Actor Jeff Ward has been added to the cast of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. in a “key” recurring role. This news arrives but a few weeks after filming officially began on season 5 of the Marvel Cinematic Universe-based ABC TV series.

Guessing what Ward’s role could be in Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. might be difficult, since not much is known of the plot for the show’s fifth season - other than what we can infer from the cliffhanger of the season 4 finale. We know that Coulson and his team will be in outer space, which certainly limits the number of characters that they will be interacting with while off-planet. (Unless of course, Coulson and the others will be crossing paths with an alien civilization or two.)

According to Deadline, the Manson’s Lost Girls star has signed on for a multi-episode arc in season 5 - though the identity of his character has yet to be revealed. Aside from starring as the notorious cult leader and serial killer Charles Manson in the Lifetime movie Manson’s Lost Girls, the actor has had numerous roles in TV movies, as well as guest appearances in procedural dramas like Rosewood, Body of Proof, and The Mentalist. Ward is currently playing Seth, the male lead in Syfy’s Channel Zero: The No-End House, the second season of the horror anthology series which will air in the fall. His character is described as a “magnetic, soft-spoken, and charismatic guy.”

A now-deleted video from Chloe Bennett’s Instagram account appeared to accidentally reveal the presence of the Kree in Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. season 5. The Kree haven’t appeared directly on the series since season 3, and even then their appearance was a brief one. Is it possible that Ward is playing a Kree or a member of another alien species that Coulson and his team will encounter?

Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.’s fifth season actually has more loose ends to cover than just the outer space reveal, though that certainly seems like a big enough story to fill an entire season, all on its own. The show may dive further into supernatural territory in the future, considering that Coulson seemingly sold his soul to the Devil in order to defeat AIDA in season 4. With both aliens and demons now on the table, there’s no way to tell where Ward’s character will fit in.

Agents of SHIELD season 5 premieres on ABC in early 2018.

Source: Deadline