With so many shows based on comic books currently on television, it seems like only a matter of time before television stars enter either the DC or Marvel universes. Earlier today, Deadline broke the news that actor Mark Dacascos will be joining the cast of Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D on ABC. The announcement does not offer much information about the nature of Dacascos’s role, but it appears he will play a frequently recurring character named Giyera who will serve as the head of security for S.H.I.E.L.D.
Dacascos is the second actor Marvel has announced will be joining one of its television series this week. On Wednesday, Marvel’s Agent Carter announced that Ken Marino would be joining the cast as the villain in the second season. For more information on Marino, mxdwn has the story here.
Dacascos previously played the chairman from Iron Chef America on the Food Network, and he has made appearances in Mortal Combat, Chicago P.D., and Stargate Atlantis. His most notable television role was on CBS’s Hawaii Five-O where he played terrorist and criminal mastermind Wo-Fat, the series’ main villain. Dacascos’s run on Hawaii Five-O as the big baddie lasted until last season when, after many missed opportunities, Commander Steve McGarrett (Alex O’Loughlin) finally killed his major nemesis. It only took five years.
The lack of detail in Deadline’s announcement leaves us to wonder several things about Dacascos’s character in Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. How important is his character going to be? How frequently will he appear on the show? And will he be one of the good guys or one of the bad guys? After watching Dacascos play one of television’s most noteworthy villains for several years, it will be interesting to see what type of character he turns out to be in Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Sure, the announcement says he will be working for S.H.I.E.L.D., but anyone who is familiar with the show knows that the writers love nothing more than to explore the gray areas of good versus evil and almost everyone ends up showing their dark side at some point.
As Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. attempts to fill in the gaps between Marvel’s movies, the show has proven to shuffle through characters and an almost alarming rate. With each new season and storyline comes a batch of new characters and surprises. And we won’t have to wait very long to see what is in store for Dacascos. His character is set make his debut in this season’s upcoming eighth episode, “Many Heads, One Tail.”