Ming-Na Wen on the final Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. season, Philinda and more

Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. has always intertwined itself with the Marvel Cinematic Universe, successfully weaving the larger movie plotlines into its own story arc. Now that the show is in the middle of its seventh and final season, fans are hoping that threads like the ever-evolving and much-teased romance between Agent Melinda May (Ming-Na Wen) and Agent Phil Coulson (Clark Gregg) will get a satisfying conclusion.

Speaking with SyFy Fangrrls, Ming-Na Wen gave an update on the relationship dubbed “Philinda” by shippers. “Well, I think one of the greatest aspects and continuity of all seven seasons, and the synergy with the fans, is this development of their relationship,” she said. “Coulson and May were just more or less supposed to be good partners, good soldiers with each other, and the fans really wanted them to hook up. So it’s been a great synergy between the writers and the producers and us, in having this happen.”

"I think, like any relationship in S.H.I.E.L.D, it’s always got its ups and downs and there are always moments of it being unrequited. And right now we have a killer bot and a Chronicom trying to rekindle emotions. I don’t know. I mean, that’s what we always want. We always want them to find love in the end. But yeah, we’ll see. Right now, May’s not having it. [laughs]"

May isn’t “having it” because she’s currently working through the after-effects of being revived and healed by Enoch (Joel Stoffer) after sustaining mortal injuries in the season 6 finale. The process has left her emotionless. “Just when you think she couldn’t feel less and show less, she does. It’s very tough as an actor to play that, trust me. I mean when they told me what was going to happen, I was like, ‘Really, you’re going to go in that direction? How is that even possible? How do I show less?'”

Agent May has always cared for her fellow agents but could turn off her emotions when the situation called for it. But being completely emotionless is something new for Wen, and she had to lean on co-star Joel Stoffer (Enoch), who plays an ancient android devoid of any and all emotions, for help. “Because even Enoch has more emotions and opinions than May,” Wen said. “I think it’s just in the eyes, more or less, where if I just maintain a deadness to her eyes… that was my starting point. Because even when she spoke she couldn’t have any emotions and it was very challenging.”

Season 7 has our favorite band of S.H.I.E.L.D. agents traveling through time, and Wen particularly enjoyed making a stop in the 1950s. “Well, when they were telling us that they were going to do time travel, and one of the time periods was going to be in the ’50s, I was excited because I’ve always been so interested in the WASPs, which stands for Women Airforce Service Pilots,” she said. “And I immediately told the producers, ‘Look, there were Asian pilots during that time. How cool is that?’ And the fact that May, when she first came on the show, was known as the pilot, it just seemed really apropos. And it was a great way to showcase the fact that these women were so brave and they never got the accolades, really, back in the day.”

"And all the contributions that various ethnic groups have contributed, and it was never really showcased and never mentioned in the history books that I grew up with, that’s for sure. So it’s nice to be able to do it in my art and tell the stories that way."

Over the course of the show, Agent May grew from a character with a cold and standoffish demeanor to a warm and caring member of the team who actually ran S.H.I.E.L.D during one of Coulson’s absences. Wen learned a lot about herself and her character during that time. “I think one of the biggest lessons I learned from playing May is that you don’t have to really worry that much about somebody liking you or what their opinions about you are,” she said. “Especially if they’re negative. Growing up Asian, growing up in white suburbia, and as a woman, I was always trying so hard to either get acceptance or feel like I was part of a group.”

"For May, she is such an individual who is so confident in her abilities, and who she is, and what she’s about, that she doesn’t need anybody else to tell her who she is. And I think that is one of my biggest takeaways. I don’t need to have to care so much about what other people think, because the people that are going to be kind and sweet and support me are the true people, true friends. And everybody else… just punch them in the face. [laughs]"

As for what she’s watching in quarantine, she’s decided to give an old favorite another look. “I am actually also rewatching Game of Thrones right now because I’ve kind of run out of things to watch. But I had a bad taste in my mouth that Season 8 left, and I’m hoping that when I revisit it I’ll have a lower expectation. Because I want to be able to feel good about the series. It was such a great series. I’m giving it a second chance.”

You can see how Agent May’s story unfolds in the final season of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D, airing Wednesday nights on ABC.

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