Bill Paxton has signed on to appear in at least four episodes of ABC's Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., portraying S.H.I.E.L.D Agent John Garrett. Take a look at the first image of the character, then read on for more details.

Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Bill Paxton Photo

The character will debut in either late February or early March, who has ties to Agent Coulson (Clark Gregg) and will work closely with Agent Ward (Brett Dalton) and Agent May (Ming-Na Wen). Here's what series co-creator/executive producer Jed Whedon had to say about the character.

"We wanted to bring in a rough-and-tumble former cohort of Agent Coulson [Clark Gregg] with a little bit of attitude and cigar-smoking swagger."

Maurissa Tancharoen added that Garrett comes into the S.H.I.E.L.D. team in an unorthodox fashion.

"(He) comes into the fold in a very surprising way. He is the type who wants to stay out in the field no matter how high-level he gets."

In the Marvel comic books, John Garrett debuted in an issue of Elektra: Assassin, where S.H.I.E.L.D. turned him into a cyborg after he was injured in the line of duty. While Jed Whedon wouldn't confirm if this comic book plot line will be a part of the show, he did add more about the tenacious nature of John Garrett.

"When Garrett got his promotion to Level 7, he refused to sit behind a desk and doesn't like the formalities of S.H.I.E.L.D. He's going to help Coulson solve some mysteries and is not afraid to rig an explosive or two."

Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. continues its Season 1 run with "Seeds", airing Tuesday, January 14 at 8 PM ET on ABC.