Entertainment

'S.H.I.E.L.D.' Forged A New Team In Mack & Bobbi

Short answer: no. Long answer: The alliance between Bobbi and Mack on Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. is a new one, not founded on comic book canon. The Marvel universe is a malleable thing, and has been shaped and twisted a lot over the years. As a fan, I’d much rather spend my time tossing around theories and reacting to WTF moments than watching joylessly as stories get re-told exactly the same way from medium to medium. Because where’s the fun in that?

In the comics, Alphonso Mackenzie is the CIA agent responsible for working with S.H.I.E.L.D. That partnership goes south when he gets tangled up with La Contessa Valentina Allegra de la Fontaine, an Italian agent and one-time leader of S.H.I.E.L.D.’s Femme Force. (I need this so badly to make it to the show. And I definitely need it on a T-shirt too.) This little romance puts him at odds with Nick Fury, who Valentina also counts among her lovers. Once the feuding boys get over it, Mackenzie joins up with S.H.I.E.L.D., only to leave later and exploit their exploits in a juicy tell-all.

Comic book Bobbi, meanwhile, is a grade-A badass. She exposes corruption in the S.H.I.E.L.D. ranks by going undercover (much like TV Bobbi did with Hydra), taking on the mantle of Mockingbird (See: Badass). She has an on-again, off-again relationship with sexy archer Hawkeye; it’s important to note that she proposes to him (Again: Badass). She endures torture, stalking, and losing her identity to an evil replicant, and, oh yeah, she’s an Avenger. (You get the picture.)

Clearly, comic book Bobbi out-cools comic book Mack by a mile. Even if their paths had significantly crossed, there’s no way they would have made a viable team. Basically, she would have eaten him alive. Of course, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. is another story; we’ll soon see if those two equals will be able to accomplish their mysterious mission together, right under Coulson's nose.Image: ABC