Cavalry

The Cavalry Portrayed by Ming-Na Wen Statistics Full Name Agent Melinda May Age 50 (Redacted) Height 5'4" Build Athletic Eyes Brown Hair Black Factions S.H.I.E.L.D. Occupation Field Ops Specialist Alignment Hero Claim to Fame The Agent S.H.I.E.L.D. calls when they have no other options left. Reputation To the public, May does not exist. Within S.H.I.E.L.D., May ranks right up there with Romanoff on the list of agents you never, ever want to make angry. Biography Most of May's background is unknown, having been erased from public knowledge after she joined SHIELD. What is known is that she is one of the longest-lived active field agents out there, with more successful missions under her belt than almost every agent out there short of the much younger agents Romanov and Barton. One noteworthy mission in Bahrain earned her the codename 'The Cavalry' — a moniker she actually detests — because she went against orders to single-handedly rescue a team of SHIELD agents. No one other than May knows what really happened during that rescue, but it was after Bahrain that her previous spark of humor seemed to disappear. She even left active field duty for a while, choosing to take an administrative position within SHIELD. When May was tapped to join a special task force, she made it seem like she was accepting the assignment reluctantly, initially agreeing only to pilot their transport jet known as 'the Bus'. Honestly, though, the desk job would have eventually driven her off the deep end. She is simply not built to pilot a desk. Thus, she is unofficially back on S.H.I.E.L.D.'s active roster, available to pilot an aircraft or help with a difficult extraction mission. If the request is phrased politely.

Character Details Personality Melinda May comes across as dour, perpetually the serious and humorless SHIELD agent. People rarely get to experience her quick and acerbic wit, as she's not one to chitchat idly. She was originally known for being a prankster underneath her stern and serious demeanor, but after a particularly unpleasant mission she seemed to lose or at least suppress that underlying hint of a light-hearted nature. Most junior agents only know her as The Cavalry, the scarily efficient agent that does her job extremely well. Just don't get in her way. Abilities Athletic Having trained in many different martial arts disciplines, trained others, and been an active field agent for a number of years, May is about as close to peak physical conditioning as a human her age can get without artificial enhancement. She might not be quite as strong or fast as she was when she was in her twenties and thirties, but she hasn't lost much. Of course, you're welcome to try and tell her she's getting soft. Go ahead. Martial Artist May's service record lists her as having black belts in a veritable laundry list of disciplines, more even than the Black Widow. Her black belts are in Aikido, Capoeira, Escrima, Hojo Jitsu, Jeet Kune Do, Judo, Tae Kwon Do, Tai Chi, Wing Chung, and Wu Shu. The other martial arts disciplines that May is at least passably proficient at include: Karate, Savate, Boxing, Wrestling, Shaolin Kung Fu, and Jiu jitsu. Melee Weapons Specialist As much as May is dangerous at bare-hand combat, give her a melee weapon of almost any sort and she is downright scary. Amongst the non-projectile weapons specifically listed on her service record mastery list are: Knives, swords, staves, spears, polearms, maces, batons, and even fans. Her skill list also mentions "soft" weapons such as whips, flails, chain weapons, garrotes, and so on. Firearms Specialist May's proficiency ratings on firearms of all types, from tiny Derringer pistols to vehicle-mounted 50-caliber mini-guns is among the highest in SHIELD, but of course not even close to on par with the likes of Black Widow or Hawkeye. Improvised Weapons Where do you think Coulson learned how to turn a bag of flour into a weapon? May practically wrote the SHIELD manual on turning everyday objects into defensive and offensive weapons. Setting her loose in an office supply store would be frightening. Add Coulson, and it would very quickly turn lethal. Veteran Pilot Remember that scene in the movie '5th Element' where the military-types point out the kinds of vehicles the hero is proficient in piloting, and the paper unfolds all the way to the floor? That's May, for real. She can pilot just about every Earth-based aircraft that currently exists or has ever been made. It's very likely, even, that the controls for the current generation of Quinjets were configured to her specifications. If she has a choice — and she nearly always does — she pilots the air and ground vehicles for any mission she is on. Interrogation There are not many agents who can intimidate better than May — Natasha being chief amongst them — and get people to spill their secrets. May is a member of the Teal'c school of interrogation, silently staring the subject down until they start talking just to get her to stop. Advantages S.H.I.E.L.D. As a certified field agent for S.H.I.E.L.D., May has access