Attack on Grant Ward

Attack on Grant Ward
Previous	Attack on Dwight Frye
Concurrent	Attack on Andrew Garner
Next	Chase of Luther Banks
War	Grant Ward's Campaign
Date	December 2015
Location	Grant Ward's HYDRA Warehouse
Result (Outcome)	Strategic S.H.I.E.L.D. victory.
Combatants
S.H.I.E.L.D.
HYDRA
Commanders
Lance Hunter Melinda May
Grant Ward
Casualties
-
10 HYDRA operatives

"So glad you're here, May. I was planning on heading out with a truck full of weapons that Hunter so kindly supplied. Looking to cause a little mayhem, draw S.H.I.E.L.D. out, when, instead - you came to me."
"You're trapped, Ward."
"Hey. Don't interrupt. Not before you see my surprise."

―Grant Ward and Melinda May^[src]

The Attack on Grant Ward was S.H.I.E.L.D.'s attempt to eliminate Grant Ward and end his attempts to rebuild the terrorist organization HYDRA. After a long search, Agent Lance Hunter, under the guise of Richy, managed to infiltrate Ward's base, but was not able to kill him immediately when they confronted each other. In the ensuing shootout, Hunter, assisted by Melinda May, managed to kill almost all of Ward's men, but before further S.H.I.E.L.D. reinforcements could arrive at the scene, Ward and his deputy Kebo managed to escape.

Background

"I'm gonna hunt that son of a bitch down."

―Lance Hunter^[src]

The Kidnapping of Bobbi Morse caused Lance Hunter and Bobbi Morse to want revenge on Grant Ward. Morse was not approved for field duty because she had lost half a lung when she protected Hunter from a gunshot during a trap Ward had set for Hunter. Hunter received approval for a quest to terminate Ward from Phil Coulson and recruited Melinda May to assist him.

Lance Hunter infiltrates Grant Ward's HYDRA

Ward decided that he was the new leader of HYDRA, and that his new HYDRA would be filled with only those who had proven themselves through blood. He created a fight club for new recruits where they had to kill other potential recruits in order to join. Hunter and May, under the aliases "Richy" and "Gina", met with an old associate of Hunter's called "Spud" who told them about the fight club and how that was the only way to join HYDRA, much less meet its new "Director". "Richy" went to the fight club, but he was forced to kill Spud when he became his opponent. Kebo, Ward's second, was impressed and set up a meeting for "Richy" to see Ward.

Hunter told May that no matter what, if he saw Ward, he would exact his revenge. Unknown to the S.H.I.E.L.D. agents, Ward recruited and sent Werner von Strucker to tail Andrew Garner, the ex-husband of May. Ward had given Strucker instructions to assassinate Garner just as he was meeting "Richy".

Attack

Lance Hunter is shown around HYDRA

"I had Ward in my sights. Damn right I pulled the trigger."

―Lance Hunter^[src]

One of the winners in the fight club was Richy, who killed Spud during his fight. Richy worked under Kebo's orders and brought to HYDRA a large weapons gear. Richy agreed to join a mission with Kebo. He brought him to Ward's HYDRA cell where Richy turned out to be Lance Hunter, a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent who was on a revenge mission to kill Ward.

Grant Ward is shot and injured by Lance Hunter

A firefight started between Ward and his man to Hunter and Hunter got reinforcement from Melinda May. Ward ordered Kebo to call Werner von Strucker and order him to get closer to Andrew Garner so he could kill him while threatening May. Although the video horrified May, Hunter refused to surrender, instead advancing on Ward and Kebo while firing his gun at the pair. With no other choice, Kebo managed to break a window by throwing a desk through it and ran to the truck with Ward behind him; however, Hunter managed to fire a shot which wounded Ward in the shoulder, causing him to fall hard on the ground. Kebo was able to bring his boss to safety and they drove away while Hunter continued to fire down at them.

When Ward did not cancel his order, in the resulting struggle, Garner was believed to be killed.

Aftermath

"He killed a man to get close to you. They wanted you dead that much."
"They all want me dead that much."

―Kebo and Grant Ward^[src]

Grant Ward recovers from his gunshot wound

Lance Hunter was relieved of duty from the Grant Ward assignment because he ignored the assassination attempt on Andrew Garner that was happening concurrently. Melinda May returned to S.H.I.E.L.D. and assumed active duty; Phil Coulson made her commanding officer of the mission to kill Ward and she recruited Bobbi Morse to assist her. May decided to find Ward but she would first find Werner von Strucker, one of the participants in the Attack on Andrew Garner. This search led to the Skirmish in Lisbon.

Meanwhile, Ward moved his operation to another place. He blamed Kebo for the attack on him, but Kebo defended his actions, citing that he was following Ward's protocols.