Newly-appointed Director Phil Coulson has the difficult task of rebuilding S.H.I.E.L.D. after Hydra decimated its ranks last season. He will search the history books of S.H.I.E.L.D. and its forerunner agency, the Strategic Scientific Reserve, to learn how he and his team should proceed.
"Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D." will start its season two premiere with a 1940s-era flashback guest-starring Hayley Atwell's Agent Carter, according to TV Guide. She's joined by her two "Captain America" cohorts Kenneth Choi as Jim Morita and Neal McDonough as Dum Dum Dugan.
Former Director Nick Fury handed over the reins to Coulson (Clark Gregg) during the season one finale last spring. The new director will reflect on Carter's path working for the S.H.I.E.L.D. prototype group to give him a sense of how he should lead the new S.H.I.E.L.D.
"Coulson is a big student of history and wants to return to those old ideals of Agent Carter's time," executive producer Jed Whedon told TV Guide. "He's, like, 'Let's be the S.H.I.E.L.D. we were meant to be!' He wants to do the job right this time."
ABC News anchor George Stephanopoulos will also appear as himself in the season premiere.
Patton Oswalt will quasi-reprise his role, this time as Agent Billy Koenig, and Adrian Pasdar will return as General Glenn Talbot. B.J. Britt also solidified his spot on Coulson's team as Agent Antoine Triplett last season.
Atwell will debut the Marvel spin-off series "Agent Carter" during the winter hiatus for "Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D." It has not been announced whether Choi and McDonough will also reprise their roles in the new series.
"Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D." premieres in its new timeslot on Tuesday, Sept. 23 at 9 p.m. on ABC.