to a very wide range of the agency's resources, including uniforms, weaponry, vehicles, intelligence, other personnel, and so on. Disdvantages Not a Spring Chick Let's face it. May isn't some wiry little girl like Romanov. She's been doing this job for literally DECADES. That kind of longevity doesn't come without a price, and she knows it. She's skilled enough to compensate for most of her reflexes starting to slow down, but that won't last forever. It can't. That, and every time she takes a hit, it's that much more difficult to pick herself back up again. But she will. It might take her a split second longer, but if her enemies want her to stay down, they'll have to make sure to finish the job. Only Human The game is changing. May is no longer the top dog, at SHIELD or elsewhere, both in terms of physical prowess and otherwise. Out in the world at large, the growing numbers of super powered beings in the past decade or less mean that she is becoming less and less likely to be the deciding factor of whether or not a mission is a success or a wash. She's trying to take this as a matter of course — after all, she knew that just by aging it was eventually going to happen — but that doesn't mean it doesn't rankle from time to time. Haunted May is serious enough most of the time that only those who know her well can tell when her inner demons are out to play. She's more than practiced enough to hide them most of the time, but an ill-thought comment from someone who doesn't know better — or worse, an intentionally hurtful word from someone who does — and she'll either go into full lockdown Vulcan mode to stick to the business at hand or she'll let her demons out for just a few seconds and let them lash out at the people around her with all of vitriol she usually keeps bottled up. Relationships Image Name Relation Notes Agent Phil Coulson Coworker The agent's agent. Partners for several years back in the day. No one in SHIELD that I trust more. Agent Natasha Romanoff Coworker Spy and assassin. Refreshingly no nonsense. One of a very few that I would possibly consider trusting beyond the missions. Agent Clint Barton Coworker Wetwork specialist. Talks way too much and is like a four year old at a birthday party, but can be trusted to have my back during missions. Prefers a bow over firearms. I can respect that choice. Deputy Director Maria Hill Boss Fury's second in command. Serious case of stick up *** but not afraid to snark back at Romanoff. Evelyn Wolstenholm Potential Coworker Synthetic human. Still on the fence about whether Evelyn is truly sentient or just a really really good imitation of it. Withholding opinions pending further observation. NYPD Officer Paul Manning Acquaintance NYPD cop, which means he's seen more than some Afghanistan-stationed soldiers. Slow to offer trust, which I can respect, but it means I won't offer trust back freely. Former Staff Sergeant Jericho Trent Acquaintance Former Army, ex-guinea pig. Wears circuits like tattoos that give him unusual abilities. His loyalties are still very much in question, but at least he can follow orders in a crisis. Not yet sure of his trustworthiness. Character Gallery Sorry, we couldn't find any images attached to this page. Logs 2015 Dangerous Compliments January 13 2015: After finding a cache of disturbing evidence, Jericho meets with May, Storm and Kate (log: 20150113-dangerous-compliments | tags: aspect hawkeye_ii storm the_cavalry | posted: 16 Feb 2015 21:09) Snakes in the Grass January 10 2015: Jericho gets some guests while gardening in Limbo (log: 20150110-snakes-in-the-grass | tags: aspect misfit oracle the_cavalry | posted: 12 Jan 2015 11:26) You Look Familiar January 8, 2015: David Ironside ends up in M-Town and surrounded by people on the street (log: 20150107-youlookfamiliar | tags: lunair metal ripper the_cavalry zatanna | posted: 09 Jan 2015 21:42) It's A Drag January 5, 2015: Dragnet and Kane meet some interesting spectres out on the streets of Gotham. (log: 20150105-itsadrag | tags: dragnet fox gotham misfit oracle the_cavalry | posted: 09 Jan 2015 20:50) Grim Reaper Shell Game January 05 2015: The Fox, Dragnet and a few others play a game of 'one of these things is not like the other ones.' (log: 20150105-grim-reaper-shell-game | tags: dragnet fox misfit oracle the_cavalry | posted: 08 Jan 2015 11:09) Cryotank Escapee January 5, 2015: Oracle and May are tracking a HYDRA 18 Wheeler coming through Gotham, Midnighter is too…. what they find is interesting (log: 20150105-cryotankescapee | tags: gotham hawkeye midnighter oracle shield the_cavalry | posted: 06 Jan 2015 22:51) Shopping with May January 04 2015: May and Hunter end up in a shopping car park, surrounded. Oracle and Jericho get involved! (log: 20150104-shopping-with-may | tags: aspect hunter oracle shield the_cavalry | posted: 04 Jan 2015 07:21) Coffee and Blood Magic January 04 2015: Jaqueline and May conference after the disaster at the interagency gala. Jericho shows up. Because he can. (log: 20150104-coffee-and-blood-magic | tags: aspect spitfire the_cavalry | posted: 06 Jan 