Agents Of SHIELD has gradually been playing up its ties to the Marvel universe for a while now, what with the introduction of the Secret Warriors and Inhumans, and characters like Bobbi ‘Mockingbird’ Morse into the wider plot. However, with the exception of Chloe Bennet’s Daisy Johnson (formerly known as Skye), none of the Secret Warriors have actually been their comic counterparts. This looks set to change though, with Marvel confirming that a character based on the brilliantly named Yo-Yo Rodriguez, aka Slingshot, will be showing up.
The character will be played by Natalia Cordova-Buckley, who will likely be unfamiliar to UK audiences, having primarily appeared in Mexican productions, although viewers on the other side of the pond might recognise her from sports drama McFarland, USA.
In the comics, Slingshot is one of the first members of the original Secret Warriors to be recruited by Nick Fury in the wake of the Secret Invasion storyline, and accompanies the former SHIELD head on a series of clandestine missions with the team. The daughter of all-round nasty guy and Masters Of Evil member the Griffin, she has inherited some of his powers of super speed, with the added bonus of being able to suddenly spring back to where she ran from.
Despite her strengths, it hasn’t all gone her own way in the comics; at one point she had both her arms cut off in a battle, but then she got prosthetic replacements, so you know, whatever.
Speaking about the casting, Marvel TV head Jeph Loeb was clearly pleased: “We announced at San Diego Comic-Con that the Secret Warriors story will be coming to Agents Of SHIELD, and we’re pleased to say that will continue to play out in the second half of our season… Natalia embodies both the toughness and the warmth necessary for the role of Elena as we bring another piece of the team to the screen for the first time.”
Agents Of SHIELD is airing now on Channel 4 on Sunday evenings. For the latest TV news, pick up the new issue of SciFiNow.
