John Garrett (Marvel Cinematic Universe)

""The Clairvoyant gives guidance, formulas." "For what?" "The changing world, the world your organization brought upon us. We're new to the business of what you've been doing for decades."

- Raina and Phil Coulson

Agent John Garrett is a former agent of S.H.I.E.L.D., an agent of HYDRA working with the Centipede Group, under the alias of the Clairvoyant and the true main antagonist of Season 1 in Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.

He is played by Bill Paxton.

Early Life

 * "I was a pyro as a kid, too. Ended up making a pretty good living at it."
 * ―John Garrett to Grant Ward

John Garrett joined S.H.I.E.L.D., where he was assigned to serve under a young Nick Fury as his Supervising Officer. Over the years, Garrett was partnered with Phil Coulson in many missions, had a mission with Victoria Hand in Lisbon, and later acted as Supervising Officer of Agents Grant Ward and Antoine Triplett.

In 1990, he stepped on an IED in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina. The blast left him in a mortally-wounded state, and his calls for extraction were met with excuses. Realizing that he was more loyal to S.H.I.E.L.D. than S.H.I.E.L.D. was to him, Garrett swore that if he survived he would treat S.H.I.E.L.D. in the same manner in which they treated him. Garrett moved his intestines back into place, duct-taped his wounds shut and made his own way to safety.

Garrett survived these wounds, and would soon be recruited into HYDRA, while maintaining his cover as a loyal S.H.I.E.L.D. agent. With the help of the Cybertek Corporation, he became the first test subject in Project Deathlok, a project carried out by Garrett's new allies in HYDRA and Cybertek to build a super soldier via cybernetic prosthetics. Decades later, Garrett's organs would start failing, and his biomechanical parts would be the only thing that kept him alive.

HYDRA and Centipede

 * "I work for a secret organization that's always looking to recruit young men like you."
 * ―John Garrett to Grant Ward[

As a member of HYDRA, Garrett became the mastermind behind the Centipede Project, a science group dedicated to the creation of Super-Soldiers. Garrett, however, saw it as a means of finding a way to reverse his failing health. Garrett was also a mutual friend of fellow HYDRA agent Alexander Pierce and frequently contacted him for orders. Garrett recruited Edison Po into Centipede, and for a time, Po was the project's only means of contact with Garrett, even while Po was in Havenworth Federal Penitentiary. Garrett also recruited billionaire Ian Quinn to his cause.

Using his access to personal files, psych evaluations and other classified information, Garrett almost seemed to be able to read minds and foretell the future. Using this seeming ability, Garrett took on the alias of "The Clairvoyant" to those within Centipede.

Garrett also recruited Carl Creel who was on S.H.I.E.L.D.'s gifted Index. Garrett was assigned to take him off the Index and terminate him. However, in reality, Garrett faked Creel's termination and recruited him into HYDRA as one of their assassins.

In 1999, Garrett met a young Grant Ward in a juvenile detention facility in Massachusetts, where he was doing time for burning down his family home with his brother still inside. He informed him that his brother was planning on having Ward tried as an adult to get the maximum penalty for his crime. Garrett told Ward that he worked for a secret organisation that were looking to recruit young men like him, and if he joined, no one would ever screw with him again. He made him a one-time offer to join HYDRA, when Ward agreed Garrett's soldiers broke him out of prison.

Garrett trained Ward by leaving him to fend for himself in the Wyoming wilderness for six months. When Garrett returned he was impressed to find that Ward had made a camp for himself. For five years, Garrett taught Ward how to survive at all costs and trust in nobody. At the end of his training, before leaving forS.H.I.E.L.D. Academy, Garrett ordered Ward to kill his dog Buddy. Despite the toughness of the training, especially during the first few months, Ward developed an almost blind loyalty towards Garrett, and Garrett always voiced his pleasure with Ward to other members of HYDRA, like Sunil Bakshi.

When several of Garrett's officers, including Agent Dan Monroe, began to ask the wrong questions or get too close to the truth during Garrett's "investigations" of Ian Quinn, Garrett had them eliminated.

One secret Garrett did not know was the truth of the mysterious resurrection of Phil Coulson after the Battle of New York, as that Level 10 file was beyond his access. Garrett arranged for Coulson's capture by Centipede and his interrogations by Edison Po and Raina and the painful use of a Theta Brain-Wave Frequency Machine, a device designed to bring out hidden or lost memories.

Deathlok
After Centipede Project delivered the latest Deathlok model, Garrett sought to have enslaved S.H.I.E.L.D. agent Michael Peterson outfitted with the latest technology. Arranging through Ian Quinn the purchase of a Cybertek Prosthetic Leg for Peterson through Cybertech Inc., Garrett lured Coulson and his team to Italy.

