
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  68. ^Ghost Ridervol. 8 #3
  69. ^Ghost Ridervol. 8 #5
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  73. ^MELINDA MAY (AGENT OF S.H.I.E.L.D.) – MARVEL PUZZLE QUEST NEW CHARACTER
[edit]
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