Season 2 of Agent Carter is just around the corner, but we still know little about the actual plot of the next arc in the show. The first season was one of the most divisive programs in Screen Rant comment sections (and regular topic of disagreement among the site’s editorial team) - with many celebrating the show’s butt-kicking female-lead while others felt that Agent Carter wasn’t quite as deep as others might be suggesting. Reaction to the show was complicated further by the sharp improvements made in Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. season 2 - which was drastically reinvigorated after its first season.

How will Agent Carter be received in season 2? With a solid foundation established, it’ll all depend on what Marvel TV delivers as story. The few Agent Carter promos that have been released give very little away - thought we know that the show will take place in Los Angeles and feature Madame Masque as a main villain. Still, we didn’t know how Madame Masque (or any other villains) would factor into the story, nor how (if at all) season 2 will tie-in with the previous season. Now, thanks to Marvel and ABC, we’re finally clearing up a bit of the mystery.

Marvel and ABC officially issued a press release that sheds some light on the plot for season 2 of Agent Carter - a lot of light actually.

Check out the full release below.

There are a few tidbits of information that are worth mentioning. First, it appears that some people have been moving around the country since we last saw them. Daniel Sousa (played by Enver Gjokaj) has been promoted and sent to Los Angeles. Sousa was a minor love-interest for Carter in the first season, and will likely continue in a similar role during the next chapter. Jarvis also appears to be located in LA at the start of the show, before Agent Carter meets up with him. And we’ll get our first look at Jarvis’ wife, Ana (Lotte Verbeek), along with the return of fan-favorite Howard Stark.

“Marvel’s Agent Carter” returns for a dynamic second season of adventure and intrigue, starring Hayley Atwell in the titular role of the unstoppable Agent Peggy Carter, working for the SSR (Strategic Scientific Reserve).

Dedicated to the fight against new Atomic Age threats in the wake of World War II, Agent Carter journeys from New York City to Los Angeles for her most dangerous – and bizarre – assignment yet. East Coast SSR Chief Jack Thompson (Chad Michael Murray) sends Peggy to work with newly appointed West Coast SSR Chief Daniel Sousa (Enver Gjokaj) to explore a strange homicide involving a body that glows and emanates cold.

Upon her arrival, Peggy reunites with Howard Stark’s (Dominic Cooper) butler and her loyal partner-in-crime, Edwin Jarvis (James D’Arcy), who welcomes her to the Hollywood life and sets her up at Stark’s mansion. There, Peggy meets Ana (Lotte Verbeek), Jarvis’ free-spirited and devoted wife to whom she takes an immediate liking.

Eventually, the odd investigation leads Peggy to quirky yet charming scientist Jason Wilkes (Reggie Austin), who quickly becomes an ally — and sparks fly. As Peggy continues to find clues in this peculiar case, she is introduced to the machinations of Whitney Frost (Wynn Everett), a movie starlet, brilliant physicist and the true power behind husband and senatorial candidate Calvin Chadwick (Currie Graham). Calvin, a politician who will do anything to get to the top, befriends Vernon Masters (Kurtwood Smith), a veteran of the War Department with a keen understanding of how to work the system. Peggy soon discovers that corruption seemingly runs deep, making it hard to distinguish the good versus the bad.

The search comes full circle when Russian spy Dottie Underwood (Bridget Regan) returns into Peggy’s life in a new and unexpected way. But even as Peggy discovers a new city, both old and new friends – and potentially a new love – she’s about to learn the bright lights of post-war Hollywood mask a more sinister threat to everyone she is sworn to protect.

“Marvel’s Agent Carter” stars Hayley Atwell (“Captain America: The First Avenger”) as Agent Peggy Carter, James D’Arcy (“Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World”) as Edwin Jarvis, Enver Gjokaj (“Dollhouse”) as Chief Daniel Sousa, Wynn Everett (“The Newsroom,” “Charlie Wilson’s War”) as Whitney Frost, Reggie Austin (“Life Unexpected,” “Devious Maids”) as Jason Wilkes, and Chad Michael Murray (“One Tree Hill,” “A Cinderella Story”) as Chief Jack Thompson.

Tara Butters (“Resurrection”), Michele Fazekas (“Resurrection”), Christopher Markus (Marvel’s “Captain America: The First Avenger,” “Marvel’s Captain America: The Winter Soldier”), Stephen McFeely (Marvel’s Captain America: The First Avenger,” “Marvel’s Captain America: The Winter Soldier”), Chris Dingess (“Men in Trees”), Kevin Feige (“Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy,” “Marvel’s The Avengers”), Louis D’Esposito (“Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy,” “Marvel’s Iron Man 3”), Alan Fine (“Marvel’s Captain America: The Winter Soldier,” “Marvel’s Thor”), Joe Quesada (“Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.,” “Marvel’s Avengers Assemble”), Stan Lee (“Spider-Man,” “Iron Man,” “The Incredible Hulk”) and Jeph Loeb (“Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.,” “Marvel’s Daredevil”) are executive producers. “Marvel’s Agent Carter” is produced by ABC Studios and Marvel Television.

The release also suggests that Carter may have another love interest in scientist Jason Wilkes (Reggie Austin), a new member of the new cast. Wilkes and several other new characters will help Carter examine a strange body that glows and emits cold. Who knows exactly what this could imply, but it seems to be (on the surface at least) unrelated to the real threat teased in this press release: the reference to Madame Masque, who seems to be the face(s) behind deeply seeded corruption in LA.

While each new element mentioned in this press release is interesting by itself, it still remains unclear how Marvel intends to connect all the dots - to not only last season of Agent Carter but the larger MCU story (and Inhumans-heavy plot on Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.). Madame Masque’s portrayal, for example, will not likely follow the comics too closely, since she was formerly associated with the modern Marvel generation, such as Tony Stark, aka Iron Man.

It’s hard to know what to expect. But with the glowing body of 1950s Hollywood, political corruption, and more than one Marvel villain, we can probably expect a good time when the show returns January 19th.

Agent Carter season 2 premieres Tuesday January 19th, 2016 at 9pm on ABC. Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. season 3 returns next year on Tuesday, March 8th at 9pm on ABC.

Source: Marvel/ABC