When Skye, a member of Coulson's Team, infiltrated Quinn's Italian mansion, Garrett ordered Quinn to shoot Skye twice in the stomach, forcing Coulson to seek out his own answers about his return in order to save Skye.

The Guest House
''
 * "''How was the drive from Istanbul?"

"Pretty please, it is."
 * ―Alpha and John Garrett

Once Phil Coulson had Ian Quinn in custody, Garrett, and his new S.H.I.E.L.D. protege Antoine Triplett, rendezvoused with Coulson under the pretence of being under orders to bring in Quinn, thus putting himself in the center of Coulson's search. He ordered Triplett to collect Quinn, knowing that Grant Ward would keep Triplett away. Garrett spoke to Coulson, where Coulson told Garrett about Quinn shooting Skye, unaware that Garrett ordered the shooting. Garrett told Coulson he would allow him to keep Quinn until Skye could be saved.

Garrett questioned Ian Quinn, Quinn spoke about the Clairvoyant. When Quinn tried to mock Garrett, he grabbed his tongue and threatened to rip it out. Garrett assisted Coulson on his raid of the Guest House in order to obtain the mysterious miracle drug GH.325 as a part of Coulson's effort to save Skye's life hoping to gain the answers he sought.

Garrett, unbeknownst to either Coulson or Leo Fitz, had also taken the other drugs in hopes of finding the one that brought Coulson back from the dead and hid as many of them as he could in his vest. He later left the Bus and took Ian Quinn into custody.

Deflecting Suspicion
Skye managed to recover from her wounds; she informed them of everything she saw in Ian Quinn's Italian villa, especially the survival of Michael Peterson and the Cybertek Prosthetic Leg acquired by Quinn.

Every S.H.I.E.L.D. agent in the United States was later informed about Peterson, and Agent Garrett and his team were appointed as running point in his search.

Hoping to throw off Coulson's search for the Clairvoyant, Garrett arranged for himself and Agent Antoine Triplett to be attacked by Deathlok in a S.H.I.E.L.D. Safe House, Deathlok escaped after the attack. Then Garrett gave Coulson several false leads from S.H.I.E.L.D.'s Index of gifted individuals.

Garrett, Victoria Hand, Jasper Sitwell, and Felix Blake arrived on the Bus to discuss what should be done about the Clairvoyant's attacks. Unaware that the leads they had were in fact false ones that Garrett had leaked, Coulson's team formulated a plan to investigate each suspect in teams of two to try to deceive the Clairvoyant. While the plan was being worked out, Garrett spoke to Skye, who had just been made an Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D., for the first time since her recovery. He showed her his own battle scars, included a third degree burn.

Garrett and Phil Coulson were teamed up together and they drove to investigate one index member believed to be the Clairvoyant. While arriving along Garrett told the story of a previous mission. Coulson laughed when he realised that Garrett was telling a story about a mission had been on together, when Coulson told him that he had been making up sections, Garrett smiled and said that it made it a better story. As they approached the suspect's location, they were diverted down an alleyway and followed by another car. When they heard that another team had been attacked by Deathlok, Garrett and Coulson made their escape.

Garrett had arranged for Deathlok to attack Agents Melinda May and Felix Blake while they investigated Thomas Nash, resulting in Blake nearly being killed. After the attack the team were able to track down Deathlok to an abandoned race track in Pensacola, Florida. Garrett was present with Coulson when he and his team raided the race track. During this raid a decoy Clairvoyant arranged by Garrett named Thomas Nash was found and killed by Agent Grant Ward.

Conflict with S.H.I.E.L.D.
''
 * "''Phil, this is a battle for S.H.I.E.L.D.'s soul, and we're on the front lines. History will remember us this day."

"That's right. It's for S.H.I.E.L.D.'s soul, and murder without consideration isn't..."
 * ―John Garrett and Phil Coulson

Concurrent to the launch of Project Insight and HYDRA's subsequent exposure to the world, two UAVs were sent to attack Garrett's Jump Jet through orders of Agent Victoria Hand. Garrett survived this incident however with the help from Coulson and the Bus as it was being rerouted to the Hub.

Garrett returned once again to the Bus and Coulson's Team after being saved from the UAVs. While being forced to the Hub, the team made the discovery that S.H.I.E.L.D. had been infiltrated by HYDRA, and theorized that Agent Hand is the Clairvoyant.

