Marvel’s ‘Agents of SHIELD’ spoilers: ‘Big Love’ star Bill Paxton garners big arc

Are you ready for a touch of “Big Love” on Marvel’s “Agents of SHIELD” moving forward? We believe that we have it for you now courtesy of actor Bill Paxton.

According to TV Guide, the former star of HBO’s “Big Love” has signed up for at least four episodes of the super-ambitious ABC series in the part of Agent John Garrett, a high-ranking official who is not afraid at times to get his hands dirty. He also just so happens to be an associate of Clark Gregg’s Agent Coulson dating way back.

So what is the allure of getting an actor of Paxton’s caliber on the show? The simple answer is that it enables ABC to get a little bit more promotion for “Agents of SHIELD” beyond just some comic fans who may already want to watch. The ratings have slipped somewhat, and they need to now change the focus somewhat from making this a show that appeals to just Marvel fans to potentially a show that could also appease serious TV viewers. Regardless of whatever you may think about the ending of “Big Love,” it was one of the network’s most-important programs of its era. Not only that, but it really inspired a generation of edgier comedies that were interested in taking on some more taboo subjects.

As for “Agents of SHIELD,” it still has a pretty generous amount of episodes to go where something important could happen. Paxton is slated to appear at the moment in at least four of them, and that could increase depending on how the character works in the story.