2015 11:46) Amateur Magic, Formal Clothes January 04 2015: Spitfire, May and Jericho and Oracle take down a HYDRA Occult operation at an interagency gala (log: 20150104-amateur-magic-formal-clothes | tags: aspect oracle shield spitfire the_cavalry | posted: 06 Jan 2015 11:39) page 4 of 4« previous1234 2014 Dangerous Compliments January 13 2015: After finding a cache of disturbing evidence, Jericho meets with May, Storm and Kate (log: 20150113-dangerous-compliments | tags: aspect hawkeye_ii storm the_cavalry | posted: 16 Feb 2015 21:09) Snakes in the Grass January 10 2015: Jericho gets some guests while gardening in Limbo (log: 20150110-snakes-in-the-grass | tags: aspect misfit oracle the_cavalry | posted: 12 Jan 2015 11:26) You Look Familiar January 8, 2015: David Ironside ends up in M-Town and surrounded by people on the street (log: 20150107-youlookfamiliar | tags: lunair metal ripper the_cavalry zatanna | posted: 09 Jan 2015 21:42) It's A Drag January 5, 2015: Dragnet and Kane meet some interesting spectres out on the streets of Gotham. (log: 20150105-itsadrag | tags: dragnet fox gotham misfit oracle the_cavalry | posted: 09 Jan 2015 20:50) Grim Reaper Shell Game January 05 2015: The Fox, Dragnet and a few others play a game of 'one of these things is not like the other ones.' (log: 20150105-grim-reaper-shell-game | tags: dragnet fox misfit oracle the_cavalry | posted: 08 Jan 2015 11:09) Cryotank Escapee January 5, 2015: Oracle and May are tracking a HYDRA 18 Wheeler coming through Gotham, Midnighter is too…. what they find is interesting (log: 20150105-cryotankescapee | tags: gotham hawkeye midnighter oracle shield the_cavalry | posted: 06 Jan 2015 22:51) Shopping with May January 04 2015: May and Hunter end up in a shopping car park, surrounded. Oracle and Jericho get involved! (log: 20150104-shopping-with-may | tags: aspect hunter oracle shield the_cavalry | posted: 04 Jan 2015 07:21) Coffee and Blood Magic January 04 2015: Jaqueline and May conference after the disaster at the interagency gala. Jericho shows up. Because he can. (log: 20150104-coffee-and-blood-magic | tags: aspect spitfire the_cavalry | posted: 06 Jan 2015 11:46) Amateur Magic, Formal Clothes January 04 2015: Spitfire, May and Jericho and Oracle take down a HYDRA Occult operation at an interagency gala (log: 20150104-amateur-magic-formal-clothes | tags: aspect oracle shield spitfire the_cavalry | posted: 06 Jan 2015 11:39) A Glowing Elk In Gotham December 29, 2014: A glowing elk, a druid, 5 heroes all appear in Gotham. (log: 20141229-aglowingelkingotham | tags: changeling fox gotham nightwing oracle robin the_cavalry vorpal | posted: 30 Dec 2014 21:50) Demonsy McSatanPants December 28, 2014: Jericho calls May, Hawkeye and Lunair to investigate a HYDRA Nest (log: 20141228-demonsymcsatanpants | tags: aspect hawkeye_ii lunair the_cavalry | posted: 31 Dec 2014 02:39) An Apology from Hank December 26, 2014: Dr. Hank McCoy asked Agent May to meet with him. (log: 20141226-an-apology-from-hank | tags: beast the_cavalry | posted: 13 Jan 2015 09:59) Trouble At Home December 24 2014: Jericho goes to investigate the recent attempts on him. Magik and May both arrive to help. (log: 20141224-trouble-at-home | tags: aspect magik the_cavalry | posted: 25 Dec 2014 20:55) Winter Blunderland Aftermath December 14, 2014: Darce brings May to meet Nyx who texts Hawkeye who totally slow walked showing up with May there and then boom Aspect drops by. (log: 20141214-timesquareaftermath | tags: aspect darce hawkeye_ii nyx the_cavalry | posted: 16 Dec 2014 00:06) Hauer Research & Development December 14, 2014: Agent Hauer attacks and R&D Facility in Long Island… (log: 20141214-hauer-randd | tags: aspect darce mystique nyc oracle ozymandias shield the_cavalry | posted: 14 Dec 2014 12:17) Synthetic Humans and High Tech Handknits December 5, 2014: Per a request from Howard Stark, Agent May takes Simmons to meet the inventor in his new lab in Stark Tower. They happen across Mike Drakos on the way so he tags along out of curiosity. Fenris 'drops' in later. (log: 20141212-synthetic-humans-and-high-tech-handknits | tags: fenris howard_stark metal simmons the_cavalry | posted: 13 Dec 2014 06:58) Fractured Feelings December 12 2014: Kate beats up drug dealers and has another run in with Fracture (log: 20141212-fractured-feelings | tags: aspect fracture hawkeye_ii shield the_cavalry | posted: 25 Dec 2014 00:14) Gone to Ground December 11 2014: SHIELD and Melinda May attempt to prevent the Joker and Harley from going to ground. (log: 20141211-gone-to-ground | tags: harley joker shield the_cavalry | posted: 12 Dec 2014 12:33) Melinda May Asks December 5, 2014: Melinda May debriefs Vorpal on the whole Joker mess (log: 20141205-melinda-may-asks | tags: the_cavalry titans vorpal | posted: 09 Dec 2014 16:09) The Refuge December 01 2014: After picking up the werewolf son of a British diplomat, May takes him to the Nest to await his parents (log: 20141201-the-refuge | tags: aspect the_cavalry | posted: 24 Dec 2014 22:54) page 4 of 9« previous123456789next » Back to: Current Cast