Daniel Shaw

Evil-doer
Full Name	Daniel Shaw
Alias	Blackbriar (code-name).
Origin	Chuck
Occupation	CIA agent (formerly). Second-in-command of the Ring.
Powers / Skills	Hand to hand combat. Manipulation. Marksmanship. High intelligence.
Hobby	Reading comic books. Eating. Working on computers.
Goals	Get rid of Chuck Bartowski and take over the CIA and NSA (failed). Be number one agent of the Ring (failed).
Crimes	Treason
Type of Villain	Arrogant Rogue Agent

Daniel Shaw is a recurring character in Chuck. He started out as a supporting character, but later became the main antagonist of Season 3 and one of the two main antagonists of Season 5 (alongside Nicholas Quinn).

Shaw was a dedicated and decorated CIA agent who was hunting down the Ring, believing that they killed his wife, Evelyn, until he discovered the whole circumstances surrounding his wife's death, in which he ultimately went rogue as he became the agent of The Ring and ultimately, mentor-turned-nemesis of Charles Irving "Chuck" Bartowski.

He was portrayed by Brandon Routh, who also played Todd Ingram in Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, and Neron in DC's Legends of Tomorrow.

Biography

Daniel Shaw was born by his parents, John and Mary. At some point, he had a relationship with his ex-girlfriend, Sarah Walker, before meeting his future wife, Evelyn "Eve" Shaw, and married her.

Then, both Daniel and Evelyn were assigned to gather intelligence on the Ring roughly five years prior to "Chuck Versus Operation Awesome". Shaw admitted he always tried to protect her, and he currently believes this is what led to her being killed in the line of duty. Sometime during his field work against the Ring, Shaw had burnt Ring operative Nicos Vassilis, leaving a scar on his face. It is mentioned in "Chuck Versus the Other Guy" that Shaw previously taught at the United States Military Academy in West Point.

History

He is a villainous counterpart of Chuck, but was initially a good guy and loyal member of Team Chuck before he went rogue. Shaw was working with a terrorist organization called the Ring and their main goal is to take over the CIA and NSA in order to have federal agencies in their payroll. He also killed Chuck's father, Stephen J. Bartowski. He eventually went to prison in the end of season 3.

He came back in season 5 to plan his revenge on Chuck. Clyde Decker was on Shaw's payroll in the CIA they never looked at; he ordered him to ruin Chuck and his friends' lives. Decker took the Intersect out of his head and all of them were fired from the CIA and NSA. Mostly, he would throw the book at them for going rogue. Chuck has some strong evidence about his cover up turning Hartley Winterbottom (an MI6 agent) into a Russian terrorist named Alexei Volkoff that he can send to the press or the feds about his cover up. They let him go. Chuck and his team became freelance spies and figure out Decker was working for Shaw the whole time while he was in jail. Decker is dead and Shaw escaped from jail to have his revenge on Chuck and his team, but it backfired and he went back to jail.

Trivia

• Despite their differences, Shaw and Chuck shares many similarities, making him the suitable rival for Chuck:
  • Both lost a loved member of their families, Evelyn Shaw and Stephen Bartowski.
  • They are both talented at thinking of plans which rarely fail.
  • They are both skilled fighters, though Chuck was not as good as Shaw during his first appearance.
  • Both dislike using guns, though Shaw is shown to no longer do so after turning rogue.
  • Both have been in a relationship with Sarah Walker.
  • They were both members of Team Bartowski.
  • Both are turned into a human intersect at some point, but lose it later.
  • Both of them are nerdy and outsiders.
• Routh is the second Superman actor to play a villainous role; the first was Christopher Reeve (who played Lawrence Muller in TV movie Bump in the Night) and the third was Henry Cavill (who played August Walker in Mission: Impossible - Fallout, who ironically is very similar to the hero, Ethan Hunt).

Gallery

Shaw vs Chuck