- "Now do you see what I am, what I've become? I'm a superhero, and I plan on doing what needs to be done."
"You're not a hero!" - ―Glenn Talbot and George Talbot[src]
The Attack on Glenn Talbot was S.H.I.E.L.D.'s response to reports that Glenn Talbot, who had gone insane after infusing himself with Gravitonium had turned on S.H.I.E.L.D. as a result, having absorbed Carl Creel, as well as the realization that he would be at his family home. A team of S.H.I.E.L.D. agents led by Alphonso Mackenzie and Yo-Yo Rodriguez approached the home and confronted Talbot, but his gravitational powers prevented them from subduing him. After one agent was killed and the team was forced to take cover, Talbot's son George convinced him not to continue fighting, and he escaped.
Background
- "Your dad's a superhero now, just like those Avengers. And guess what. I even have my own superpowers."
- ―Glenn Talbot to George Talbot[src]
Following an assassination attempt which left him brain damaged, General Glenn Talbot was captured by Hale, the last leader of HYDRA, who took him far from his wife Carla and his son George and tortured him using the Faustus method. As a result, Talbot disclosed sensitive information about S.H.I.E.L.D..[1] Once he was released by S.H.I.E.L.D., Talbot attempted to make up for his mistakes by infusing himself with Gravitonium, which granted him gravity manipulation abilities he used to put an end to the Siege of the Lighthouse which had been initiated by the Remorath.[2]
Glenn Talbot leaves to find more Gravitonium
However, due to his mental instability and the consciousness of Ian Quinn and Franklin Hall stored in the Gravitonium, Talbot soon fell into megalomania. Convinced that he was a superhero and the only one capable of stopping Thanos, Talbot agreed with the Confederacy that he should find more Gravitonium to power himself up. This put him into conflict with his former friend Phil Coulson, who he had imprisoned.[3] Talbot then murdered S.H.I.E.L.D. Agent Kim and left to pursue his quest. Before locating more Gravitonium, however, he decided to visit his family.[4]
Attack
- "We don't want to hurt you, Talbot. We just want to talk to you."
"Where's Coulson? What did you do to them?"
"They're prisoners of war."
"We're not at war with you."
"They declared war when they tried to stop me." - ―Alphonso Mackenzie, Yo-Yo Rodriguez and Glenn Talbot[src]
Glenn Talbot went to see his family and reconnect with them. However, the family reunion went wrong as Carla Talbot perceived that something was not right with her husband. As both she and George Talbot grew more and more worried about him, Carla revealed that S.H.I.E.L.D. had told them about what had happened with the Gravitonium. This enraged Talbot to the point he attacked his own wife, pinning her against a wall with his powers and intending to absorb her.
Glenn Talbot makes the S.H.I.E.L.D. SUVs levitate
However, a group of S.H.I.E.L.D. agents led by Alphonso Mackenzie and Yo-Yo Rodriguez soon arrived to confront Talbot. A Talbot got out of his home, S.H.I.E.L.D. claimed that they did not look for a fight and asked where Phil Coulson was. Talbot replied that Coulson, and thus S.H.I.E.L.D., had declared war upon him when he tried to stop him. Talbot then used his powers to make the two S.H.I.E.L.D. SUVs levitate before violently crashing them on the road.
Glenn Talbot stops the bullets shot at him
This prompted several S.H.I.E.L.D. agents to engage Talbot and fire at him. However, Talbot used his powers to stop the bullets and kept them circling around him before turning them against the S.H.I.E.L.D. agents who were forced to take cover, although one agent was shot by Talbot. Talbot then gloated about his new powers, claiming that he was a superhero. However, George came out of the house and told his father that he was not a hero. Rodriguez attempted to take George to safety, but she was stopped by a gravity field surrounding Talbot.
Glenn Talbot escapes by flying away
His son's interference surprised Talbot, who tried to convince George that he was a good man and that George would soon realize that. Talbot then used his powers one last time to fly away from his house, ready to find some more Gravitonium.[4]
Aftermath
Glenn Talbot kidnaps Robin Hinton and Polly Hinton
- "You ever see me tearing the Earth apart, bringing something up from the ground? Good. Now tell me where."
- ―Glenn Talbot to Robin Hinton[src]
Still convinced that he was a superhero who could be able to protect Earth from any threat if he managed to find more Gravitonium to absorb, Glenn Talbot located and kidnapped the young Inhuman Robin Hinton, along with her mother Polly. Talbot intended to use Robin's powers so he could access untapped deposits of Gravitonium.[4] Forced to cooperate so that her mother would be safe, Robin directed Talbot to Chicago.
S.H.I.E.L.D. faces an impossible dilemma
S.H.I.E.L.D. was soon confronted to a dilemma. As they knew that Talbot could only be stopped by being killed, Leo Fitz and Jemma Simmons suggested to combine a dose of Centipede Serum with Odium reclaimed from Qajax so they would have a deadly weapon to use against their new enemy. However, Daisy Johnson had initially brought back the Centipede Serum so it could be associated with her mother Jiaying's DNA in order to create a cure for Phil Coulson, and did not believe there was any more; even if there was, the threat Talbot posed was too imminent. The S.H.I.E.L.D. team thus had an impossible choice to make: letting Coulson die and saving the world, or saving Coulson with the risk of triggering the Destruction of Earth.[4]