Marvel did little over the course of Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D.‘s first season to get us legitimately excited about a second one, but the studio has been slowly fixing that over the last few weeks. As the series gears up for its sophomore year, it’s been gaining new cast members along the way, like Xena: Warrior Princess and Battlestar Galactica actress Lucy Lawless, and Marvel Comics characters Mockingbird and Kraken.
On Thursday, TV Line reported that two new names have been added to the roster: Twin Peaks and Desperate Housewives alum Kyle MachLachlan, and NYPD Blue actor Henry Simmons.
Simmons will take on the role of S.H.I.E.L.D. agent Alphonso “Mac” Mackenzie, “a mechanic in his early 30s.” In the comics, Mac is a veteran agent who often finds himself at odds with Nick Fury, and who has dealings with Jessica Jones (who is getting her own Netflix series right after Daredevil). If Mac proves to be a popular character on Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., you can bet we’ll be seeing him whenever Jessica Jones hits the streaming service.
MacLachlan’s role is more mysterious, which fits the character actor perfectly. He will have a substantial recurring role in the season playing none other than Skye’s father. The mystery of Skye’s parentage – including who her parents are, how she ended up in an orphanage and why he’s been classified as an 0-8-4 – cast a large shadow over the course of Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D.‘s first year, and was even teased in the final moments of the season.
Unfortunately, no other details were given about MacLachlan’s role in the show, or when we should expect to see him or Henry Simmons show up. So for now, we’ll just say, “Diane, this is really something…”
Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. returns on Tuesday, September 23rd on ABC.