Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. begins its second run later this month and during its next mid-season break, ABC will fill S.H.I.E.L.D.'s time slot with another Marvel Studios TV series - Agent Carter. It's not clear yet how much (or how little) direct connectivity there will be between the events of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s second season and the debut season for Carter (the latter will only be eight episodes long), though Marvel has revealed that the pair will cross paths at least once - and perhaps sooner that you might've expected.

Agent Carter season one takes place in 1946 and follows Peggy Carter (Hayley Atwell) as she "takes on a new role" at the Strategic Scientific Research organization in New York City - one that sets her on a path that leads to her becoming a co-founder of the S.H.I.E.L.D. organization. Meanwhile, in the present-day, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. season two catches up with Agent Phil Coulson (Clark Gregg), as he and his team attempt to rebuild S.H.I.E.L.D. from the ground-up after its collapse (depicted on both the show's first season and the Marvel Studios film Captain America: The Winter Soldier).

The official credits and synopsis for the S.H.I.E.L.D. season two premiere, "Shadows", mention that Atwell will be guest-starring as Peggy Carter on the episode. It could be that the "Shadows" script - by S.H.I.E.L.D. co-creators/co-showrunners Maurissa Tancharon and Jed Whedon - includes flashbacks to the 1940s, showing how H.Y.D.R.A. agents originally infiltrated the S.H.I.E.L.D. organization. That would not only help setup Agent Carter, but also shed more light on the history of events that led to the status quo in "Shadows" (as officially summarized below).

[In 'Shadows'] Coulson and his team are now wanted fugitives with limited resources--but that's not stopping them from keeping the world safe from powerful and unseen threats everywhere. However, with new members they hardly know, will S.H.I.E.L.D. ever be trusted again?

Mind you, there are several guest stars listed for "Shadows", so Atwell is unlikely to be getting a whole lot of screen time - especially with (seemingly) a new series regular due to be introduced, in Nick Blood (Trolled) as Agent Lance Hunter, pictured below. Nonetheless, using the S.H.I.E.L.D. season two premiere to plant the seeds for Agent Carter - maybe preparing viewers to see a more complex version of Hayley Atwell's Marvel character at the same time - doesn't sound like a bad idea at all.

"Shadows" will also feature B.J. Britt back in action as Agent Antoine Triplett and Patton Oswalt as Agent Billy Koenig. (One of many Agent Koenigs?) The list of series newcomers who will make their debut in S.H.I.E.L.D.'s season two premiere includes Lucy Lawless as Isabelle "Izzy" Hartley, Reed Diamond as Daniel Whitehall, Brian Patrick Wade as Carl Creel (a.k.a. Absorbing Man), and Simon Kassianides as Sunil Bakshi - a mysterious addition who is reported to have a "major recurring role" to play this season.

Kyle MacLachlin isn't due to show up as Skye's "father" until the second episode of S.H.I.E.L.D. season two, though executive producer Jeff Bell has said that "Shadows" will touch on that storyline - among other plot threads that were left dangling after S.H.I.E.L.D.'s first season. Here's to hoping that Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. will, in fact, wind up hitting the ground running and not let up the pace, when it returns to the airwaves later this month.

Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. season two begins with "Shadows", which airs on ABC on Tuesday, September 23rd, 2014 at 9 p.m. ET.

Agent Carter debuts on ABC in January 2015.

Source: Marvel Entertainment