Agents of SHIELD's Deathlok Actor Hopeful for Return Following Disney+ Release

Agents of SHIELD star J. August Richards shared his hopes for a comeback as Deathlok.

By Richard Nebens Updated:
Deathlok, Disney+

Marvel Studios has plenty to look forward to with its Phase 4 expansion on Disney+, most immediately including Iman Vellani's Ms. Marvel in June and Tatiana Maslany's She-Hulk in August. Fans are also flocking to the platform to revisit the newly added ABC and Netflix shows such as Agents of SHIELD and everything from the Defenders Saga.

Rumors have already started teasing some of these potential returns for stars from the former Marvel TV era, particularly after Vincent D'Onofrio showed up in Hawkeye and Charlie Cox shocked the world in Spider-Man: No Way Home. Most recently, the spotlight has been on Jessica Jones star Krysten Ritter, who's rumored for a possible comeback as her foul-mouthed private investigator in She-Hulk.

Flying more under the radar is the team from Agents of SHIELD, Marvel's OG TV show that ran for seven impressive seasons on ABC behind MCU veteran Clark Gregg as Phil Coulson. The newest discussion surrounding this show comes from one of its first guest stars, who shared his own hopes for a comeback on social media.

Deathlok Actor Wants Agents of SHIELD Comeback

Following Agents of SHIELD's release on Disney+ in March, actor J. August Richards, who played Mike Peterson/Deathlok in the ABC-distributed series, shared his hope for a potential revival of the series on his Twitter page.

Shortly after the premiere of Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, he commented on Anson Mount's post celebrating his own return as Black Bolt from the Inhumans TV series. Richards congratulated Mount for the accomplishment after Mount brought his take on the Inhuman king to the Earth-838 Illuminati.

"Congratulations man!!! So happy for you!!!"

Almost a week later, he shared a fan image of himself as Deathlok, expressing gratitude to the fans who watched his performance on Agents of SHIELD. He also offered a sliver of hope that he would have the chance to play the character again someday:

"Appreciating all the kind words now that Agents of SHIELD is streaming on Disney Plus!!! Hopefully, this isn’t the last we’ve seen of Deathlok..."

J. August Richards, Deathlok
Twitter

 

Will Deathlok Join the MCU?

J. August Richards appeared in a dozen episodes of Agents of SHIELD from 2013 to 2018, including the pilot episode, where Mike Peterson got on SHIELD's radar due to the Centipede experiments. While most of his time on the show came in the back half of Season 1, he remained an important player throughout the show's run, even coming back in Episode 100 as Phil Coulson found out about the ramifications of his Ghost Rider deal.

Since the show's end in 2020, Richards has shared plenty of positive experiences from his time on the show, including numerous other Twitter posts looking back at his superpowered character. This comes alongside other actors like Clark Gregg promoting Agents of SHIELD's transition from Netflix to Disney+ as fans continue expressing their own hope to see that story revitalized within the MCU.

Thus far, the only character who's been rumored for an MCU arrival is Chloe Bennet's Daisy Johnson, although she firmly denied that there was anything to those rumors during the lead-up to Secret Invasion. Even so, the series remains an important one for many Marvel fans and crew members alike, and it will be interesting to see if Richards, Bennet, or anyone else from the show gets to come back into the fray down the road.

All seven seasons of Agents of SHIELD are available to stream on Disney+.

- About The Author: Richard Nebens
Richard Nebens joined The Direct in March 2020, now serving as the site's Senior Writer and also working as an assistant editor and content creator. He started his journalism career as a hobby in 2019 and is passionate about sharing news and stories from the entertainment industry, especially comic book movies, comedy, and sci-fi. Richard looks to expand his knowledge about movies and TV every day, and he is eager to stay locked into the latest releases and breaking news at every opportunity.