Bill Paxton, the former "Aliens" Colonial Marine who became a "Big Love" polygamist, is set to appear in the Marvel TV series, "Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.". Executive producer Jed Whedon told TVGuide that Paxton will appear in at least four episodes, airing sometime between February and March, as the Marvel character S.H.I.E.L.D. agent, John Garrett.
Whedon stated, "We wanted to bring in a rough-and-tumble former cohort of Agent Coulson with a little bit of attitude and cigar-smoking swagger." Executive producer Marissa Tancharoen adds, "He is the type who wants to stay out in the field no matter high-level he gets."
In other words, Garrett is your typical old school, run-and-gun, shoot-'em'-up agent who does not shy away from explosions and deviating from standard protocols to get the job done.
To give fans an idea of what could be in store for Paxton's character, MTV News speculated that Garrett's original comic book story might be integrated in the show's plot.
In the Marvel Comics, Garrett got involved in a nasty situation while on duty that left him severly injured. In order to save one of their best agents, the operatives of S.H.I.E.L.D. used cybernetics to revive Garrett and basically turned him into a cyborg.
It is plausible for the show to use this reviving-the-dead plot element since in its previous episode, it was revealed how Agent Coulson was brought back to life by Nick Fury after the events of "The Avengers" movie.
But whatever story the producers want for Paxton's action-seeking character, the fans are already satisfied with the fact that he has been included in the series. IGN reports that the show has been criticized due to its lack of actual Marvel Comics characters. Hopefully, Garrett's appearance in "Agents" will serve as a stepping-stone for the other citizens of the Marvel universe to join the television series.