We still have several months untilMarvel’s Agent Carterdebuts sometime in midseason on ABC, taking overMarvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.’s Tuesday 9 PM timeslot while it goes on hiatus, just like last season. We already know there will be several changes inSeason 2, which will be 10 episodes long instead of 8, with the action shifting to Los Angeles./Filmspoke with executive producersTara Buttersand Chris Dingess, who revealed that the villain inMarvel’s Agent Carter Season 2will be none other than Whitney Frost, a.k.a. Madame Masque. Here’s whatTara Buttershad to say about how this villain will be portrayed on the show.
“I think we’ve changed the look of her a bit obviously. We’ve made her an actress, which is very Hedy Lamarr. She was a ’40s siren actress who was also a scientific genius, so that’s part of what we’re mining with this character.”
The executive producer added that the role has been cast, but, “we’re not allowed to announce it yet.” In the comics, Madame Masque is a present-day villain, but, much like they did with last season’s villain, Johann Fenhoff, a.k.a. Doctor Faustus, certain modifications were made to the character. In the comics, Whitney Frost was born the daughter of super villain Count Nerfaria, but he ended up giving her away to philanthropist Byron Frost, since he didn’t want her taking to a life of crime. After growing up as a social debutante, her adoptive parents passed away, when Nefaria came back into her life, asking her to lead his criminal organization.
Since theTV seriesversion of Madame Masque will be an actress, it isn’t known how much of thecomic bookback story will be used inAgent Carter. When asked about how shifting the story to Los Angeles came about,Tara Butterssaid they thought about it last season, before realizing it would be better for certain aspects of the production and the story itself. Here’s what she had to say below.
“It was something we had talked about in the middle of the first season, just because there are so many fun stories we thought we could tell. But then actually as the season progressed, we realized that not only was it a good idea for the storytelling, but also the idea that for the physical shooting, it’s much easier for us to shoot L.A. for L.A. than attempt to shoot L.A. for New York. So it served two purposes.”
In related news, ABC’s other superhero series Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. is currently shootingSeason 3, which is set to debut Tuesday, September 29. One of the big changes this season is the Inhumans will align themselves with S.H.I.E.L.D. to become the Secret Warriors. While we don’t know for sure, it’s possible that Skye (Chloe Bennet) will be the Secret Warriors leader, now that her transformation into Quake is complete. Last month, we got our first look atChloe Bennet’s new hairstyle and wardrobe for this season, and during an interview withIGN, she addressed the mixed fan reactions to her new look.
“I think once they see her in the setting, she’s different but she’s as much different as Skye in Season 1 was from Skye in Season 2. She’s just more that way. She’s slowly transitioning. The short hair definitely - people really liked my long hair. So did I, but we wanted to… She’s kind of no nonsense now and shorter hair makes more sense for that.”
At the end of last season, an ancient Kree weapon “absorbed” Agent Jemma Simmons (Elizabeth Henstridge), leaving fans with a big cliffhanger to mull over during the summer hiatus.Chloe Bennetteased that she does know what happens to Simmons, which she didn’t expect. Unfortunately, she wouldn’t divulge any details about Simmons' fate. When the last season left off, Skye was torn between the Inhumans and S.H.I.E.L.D., and it remains to be seen how this will be addressed, but the actress did tease that it will be addressed.
“I just had a long scene today where I’m talking about that and I can’t tell you about it. [Laughs] She’s as loyal to the Inhumans as she is to SHIELD. But she’s really about making them work together. It’s about making it a collaborative effort.”
What do you think about these new details forMarvel’s Agent Carterand Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.? Are you looking forward to seeing Peggy Carter’s Hollywood adventures inMarvel’s Agent Carter, or the Secret Warriors story in Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.? We still have a long way to go before these shows return, so be sure to stay tuned for more details.