Once landed at the Hub, Garrett aided Coulson and his team into successfully sneaking past Hand's men, who had been ordered to open fire on the Bus's crew. Using technology designed by Leo Fitz, the team was able to successfully escape the plane without detection.

Betrayal, Arrest and Escape

 * "Shoot that one in the knees"
 * ―John Garrett

When Phil Coulson came to believe that Victoria Hand was the Clairvoyant, Garrett encouraged the notion and attempted to convince Coulson that she should be executed. This however backfired on Garrett when Coulson noted that he mentioned Raina being subjected to the same machine used on him during his capture; something Coulson never told anyone or wrote on reports. Coulson suddenly realized the reason behind Garrett's coincidental appearance: he had led the Clairvoyant straight to the GH.325 drug.

This revelation was also met with the confirmation that Garrett was the Clairvoyant and an agent of HYDRA, after ordering four of Hand's guards, recruited by HYDRA agent Jasper Sitwell, to kill their colleagues, he captured Coulson and his team. With thanks to Grant Ward and Skye however, the power was cut out in the room and Coulson attacked Garrett while Melinda May fought the other HYDRA agents. Coulson was able to use a Thunderstick to knock out Garrett. Garrett was arrested by Hand and her loyal Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. It was confirmed by Hand afterwards that Garrett would be taken to the Fridge, Ward asked to personally ensuring he is locked away along with Hand.

While being transported to the Fridge however, Garrett stayed silent. Agent Hand mocked the fact that he was no longer telling his trademark stories. Hand then turned to Ward and asked him if he would like to kill the real Clairvoyant, instead of the fake Thomas Nash. Ward stood up and loaded his gun, and immediatly shot and killed two S.H.I.E.L.D. agents guarding Garrett. Ward then turned his gun on Hand and shot her three times, killing her. Ward and Garrett then made their escape, while Garrett happily told one of his old war stories.

HYDRA Uprising

 * "Once we hit the Fridge and grab all the fun toys tucked away inside we'll be able to take any base we want."
 * ―John Garrett

After successfully escaping arrest from S.H.I.E.L.D., Garrett's next plan of action was to strengthen his HYDRA arsenal. After establishing a base of operations at the Barbershop Headquarters in Havana, Cuba, Garrett successfully had Raina released from prison with aid from Ward and had her brought to the base. He introduced himself to Raina, who still believed he was a Clairvoyant, he told her that he wasn't and welcomed her into HYDRA.

Garrett posed as a prisoner to flew to the Fridge. He was escorted to the door by Grant Ward who demanded to be let in, claiming to be delivering Garrett to his cell. When the guards refused to let them in as Victoria Hand was not present, a HYDRA helicopter was called to shoot at them until the guards were forced to open the doors to save their lives. Once they were safe inside the life Ward shot the guards and Garrett unleashed gas into the base to knock out the other S.H.I.E.L.D. guards.

Garrett personally oversaw the HYDRA infiltration mission to retrieve secret S.H.I.E.L.D. weaponry from the Fridge. His previous experience in the facility and great knowledge of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s secrets helped them uncover many hidden weapons. Garrett was able to obtain weapons such as the 0-8-4 found in Peru and Gravitonium. Garrett also released the Fridge's population of prisoners, including Marcus Daniels, as a means of keeping Phil Coulsonbusy.

After discovering that Coulson and his team had fled to the S.H.I.E.L.D. base Providence, Garrett ordered Ward to return to his old team to once again pose as an ally to Coulson and to obtain pass codes from Skye, who encrypted data pertaining to the GH drugs on a hard drive. He knew that Coulson would learn that the Fridge had been raided, so he ensured that Ward's cover was believable. He punched Ward repeatedly to give him accurate battle wounds, repeatedly asking him who he was, to which Ward said he was an Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D.

Coulson's team believed that Garrett was dead from a false report given by Ward.

However, due to a message left by Skye and an autopsy on Agent Eric Koenig by Jemma Simmons, Coulson and Antoine Triplett figured out that Ward lied and that Garrett was alive. Meanwhile, Garrett sent Deathlok to tail Ward to assure that he completed his mission.

As Garrett attempted to escape on the Bus, Leo Fitz and Jemma Simmons were captured by Grant Ward. Garrett mocked the pair, reminding Fitz that he had already given Fitz an opportunity to join HYDRA. He began to walk away until Fitz employed an EMP Joy Buzzer which short-circuited Garrett's mechanical enhancements. Grant Ward ran over and tried to help his mentor, but Garrett, believing he was dying, gave Ward the order to execute Fitz and Simmons. When Ward hesitated, Garrett asked if it was a weakness, reminding Ward of his training. Ward left and threw Fitz and Simmons out of the plane to their supposed deaths.

