Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. is filled to the brim with layered characters, all of which have endeared themselves to audiences over the course of the show’s seven-season run. One of these characters is Elena “Yo-Yo” Rodriguez, the Inhuman S.H.I.E.L.D. agent who possess superhuman speed. Yo-Yo’s been through a lot over the past few seasons but, according to Natalia Cordova-Buckley, her character is and will mostly remain in a good place during Season 7:
I think she’s there. This is who she is and she doesn’t wanna change it, in terms of her robotic arms. She’s always had that grounded individuality, which I love about her, but she puts it a little bit aside. We’re not gonna see her personally struggle, as much as in the past because she owns who she is and she’s now decided to be part of the force, as a unit and not as an individual, and leave her own personal struggle to herself, when it comes to being around the team. In Season 5, when she wasn’t really heard and was telling a lot of truths, she learned that it’s best to step aside, be more quiet, and just be a pillar, under the direction of Mack and the direction of S.H.I.E.L.D.
While speaking with Collider, Natalia Cordova-Buckley also made note of Yo-Yo’s evolution and mentioned what she loves most about the character:
Yo-Yo has evolved a lot. In the seventh season, she sits back and becomes a team member. She decides that the best way that she can support is by using her strongest tools, her superpowers, and her heart and soul to be a pillar under the infrastructure of S.H.I.E.L.D. What I love about Yo-Yo is that she’s never been a protagonist, but with every season, she’s evolved more and more into that. In the seventh season, we really see her stand behind Mack and inhibit the director, and really follow the orders and support his cause.
It's been a pleasure to watch Yo-Yo’s journey since joining Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. during its third season. Initially unsure of how to handle her status as an Inhuman, she eventually embraced her powers and joined Daisy’s Secret Warriors. After leaving S.H.I.E.L.D. for a while, she returned on a more permanent basis and has joined the team on numerous missions since.
Along the way, she’s experienced lows, like losing her arms and having them replaced with cybernetic ones. However, she’s also had highs, with one of the biggest being that she found love with S.H.I.E.L.D. director Alphonso “Mack” Mackenzie.
Yo-Yo is currently time traveling with her teammates, as they seek to prevent the extraterrestrial Chronicoms from erasing S.H.I.E.L.D. from history and wiping out Earth. She’s also finding that she’s unable to use her powers. The reasons for this have yet to be revealed, but it’s only a matter of time before we find out why. It’ll be interesting to see how she works through it and to find out what awaits her at series’ end.
New episodes of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.’s air Wednesdays at 10 p.m. ET on ABC.
