Stephanie Is The Hydra Boss's Daughter On 'AoS'

Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Season 3 has introduced a whole host of new characters to the Marvel Cinematic Universe — some Inhuman, some not — although not all new players in the game have made it out alive (I'm still not over Rosalind Price). One of the villains of Season 3, though, was actually introduced elsewhere in the MCU: Gideon Malick made his first appearance in The Avengers. Now in addition to being a major leader of Hydra, we're learning more about his family. So, who is Stephanie Malick on Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. and does she have any ties to the Marvel Comics?

Stephanie made her debut at the end of "Parting Shot" shooting targets with her father, none other than Gideon Malick, and eagerly asking when she'll get to meet Hive — indicating she knows all about her father's nefarious connections and plans. As for her comic connections, it's doubtful she has any since her father is also a character created specifically for the MCU. There is a female character associated with Hive, though, a woman the Inhuman brings back to life who then goes by the name Madame Hydra. Could Stephanie become Madam Hydra? Well, I'm sure it's possible, just like anything is technically possible on Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.

Of course, as we've seen with Gideon, characters unrelated to the comics can still have a major impact on the world in Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Plus, at this point we really don't know enough about Stephanie to be making any kind of real guesses about who she could be from the comics. All we know for now is that she's related to Gideon and she's in on his Hydra plans. Still, we may be able to glean a little bit more from the official synopsis for "Paradise Lost," according to ComicBookMovie:

S.H.I.E.L.D. hunts for information on their dangerous new enemy, and a shameful secret from Malick’s past is exposed, threatening to destroy his Hydra legacy.

So, what is Gideon's secret and could it have something to do with Stephanie? I would be willing to put money on Stephanie being involved. Plus, with Hive going his own way now that he's back at full strength, and Gideon shaken up after his encounter with the Inhuman that could make people see visions of someone's death, perhaps Stephanie steps into a leadership role in Hydra.

Truly, since we know so little about Stephanie, the possible directions of her storyline are endless. Obviously, that hasn't stopped me from coming up with my own theories about Gideon's daughter and her involvement in the brewing war between Hive's team of Inhumans and S.H.I.E.L.D./the Secret Warriors. But, we'll have to wait to find out how exactly Stephanie fits into the storyline of Season 3. Here's hoping she at least gets to kick as much butt as the other female characters on Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (even if she is on the side of evil).

Images: Justin Lubin/ABC (2)