Kathryn Leigh Scott to appear on Marvel's AGENTS OF SHIELD

Kathryn Leigh Scott

Kathryn Leigh Scott is set to appear on Marvel's AGENTS OF SHIELD in 2015. The DARK SHADOWS actress filmed her scenes earlier in November, but said she's not in a position to reveal many details about the episode.

"The show is so secretive that I was never given a script, only my dialogue!" Scott said. "I am going to respect their desire to keep the story a surprise ... besides, I can't provide a synopsis because I have no idea what the story is. My episode will air mid-season and I will supply more information as I get it."

AGENTS OF SHIELD has two episodes left to air on ABC in 2014 before taking a break for the holidays. Scott will appear on the mid-season premiere, set to air March 3, 2015.

AGENTS OF SHIELD has spent the better part of the season delving into the mystery of a prehistoric alien artifact recovered from the Nazis at the close of World War II. Fans have been speculating that the artifact is leading to the introduction of the Inhumans, a race of human/alien hybrids introduced in the pages of the "Fantastic Four" comics in 1965. Marvel has already announced an Inhumans film to be released in 2018, and here's where things begin to get interesting ...

Because of how Marvel sold the cinematic rights to its characters in the 1990s, 20th Century Fox owns the rights to the X-Men and its related concepts. This includes the word "mutant," used to describe characters that are simply born with superpowered abilities. The mutant characters Quicksilver and Scarlet Witch have roots in both the X-Men and the Avengers properties, which has allowed both Marvel and Fox to use these characters on film. Quicksilver appeared in X-MEN: DAYS OF FUTURE PAST earlier this year. He and the Scarlet Witch are also set to appear in next year's AVENGERS: AGE OF ULTRON, and it appears Marvel will be making these characters into Inhumans as a means to skirt these legal obstacles.

Which brings us to the timing of Scott's episode, set to air two months before the premiere of AVENGERS: AGE OF ULTRON. Marvel has been struggling to connect its television and cinematic properties with mixed results. AGENTS OF SHIELD has done a significant amount of quality control this season, rebounding from last year's mediocre start to create some compelling television. One of the villains appearing in the next AVENGERS film, "Baron Wolfgang Von Strucker," has already been mentioned by name on AGENTS OF SHIELD, which suggests the next AVENGERS film will serve as a denouement of sorts for this season's various storylines.

Airing just two months before the AVENGERS premiere, it seems incredibly unlikely that Scott's episode won't have a connection to the film. I spent part of my day chatting with the folks at ABC about the series and should admit that I know more that I'm sharing ... but let's just leave it at that for now.