John Garrett

"I've seen the future. I've glimpsed it through the eyes of every creature dead, living, or yet to be. This is the beginning." "The beginning of what, John?" "The end!"

- John Garrett and Grant Ward

John Garrett was a turncoat S.H.I.E.L.D. agent who joined HYDRA. When he was injured while on a mission, he survived by becoming the first Deathlok. As an agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. he used his high clearance to become the Clairvoyant, the mastermind behind the Centipede Project. During his time as an agent, he recruited Grant Ward to HYDRA and became a fatherly figure to him. During the S.H.I.E.L.D. Civil War, he broke cover and fled S.H.I.E.L.D. and restarted the Centipede Project with the goal to recreate the life-saving drug GH.325, which he desperately needed to heal his failing organs. He attempted to use the knowledge given to him by the drug to take over the world, but was stopped by Phil Coulson, Deathlok and Nick Fury in the Battle at Cybertek.

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 prostheses. 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 recruited a young Grant Ward out of a juvenile detention facility in Massachusetts to join HYDRA. Garrett trained Ward by leaving him to fend for himself in the Wyoming wilderness. For five years, Garrett taught Ward how to survive at all costs and trust in nobody. At the end of his training, before leaving for S.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 rendezvoused with Coulson under the pretense of being under orders to bring in Quinn, thus putting himself in the center of Coulson's search. 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, unbeknowst 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.

Deflecting Suspicion
After Skye managed to recover from her wounds, she informed them of everything she saw in Ian Quinn's Italian compound, 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 and gave Coulson several false leads from S.H.I.E.L.D.'s Index of gifted individuals.

Garrett was present with Coulson when he and his team were lead to an abandoned race track in Pensacola, Florida. 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
"Hail HYDRA!"

- 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 to kill their colleagues. With thanks to Grant Ward and Skye however, Garrett was arrested by Hand and her men after being attacked by the rest of Coulson and his team. It was confirmed by Hand afterwards that Garrett would be taken to the Fridge, with herself and Ward personally ensuring he is locked away.

While being transported to the Fridge however, Agent Hand and two S.H.I.E.L.D. agents guarding Garrett were killed by Ward, who was also a HYDRA sleeper agent.

S.H.I.E.L.D. Civil War
"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. Garrett personally oversaw a HYDRA infiltration mission to retrieve secret S.H.I.E.L.D. weaponry from the Fridge. With help from HYDRA Agent Kaminsky and Grant Ward, 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 Coulson busy.

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.

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, Fitz and Simmons were captured by Grant Ward, Garrett mocked the pair until Fitz employed an EMP Joy Buzzer which short-circuited Garrett's mechanical enhancements. Now dying Garrett gave Ward the order to execute Fitz and Simmons. The GH.325 was synthesized by fellow HYDRA soldiers. Garrett revealed that he wanted the drug because his organs were failing. Raina ultimately injected the drug and Garrett claimed that he feels "the universe".

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, changed by the drug and writing the Words of Creation on a door of the Bus with a nail, had his sanity questioned by Grant Ward, but Garrett told him that he was fine. He then talked to Raina and assured her that he was now truly a "clairvoyant". Garrett started carving the Words of Creation more and more in every place he could do it, such as the walls or even the floor. Raina believed Garrett had been enlightened by the drug, seeing visions and carving them on walls, having witnessed their fate, and what the would become.

Garrett then interrupted the tour that Ian Quinn was giving to members of the United States Armed Forces of the Cybertek Manufacturing Facility and killed General Jacobs, before battling Phil Coulson, armed with the Destroyer Armor Prototype Gun, given to him by Nick Fury. 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 and later crushed with his prosthetic leg, as Deathlok started acting on his own orders. Surviving this attack, Garrett used the machine to replace his body parts with prosthetic parts, similar to Deathlok's armor, but was instantly atomized by Coulson who killed him with the Peruvian 0-8-4.

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 and
 * 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 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.

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 †
 * Mike 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.