Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.: Who Was Lash (& Why He Killed Inhumans)

Introduced in season 3 of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., Lash was an Inhuman who killed Inhumans, and the Marvel character has an interesting backstory.

When Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. introduced the Inhuman Lash in season 3, the show began unraveling the mystery of why Lash killed his fellow Inhumans. Though Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. began as a spin-off of the MCU’s Avengers, it started to diverge from the MCU in season 2. That’s when the series began to heavily feature Inhuman characters, some from Marvel comics, and some created for the show. The Inhumans were initially introduced through Daisy Johnson (Chloe Bennett), formerly known as Skye in the first season of the series.

In the comics, Inhumans are those of Kree-human lineage that were experimented on in the ancient days of Earth. Their descendants exhibited different abilities and superpowers. Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. adapted the Inhuman idea for the screen. People who previously believed themselves human found themselves with new powers after touching crystals that enveloped them in a transformative cocoon – a process known as terrigenesis. Inhumans became an integral part of the show’s storyline in season 3 as Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. developed a new mythology surrounding the beings.

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Andrew Garner Was Lash

Andrew Garner first appeared in the Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. season 2 episode “One Of Us,” played by Blair Underwood. A psychologist who worked for S.H.I.E.L.D. in the past, Garner was brought into the show to help Daisy adjust to her new abilities. He had experience working with individuals on S.H.I.E.L.D.’s “Index” in the past, those people who appeared to develop extraordinary abilities that S.H.I.E.L.D. monitored. He also happened to be Agent Melinda May’s (The Mandalorian’s Ming-Na Wen) ex-husband. There was no indication in his season 2 appearances that Andrew Garner was actually an Inhuman, however. That reveal didn’t come until Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. season 3.

Garner went through terrigenesis after accidentally breaking one of the terrigen crystals hidden in a ledger from the Inhuman village Afterlife. For a time, he was able to control his transformations and hide the fact that he was really Lash. Matthew Willig played the Lash form of Andrew Garner. The full transformation of the character was eventually revealed as Andrew Garner spent less and less time in his human form.

Why Lash Killed Inhumans

As explained by S.H.I.E.L.D. ally Lincoln Campbell (Luke Mitchell) in the show, Inhumans like Daisy Johnson’s Quake evolved to serve specific needs. Lash’s strength and his being drawn to Inhumans made him a unique case. He sought out and killed Inhumans because he felt compelled to do so. The Inhumans he targeted were those Andrew Garner believed were threats to the larger population.

His true purpose, however, was to stop Hive. Hive, who eventually took over the body of Grant Ward (Brett Dalton), was the first Inhuman, and he had the ability to infect other Inhumans to do his bidding. He would have been able to influence any Inhuman he approached. While Lash didn’t get the chance to stop him before his own death, he did eliminate potential Hive targets. He also made Daisy Johnson immune to Hive, allowing her to go after him instead.

Like many Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. stories compared to Marvel Comics, Lash’s was modified. In the comics, Lash was a high priest in an Inhuman city. His function was actually to judge whether those of Inhuman lineage were worthy of undergoing terrigenesis. Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. took a very different approach to the character, but it worked for the purposes of the show.

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