The GH.325 was synthesized by fellow HYDRA soldiers. Garrett revealed that he wanted the drug because his organs were failing and he had not gained strength because his own body was too close to death; the Extremiswas just barely keeping him alive. Raina ultimately injected the drug into Garrett's Extremis. At first it appeared to have no affect, until suddenly Garrett's entire body began to spasm and his skin began to glow gold. When it stopped Garrett starred into the air feeling his body getting stronger and his mind expanding. Ward asked him how he felt, Garrett answered by claimed that he feels "the universe".

Becoming Cybernetic and Death

 * "There's a reason they say cut off the head. Now I'll be unstoppa-"
 * ―John Garrett's last words before being disintegrated

Garrett later received a call from Cybertek that his HYDRA base had been attacked by S.H.I.E.L.D. and many of their soldiers had been buried under the rubble. Now changed by the drug Garrett ignored the call and used his increased strength to rip off a door of the Bus and began writing the Words of Creation on the door with a nail, had his sanity questioned by Grant Ward, but Garrett told him that he was fine, he had just had too many ideas in his head which he needed to write down.

He then took some time to stare at the Gravitonium, which had once reminded him of a lazy lamp, now he claimed to be able to see it's true potential. While he was there Raina came in to speak to him. She claimed to have been disappointed that he was not truly a "clairvoyant" but now he claimed that the truth was written on the back of his eyes. He began to rant not only having been given a stronger body by the GH.325 drug, but now being able to see visions of the future and being able to read Raina's mind. Raina took the opportunity to ask him the question she needed answered, what would she become.

Coulson's team attacked Cybertek Manufacturing Facility where Garrett's team were based. Garrett then interrupted the tour that Ian Quinn was giving to members of the United States Armed Forces where Quinn was trying to pitch the Deathlok soldiers as the future of the military. Quinn tried to introduce Garrett as their strategy consultant, but Garrett instead continued to mock and threaten the generals. When General Jacobs demanded to know why he heard gunfire, Garrett threatened him again and eventually killed General Jacobs by punching through his stomach and ripping out one of his rips, stabbing Jacobs in the neck with his own rib. Garrett claimed this to be the beginning of the end.

Phil Coulson was able to make it to Garrett, who fought back with his incredible new strength. Coulson was able to gain the upper hand however when he re-emerged armed with the Destroyer Armor Prototype Gun, given to him by Nick Fury and promptly shoot all of the Centipede soldiers. Fury then shot Garrett multiple times in the chest with little effect. Garrett continued to rant about his new greater understanding of the universe.

Meanwhile, his personal bodyguard, Deathlok, was receiving messages from Skye that she had freed his son, Ace, enabling him to switch sides. He was incapacitated by Deathlok using his Forearm Rocket Launcher. As Garrett lay injured on the floor, he ordered Deathlok to stand down, calling on Phil Coulson for help. Coulson did nothing and Garrett was crushed with Deathlok's prosthetic leg, as Deathlok started acting on his own orders.

S.H.I.E.L.D. believed Garrett had been killed in the attack; however he had survived despite major injuries including terrible burns to his face and body. Garrett used the machine to replace his body parts with prosthetic parts, similar to Deathlok's armor. He stood up with his new armor, believing himself to now be unstoppable, but before he could escape, he was instantly atomized by Coulson who killed him with the Peruvian 0-8-4.

Personality
Garret never frayed from using cruelty as means to an end. He used his decades at S.H.I.E.L.D. and Clearance Level 7 to earn respect and trust from his subordinates, including Coulson when in reality he was an agent of Hydra who ruthlessly manipulated S.H.I.E.L.D.'s T.A.H.I.T.I Project for his own goal; survival. Despite appearing a man of honor and principles there are occasions when Garrett would reveal his immorality such as during an interrogation when Ian Quinn spoke to him disrespectfully and was prepared to rip out his tongue, although this could just be a scare tactic.

Like numerous agents of Hydra, Garrett strongly believed that compassion was wrong and growing attachment to another person was "weakness." He manipulatively took advantage of a young Grant Ward when he was in a juvenile detention center, and when he was in need of a father figure. He abandoned Ward in the Wyoming wilderness, forcing him to survive on his own then later making him kill his pet dog, Buddy as he thought that he had grown too attached to his pet which he deemed another weakness.

