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Last season in “Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.,” Agent May broke out as the team’s resident kick-ass, take no names field operative, despite her insistence that she was just there to drive the Bus.
After the events of the hit series’ first season, however, S.H.I.E.L.D. lies in shambles and Director Coulson needs all his agents in their top form…and that just means we’ll get to see May let loose more than ever before.
Before the season premiere of “Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.” next Tuesday, September 23 at its new time, 9:00 p.m. ET, we talked with Ming-Na Wen about what the future holds for May as Coulson and his team embark on a new journey through uncharted territory to rebuild S.H.I.E.L.D.
Marvel.com: Towards the end of last season, May and Coulson’s relationship in particular got a little rocky before it became a lot better. Going into Season 2, how would you define the dynamic between the two of them?
Ming-Na Wen: I think they’ve patched things up, and they respect and understand each other enough and have a strong enough friendship where both understand why she had to follow orders. So they’re in a good place. I don’t know how much of this I can give away. What’s really great is [now] that Coulson has new duties as Director in rebuilding S.H.I.E.L.D., he’s got his hands full in coordinating and recruiting S.H.I.E.L.D. members that he feels he can trust. So May is now his right hand man, or I guess, his right hand woman, I should say, in dealing with the ragtag gang of S.H.I.E.L.D. members we have left and in conducting missions. I love the fact that May now has a lot more duties and she really, truly, is in the field, which is a thing that she didn’t want in the beginning. She’s completely immersed in it and she understands why she has to be.
Marvel.com: Another thing that’s coming up is I know that beginning in the new season, May has sort of taken Skye under her wing as well.
Ming-Na Wen: Yeah, very much.
Marvel.com: I was curious what it was that May sees in Skye. At the beginning Coulson obviously saw something in her from the get-go, but some of the other characters, it took a little bit more for them to really accept her. At this point, what does May see in Skye that leads her to become her new supervising officer?
Ming-Na Wen: May does see the potential in Skye. She’s proven herself many times over the course of the last year in certain missions, [especially with] how [Skye] had to handle Ward when she found out he was Hydra. She’s really proven herself under stress. However, I think the other layer is that both Coulson and Skye share this mysterious blue formula that’s in their system. Being her S.O., I think, is something that serves several purposes. One is that she can keep an eye on Skye, she can get to know her better, and if there are any changes that happen in her she’ll be able to pick up on it much quicker. At the same time, she’s a real asset to the team as far as being able to go into the field, and we need every single member that we can get and Skye is someone that she can trust. It’s just a matter of also keeping an eye on her.
Marvel.com: That vigilance and watching over others, is that one of the key things that you feel keeps May around with S.H.I.E.L.D., or is there also that belief in the bigger idea of what S.H.I.E.L.D. is and can be?
Ming-Na Wen: I think so, because May’s friendship and loyalty to Coulson runs so deep. I find that relationship so fascinating and so fun to play between the two of them. But it’s basically her loyalty and her love for Coulson. 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 because he has a lot to deal with on many levels: Physically, mentally, and emotionally. 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.
Marvel.com: Right. That makes sense.
Ming-Na Wen: She wants to beat up the bad guys, there’s no doubt, and right now the biggest enemy is Hydra. So she’s there for that too. [laughs]
Marvel.com: Have you gotten to do many fight sequences yet that have rivaled some of your bigger ones from last year?
Ming-Na Wen: Yeah, we’re in the midst of it right now. I just trained for five hours Saturday and I just trained for another three or four today, so I’m tired. [laughs] My body is getting stronger. It’s great, though. I feel stronger and healthier now than I did in my 20s.
xxxxxxMarvel.com: I remember seeing that photo you posted of you, BJ Britt, and Nick Blood, all posing and showing off your biceps.
Ming-Na Wen: Yeah, that was not photoshopped at all! Those are real muscles.
Marvel.com: I just looked at that and thought, “I need to go back to the gym before I go to that set again.”
Ming-Na Wen: Well, you know what is so fun, is that so many crew members, even our lovely craft service ladies, everyone is getting fit. This show kind of really motivates you to want to get healthy. There’s a lot of beautiful bodies running around. [laughs] It is Marvel, after all.
Marvel.com: Just to wrap things up then, one question I’ve been asking all of the returning cast members, is now that you’ve had the chance to play the character for a year and obviously went through a big arc in the first season, what are some of the things about May
that you personally want to, or hope to, explore in this next year?
Ming-Na Wen: I think some of her backstory, it would be wonderful if that surfaced a bit. I don’t mind her being an enigma and being mysterious because I know where her heart is, but I really think for the fans, especially, what happened [in] Bahrain is very, very important. And maybe some of her backstory like who the hell her mom is, I would love to explore that. I’m always joking, “Oh, she worked for MI-6 and [maybe] she had a moment with James Bond years ago. Maybe James Bond is [May’s] father!” I go crazy with all kind of backstories just for fun.
But I think for me, just having an opportunity to see all the various aspects that she’s capable of as a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent and all her training from the academy. Not just about fighting and being able to keep her emotions in check or flying a plane and doing all those cool things, but maybe some of the more espionage type stuff, the undercover stuff. Like the one time where [Coulson and May] did the nerdy thing [in Season 1], that was so much fun. I would love to explore those sides of her. And her more feminine needs, I guess, because obviously, she’s not shy about it, like when she hit up Ward. [laughs] She’s just such a woman, I’d love to explore all those aspects about her. And her relationship with Coulson, what that’s really about. I think there is a deep-seated love, a friendship from life experiences together. It’s such a strong bond.
