MING NA WEN AS MELINDA MAY
Philinda is the second most beloved ship on the show (after FitzSimmons) and Ming-Na Wen takes the top spot from Clark simply because we’ve never seen a character like Melinda May before.
Every season has seen Melinda May grow and develop, inspiring fans and influencing others. Originally introduced as a retired agent brought back into the field by Coulson’s call, May started out as a strong fighter, but an emotionless brick wall. Gradually, over time, she has opened up to Daisy and the rest of Coulson’s team. After Ward’s betrayal, May took over training Skye, supporting her through her transformation into Daisy Johnson.
Ming-Na has taken Melinda May through more incarnations than Brett Dalton’s Ward ever considered. She’s been agent 33, (doing double duty until Maya Stojan took over the role), played Melinda May’s life model decoy giving herself more time to love Phil Coulson, and played an alternate reality Melinda May who was utterly loyal to HYDRA. In the 5th season she became a motherly character, but it’s her performance in season 2’s “Melinda” that puts her at the top of the list.
This episode shows how Agent May became known as “The Calvary” and the profound effect the death of a child had on her character. “Melinda” was a powerful episode dealing with emotional trauma from a female perspective. For Ming Na Wen, as a parent, it can’t have been easy. That alone makes her worthy of topping the list. But she didn’t stop there. Her performance has continued to grow showing her character healing especially after taking care of Robin Hinton in Season 5.
Congratulations Ming-Na Wen, may Agent Melinda May live forever in the annals of pop culture as the rightful badass she is!
The great thing about Agents of SHIELD is there are so many great performances from everyone- including the impressive list of guest stars. These top five are our favorites – the big question now is what were your favorites? Tweet them at us using the hashtag #SHIELD100 and share what else you’re excited to see as the show counts down in the comments below!