Garrett can be seen as an abusive and toxic father figure to Ward; while he did see potential in the young man and wanted to nurture this within him, his methods of doing so were extremely brutal, such as beating him remorselessly to convince him he was still "Grant Ward; Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D." Despite all of his cruelty towards him, Ward still owed Garrett everything and was even willing to betray Phil Coulson and his team, so far the only people who have shown him genuine kindness simply to please him. He had a tendency to bring out the worst in people and is easily charismatic, able to inspire the utmost loyalty from the people he encounters such as Grant Ward and later, Raina. He was also not above emotional blackmail such as kidnapping Mike Peterson's son, Ace, to force him to obey.

However, after being injected with the GH.325 drug, Garrett's personality warped even more. He became even more arrogant and insane, claiming that he prophesied "the beginning of the end" and deemed himself "unstoppable" right before being killed by the Peruvian 0-8-4. His madness became so evident that it caused Grant Ward (who was probably his most loyal agent) to question him.

Powers
John Garrett had to use the Centipede Device to keep himself alive, and despite its properties, he was unable to gain the powers the Centipede Serum granted until he was injected with GH.325, that managed to heal all the internal injuries he sustained and improve a condition that had been worsening over the years.
 * Superhuman Strength: Through the Centipede Serum, Garrett gained a considerable amount of strength, enough to throw a man across a room with a single punch, or to carve a hole in the chest of another.
 * Superhuman Durability: Once injected with the GH.325 and mixed with the Centipede Serum, Garrett was able to withstand a full magazine of handgun shots, and even the direct explosion of a rocket in his chest, something that, though left him badly wounded, would have killed any ordinary human being.
 * Regenerative Healing Factor: The GH.325 not only healed the internal injuries that Garret had sustained years before. Its use through the Centipede Serum allowed him to permanently benefit from the healing properties of the drug. Garrett almost instantly healed from more than a dozen gunshots, and despite Deathlok seemingly killed him stomping Garrett's chest with his cybernetic leg, Garrett was able to heal enough to survive until his ultimate death.

Abilities

 * Master Marksman: John Garrett was a highly-trained specialist agent, and one of the best marksmen in the agency. He had such accuracy that he almost did not need to aim in order to shoot an immobile target. Garrett had also become an expert in gunfights, managing to overcome opponents using a diversion and approach them to shoot at point blank range.
 * Expert Martial Artist: Garrett was skilled enough in hand-to-hand combat to best Phil Coulson once his true allegiance to HYDRA was revealed, who only defeated him using a Thunderstick.
 * Master Spy: Garrett spent years pretending to be a loyal agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. despite being a HYDRA operative. No one knew that he was the Clairvoyant; Ian Quinn predicted that shooting Skye would bring the Clairvoyant, but no one was suspicious of Garrett's subsequent arrival. Garrett also had Thomas Nash in place to deflect suspicion from himself.

Relationships
{|

Allies

 * HYDRA
 * Alexander Pierce †
 * Jasper Sitwell †
 * Carl Creel/Absorbing Man
 * Sunil Bakshi
 * Centipede Project
 * Grant Ward - Son Figure and Trainee
 * Ian Quinn
 * Raina
 * Englishman † - Thrall
 * Edison Po †
 * Debbie † - Subordinate
 * Kaminsky - Subordinate
 * Ernesto
 * Marcus Daniels/Blackout †

Enemies

 * S.H.I.E.L.D.  (First Incarnation)


 * Nick Fury - Former Director
 * Maria Hill - Former Deputy Director
 * Victoria Hand † - Former Colleague
 * Felix Blake - Former Colleague
 * Anne Weaver - Former Colleague
 * Dan Monroe † - Former Colleague and Trainee
 * Coulson's Team
 * Phil Coulson - Former Colleague and Friend turned Enemy and Killer
 * Melinda May - Former Colleague
 * Leo Fitz - Former Colleague
 * Jemma Simmons - Former Colleague
 * Skye - Former Colleague
 * Antoine Triplett † - Former Colleague and Trainee
 * Alpha †
 * Beta †
 * Michael Peterson/Deathlok - Former Thrall
 * Thomas Nash †
 * }

Trivia

 * In the comics, Garrett is a former S.H.I.E.L.D. agent that was later transformed into a cyborg to save his life as he sustained serious injuries in the line of duty. His cybernetic-enhanced body in Beginning of the End is very similar to his appearance as cyborg in the comics.
 * Both John Garrett and Daniel Whitehall were members of the Great Wheel of the Zodiac, a collection of eleven of the most experienced espionage leaders in the Marvel Comics main continuity. Other prominent members that already appeared in the MCU were Nick Fury, Dum Dum Dugan and Wolfgang von Strucker.