For the duration of Marvel's Agents of SHIELD, Phil Coulson's team of spies endured heavy losses, incredible victories and painful betrayals. The betrayals, in particular, came in all shapes and sizes. While some of these characters switched sides for an elaborate undercover operation, others were wholeheartedly devoted to the opposing group. As a result, some betrayals are far worse than others.
This article will look at the individuals who breached the team's trust through a betrayal, whether it be fake, real, physical or emotional. In the end, only one betrayal will be considered the worst. Nevertheless, each entry created some form of surprise for the audience and the characters.
6. Simmons
Following the first season's reveal that Hydra had infiltrated SHIELD, the evil organization was at its height. For Coulson's team, this meant dealing with a mole within their ranks and an immediate retaliation for their actions. To do this, Jemma Simmons had to be tougher than she ever thought possible and infiltrate Hydra. In the Season 2 episode, "Making Friends and Influencing People," she was revealed to be undercover, gathering intel for some time. However, as she tried to get more information, she further risked being exposed. Ultimately, Simmons' betrayal was a ruse and worked to SHIELD's benefit, but the episode initially played coy about her true loyalties.
5. Piper
In Season 3 of Agents of SHIELD, Piper debuted as a loyal operative to Coulson's newly formed SHIELD division. She was often a part of field operations and became an invaluable member of the team. However, her loyalty and caring nature got the best of her in the Season 5 episode, "All the Comforts of Home." In it, General Hale manipulated Piper into handing the team over, saying that if she did, they wouldn't be harmed. Piper eventually turned the team over only for Hale's force to immediately try to kill them. Because she was misled, Piper was let back onto the team and her betrayal was quickly forgiven.
4. May
Melinda May is one of the toughest and most experienced agents on the team. Like Black Widow, she's exceptional at keeping secrets and lying even to her closest allies. In fact, this is precisely what she had to do during the first half of Season 1. Due to the circumstances around Coulson's resurrection, May was tasked by Nick Fury with reporting any potential side effects of his treatment. Unfortunately, this truth didn't come to light until the episode "Turn, Turn, Turn," when one of their own turned out to be working for Hydra. Though May had the best intentions, the betrayal Coulson felt on a personal level took time to heal. Eventually, they reconciled and developed even closer feelings for one another.
3. Skye
Daisy Johnson, aka Quake, aka Skye, lived a unique life before joining SHIELD. She was once part of a hacker group known as the Rising Tide, which was initially how she got on Coulson's radar, and she didn't trust government organizations. In Season 1, Episode 5, "The Girl in the Flower Dress," Skye demonstrated her lack of trust by getting into contact with her Rising Tide affiliate and lover, Miles. For the duration of the episode, the team believed she was selling SHIELD secrets when in reality, she only wanted to find information on her parents. Though she never fully betrayed the team, her deception and lack of trust in them hindered their opinion of her for a brief time.
2. Bobbi and Mack
Following the fall of SHIELD, Agents of SHIELD showed how the organization's spies tried to rebuild. On one side, Fury appointed Coulson as the next SHIELD director. Unlike their previous incarnation, he took to the shadows to combat Hydra. On the other end, another faction emerged but hid itself from Coulson's group, claiming they were the "Real SHIELD." Before both factions merged, two of Coulson's teammates were revealed to be a part of this faction: Mack and Bobbi Morse. In the Season 2 episode, "One Door Closes," the opposing faction invaded Coulson's base. Though no one was injured in the takeover and the two factions soon merged, the realization that two trusted members of Coulson's team were secretly working for another leader cut deep and wasn't easily forgotten.
1. Ward
The most painful and impactful betrayal in Agents of SHIELD has to be Grant Ward's turn in the Season 1 episode, "Turn, Turn, Turn." At this point, Hydra revealed their position within SHIELD and a mole was exposed in Coulson's team. Of all of the members it could've been, it wound up being Agent Grant Ward, who seemed like an otherwise honorable spy. Not only did his turn lead to many agents' deaths, but he also became a thorn in Coulson's side for multiple seasons after. Following his reveal, Ward's allegiance shifted a few times and he eventually tried to build up his own branch of Hydra. His betrayal was the deadliest and most surprising and it only got worse after realizing there wasn't a sliver of goodness in his whole body.