If the most recent episode of Agents of SHIELD told us anything, it's that the mystery of Agent Coulson's rebirth is just beginning. We may know who some of the principle players in it are, including one that's a pretty big whopper, but Coulson may be recruiting some help to get down to the bottom of it. Enter Bill Paxton, who TV Guide says is joining the show as Agent John Garrett, a character with a past that may clue us in to where the storyline is headed.
Paxton is on board for at least four episodes starting next month or early March, and it's clear his character is designed to shake up the status quo. Here's how producer Jed Whedon puts it....
Whedon: "We wanted to bring in a rough-and-tumble former cohort of Agent Coulson with a little bit of attitude and cigar-smoking swagger."
Fellow showrunner Maurissa Tancharoen adds that Garrett "comes into the fold in a very surprising way,"with Whedon adding "when Garrett got his promotion to Level 7, he refused to sit behind a desk and doesn't like the formalities of S.H.I.E.L.D. He's going to help Coulson solve some mysteries and is not afraid to rig an explosive or two."
Garrett isn't some new character created for the show, either. In the comics he was a former criminal who became a rule-breaking SHIELD agent of some regard. After suffering a number of injuries his life was saved by becoming a cyborg. That last bit should be very familiar considering how the most recent episode ended.
I think it's pretty clear where the show is going, and likely Marvel Comics readers have a good idea, as well. Now it's just a matter of seeing whether the show can pay it off in a satisfying way.
