In the six-month flashforward at the end of the Season 3 finale, Agent Coulson told Mack to “call the director.” Wait, what… Agent Coulson is no longer the director of S.H.I.E.L.D.? It was later revealed Agent May wouldn’t be taking the reins in his place. Here’s our first look at who is taking the job.
“It’s definitely a new dynamic that we added to the mix. Things have been shaken up a bit,” showrunner Maurissa Tancharoen said of O’Mara’s role during an interview with TV Line .
You may recognize O’Mara’s voice. He’s Batman in the most recent DC animated movies, including Batman: Bad Blood , Batman vs. Robin , Justice League: War and the upcoming Justice League Dark .
Even with this first official character shot we still don’t yet know the name of the new director. He’s rumored to be quite familiar to Marvel fans, with roots dating all the way back to the 1940’s, according to Deadline. O’Mara’s character’s name was even left out of the recently released (and long-winded) synopsis below. Marvel must be hoping this big surprise will excite comic book fans the same way Ghost Rider did at San Diego Comic-Con.
In light of the Sokovia Accords, and with Hydra obliterated, S.H.I.E.L.D. has been legitimized again and no longer needs to operate in the shadows. Since the world presumes that Coulson is dead, the organization needed a new Director (Jason O’Mara) to be the face of the organization. Coulson finds himself back in the role as an agent and teamed with Mack (Henry Simmons), and together they are tasked with tracking down and confirming the presence of Enhanced people, aka Inhumans. They have been trying to track down and capture Daisy (Chloe Bennet), aka Quake, who has gone rogue in an attempt to atone for sins from the past. But with the world believing that Daisy is a dangerous outlaw who has taken down banks and bridges, the new Director has no qualms about taking her down for good. Agent May (Ming-Na Wen) is tasked with training specialist strike teams, and Fitz (Iain De Caestecker) and Simmons (Elizabeth Henstridge) have taken a big step forward in their relationship. But with Simmons’ new promotion as Special Advisor to the Director in Science and Technology, Fitz, as well as her former team members, finds it hard to confide in or trust her since she’s now the Director’s confidant.
Robbie Reyes (Gabriel Luna) will roar into the lives of Agent Coulson and the team as a junkyard mechanic who can turn on a dime into the terrifying Ghost Rider. Will Robbie be a friend or foe to S.H.I.E.L.D. – as well as the world, itself? Meanwhile, Fitz discovers that socially awkward genius and friend Dr. Radcliffe (John Hannah) has started putting the finishing touches on a new, secret invention.
Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. returns to ABC Tuesday, Sept. 20 at 10 p.m.
