Marvel’s Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D (to give it its full, slightly ungainly title), hasn’t quite been the ratings smash US network ABC might have hoped, though it’s still performing well enough to tick along. In the hopes of drumming up fresh viewers, the show, in common with most US network series, has been drafting in well-known guest stars (or Marvel universe characters), with Bill Paxton the latest recruit.
Paxton will play Agent John Garrett, described by executive producer Jed Whedon as "a rough-and-tumble former cohort of Agent Coulson (Clark Gregg) with a little bit of attitude and cigar-smoking swagger." Garrett will work alongside experienced agents Ward (Brett Dalton) and May (Ming-Na Wen) and offer the benefit of his years in the field. He’s the sort of agent who refuses to sit behind a desk even as he rises up the ranks.
In the comics, Garrett was turned into a cyborg after a life-threatening injury in the Elektra: Assassin run, but there’s no sign of whether a similar fate will befall Paxton. Either way, he’s scheduled to show up for at least four episodes in late February or early March.
The show will return to UK screens in March after an extended break, ostensibly to allow Channel 4 to air it without the gaps caused by the US schedule of reruns and pre-emptions. And the series has received a full season order across the pond, so it’ll be around for a few months yet. Will the man formerly known as Hudson convince you to watch? Or continue watching? Film-wise, Paxton will next be seen in Tom Cruise pic Edge Of Tomorrow, which is out on May 30.