While spectacular action, great conflict, and interesting storylines are important elements of a superhero television show, one area where Agents of SHIELD particularly excels has been in the writing of its characters.
The writers have been able to craft so many different types of compelling characters, from ones that fans of the show couldn't get enough of and others that they've disliked from the moment they appeared onscreen. But which are the most hated, and the most liked of the entire series.
Likable: Agent Fitz
Agent Leo Fitz is one of the original members of Coulson's team and one of the team's leading scientists. His gentle spirit, his loyalty, and his brilliant mind made him not only a great agent but an important friend to them. Seeing his relationship with Jemma Simmons develop as the show went on was a highlight for many fans as they constantly fought to remain together.
Can't Stand: Nathaniel Mallick
Despite only appearing in the show's final season, Nathaniel Malick has become one of the series' most hated villains. In only one season, he killed Jaiying, manipulated Kora, and almost completely damaged Simmons' mind in search of Fitz. He was easily one of the show's most infuriating antagonists which also makes him one of the most effective especially when you consider how close he came to achieving his goal of complete and utter anarchy.
Likable: Agent Sousa
First introduced during season 7 after being rescued from an early death in 1955, Agent Daniel Sousa was easily one of the best new additions to the SHIELD team.
The character's resourcefulness and constant desire to help is what makes him so easy to like. Not to mention him being amazed by modern technology adds to the charm of the character along with the care he shows for Daisy as the season progresses.
Can't Stand: Ruby Hale
Ruby Hale was the daughter of General Hale and a member of HYDRA. As a product of Daniel Whitehall's creation, she was genetically engineered to be a leader and weapon for the organization and was one of the main antagonists the team faced when they returned from the future in season 5. She was extremely jealous of Daisy Johnson and it was her obsession with being infused with Gravitonium that led to her almost destroying the world and ultimately her death at the hands of Yo-Yo.
Likable: Enoch
When he was first teased at the end of season 4, no one knew just how important Enoch's character would become to the show going forward. As it turned out, he ended up being one of SHIELD's most interesting and hilarious characters bringing a lot of heartfelt emotion to the show despite being a Chronicom. His friendship with Fitz and the team ended up being on the main highlights, especially in the final season when he ended up willingly sacrificing himself so that the team could live without a second thought.
Can't Stand: The Doctor
While Agent Fitz is one of the show's most likable characters, his framework alter ego definitely isn't. The alternate version of Fitz was instead one of the leaders of HYDRA that experimented on Inhumans to collect their powers, earning him the name of "The Doctor".
We would later learn that this major change was a result of Fitz's father, Alistair, being present in his life. To make matters worse, this version was also in a relationship with the framework version of AIDA, Ophelia, rather than Jemma which only made the character more unbearable to watch.
Likable: Agent Tripp
Agent Antoinne Triplett was a former member of Garrett's team who transitioned over to Coulson's once Garrett was exposed as a Hydra operative, a revelation that devastated Triplett. His natural charisma and Howling Commandos gadgets passed down from his grandfather made him a welcome inclusion to the team and made his death after exposure to the Terrigen mist while trying to save Daisy especially devastating.
Can't Stand: Jiaying
While Daisy meeting her mother initially sounded like a good idea, the more that was revealed about her and her plans, the more it seemed like a negative rather than a positive. She, as a result of all the trauma she experienced, decided to start a war with SHIELD and was even willing to kill Daisy to achieve her goal and gain more power. While she did get a chance at redemption thanks to time travel in season 7, the original version did too much damage to be ignored or forgotten.
Likable: Agent Coulson
Agent Phil Coulson is one of the most likable characters, not just on Agents of SHIELD, but in the entire MCU. It's that likability that led to fan outrage when he was killed in the movies, leading to the #CoulsonLives campaign which ultimately resulted in the show being created. He has been the face and soul behind the agency, even more so than Nick Fury at times. Without the character, SHIELD doesn't exist which is probably why the writers could never seem to kill him off permanently.
Can't Stand: Daniel Whitehall
Daniel Whitehall, whose real name is Werner Reinhardt, was one of the original members of HYDRA, and he worked directly with Red Skull. He performed horrendous experiments on Jiaying which, despite him being born in 1904, allowed him to remain young over a hundred years later. It was this torture that would cause Jiaying to later become corrupted and result in a war between her and SHIELD in the future.