Bill Paxton will be becoming an Agent of SHIELD on Marvel's new TV series. The veteran actor, known for his work on Aliens and Big Love, is going to be joining the Marvel cinematic universe tie-in show for a multi episode arc.
According to TV Guide, Paxton's role on the ABC series will go start in February or early March.
"We wanted to bring a rough-and-tumble former cohort of Agent Coulson [Clark Gregg] with a little bit of attitude and cigar-smoking swagger," said executive producer Jed Whedon.
Paxton will play a character from the comics named Agent John Garrett, who will work alongside agents Ward (Brett Dalton) and May (Ming-Na Wen) and "comes into the fold in a very surprising way," says executive producer Maurissa Tancharoen. "He is the type who wants to stay out in the field no matter how high-level he gets."
According to the source material, in the comic Elektra: Assassin, SHIELD was forced to turn Garrett into a cyborg in order to save his life following an injury he received in the line of duty. However, that won't necessarily be the story arc for the character in the new show. All Whedon will say is that "when Garrett got his promotion to Level 7, he refused to sit behind a desk and doesn't like the formalities of SHIELD. He's going to help Coulson solve some mysteries and is not afraid to rig an explosive or two."
According to IGN, Agents of SHIELD has been criticized by fans for having the potential to include characters from the comics but never quite exhibiting the will to do so. While this is likely because Marvel might have greater plans for some of its major heroes and villains, John Garrett is just the kind of fringe character who could add almost nothing to a Marvel cinematic film but everything to its television counter-part.