Catch the season premiere of “Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.” Tuesday, September 23 at its new time, 9:00 p.m. ET on ABC, and stay tuned to Marvel.com for the latest on your favorite agents!
After the events of the hit series’ first season, however, S.H.I.E.L.D. lies in shambles and Director Coulson needs all his agents in their top form…and that just means we’ll get to see May let loose more than ever before.
Before the season premiere of “Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.” next Tuesday, September 23 at its new time, 9:00 p.m. ET, we talked with Ming-Na Wen about what the future holds for May as Coulson and his team embark on a new journey through uncharted territory to rebuild S.H.I.E.L.D.
MAY HELPS COULSON LEAD A GROWING TEAM IN SEASON 2
Marvel.com: Towards the end of last season, May and Coulson’s relationship in particular got a little rocky before it became a lot better. Going into Season 2, how would you define the dynamic between the two of them?
Ming-Na Wen: I think they’ve patched things up, and they respect and understand each other enough and have a strong enough friendship where both understand why she had to follow orders. So they’re in a good place. I don’t know how much of this I can give away. What’s really great is [now] that Coulson has new duties as Director in rebuilding S.H.I.E.L.D., he’s got his hands full in coordinating and recruiting S.H.I.E.L.D. members that he feels he can trust. So May is now his right hand man, or I guess, his right hand woman, I should say, in dealing with the ragtag gang of S.H.I.E.L.D. members we have left and in conducting missions. I love the fact that May now has a lot more duties and she really, truly, is in the field, which is a thing that she didn’t want in the beginning. She’s completely immersed in it and she understands why she has to be.
Marvel.com: Another thing that’s coming up is I know that beginning in the new season, May has sort of taken Skye under her wing as well.
Ming-Na Wen: Yeah, very much.
Marvel.com: I was curious what it was that May sees in Skye. At the beginning Coulson obviously saw something in her from the get-go, but some of the other characters, it took a little bit more for them to really accept her. At this point, what does May see in Skye that leads her to become her new supervising officer?
AGENT MELINDA MAY IN THE SEASON 2 PREMIERE
Marvel.com: That vigilance and watching over others, is that one of the key things that you feel keeps May around with S.H.I.E.L.D., or is there also that belief in the bigger idea of what S.H.I.E.L.D. is and can be?
Ming-Na Wen: I think so, because May’s friendship and loyalty to Coulson runs so deep. I find that relationship so fascinating and so fun to play between the two of them. But it’s basically her loyalty and her love for Coulson. 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 because he has a lot to deal with on many levels: Physically, mentally, and emotionally. 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.
Marvel.com: Right. That makes sense.
Ming-Na Wen: She wants to beat up the bad guys, there’s no doubt, and right now the biggest enemy is Hydra. So she’s there for that too. [laughs]
Marvel.com: Have you gotten to do many fight sequences yet that have rivaled some of your bigger ones from last year?
Ming-Na Wen: Yeah, we’re in the midst of it right now. I just trained for five hours Saturday and I just trained for another three or four today, so I’m tired. [laughs] My body is getting stronger. It’s great, though. I feel stronger and healthier now than I did in my 20s.
Ming-Na Wen: Yeah, that was not photoshopped at all! Those are real muscles.
Ming-Na Wen: Well, you know what is so fun, is that so many crew members, even our lovely craft service ladies, everyone is getting fit. This show kind of really motivates you to want to get healthy. There’s a lot of beautiful bodies running around. [laughs] It is Marvel, after all.
Marvel.com: Just to wrap things up then, one question I’ve been asking all of the returning cast members, is now that you’ve had the chance to play the character for a year and obviously went through a big arc in the first season, what are some of the things about May
that you personally want to, or hope to, explore in this next year?
Ming-Na Wen: I think some of her backstory, it would be wonderful if that surfaced a bit. I don’t mind her being an enigma and being mysterious because I know where her heart is, but I really think for the fans, especially, what happened [in] Bahrain is very, very important. And maybe some of her backstory like who the hell her mom is, I would love to explore that. I’m always joking, “Oh, she worked for MI-6 and [maybe] she had a moment with James Bond years ago. Maybe James Bond is [May’s] father!” I go crazy with all kind of backstories just for fun.
But I think for me, just having an opportunity to see all the various aspects that she’s capable of as a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent and all her training from the academy. Not just about fighting and being able to keep her emotions in check or flying a plane and doing all those cool things, but maybe some of the more espionage type stuff, the undercover stuff. Like the one time where [Coulson and May] did the nerdy thing [in Season 1], that was so much fun. I would love to explore those sides of her. And her more feminine needs, I guess, because obviously, she’s not shy about it, like when she hit up Ward. [laughs] She’s just such a woman, I’d love to explore all those aspects about her. And her relationship with Coulson, what that’s really about. I think there is a deep-seated love, a friendship from life experiences together. It’s such a strong bond.
Catch the season premiere of “Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.” Tuesday, September 23 at its new time, 9:00 p.m. ET on ABC, and stay tuned to Marvel.com for the latest on your favorite agents!