HENRY SIMMONS, IAIN DE CAESTECKER in 'Agents of SHIELD'ABC’s Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. has promoted Henry Simmons to series regular status for season 3.

It really shouldn’t be much of a surprise, since his character – Alphonso “Mack” Mackenzie – appeared in just about every episode after his initial appearance, during the early half of season 2, joining S.H.I.E.L.D. director Coulson’s expanded team.

In the comics, Alphonso MacKenzie (known simply as ‘Al’ or ‘Mack’ to his friends) is typically depicted as an older white man, based on what my research tells me. He’s described as straight-talking and down-to-earth, serving as the C.I.A. liaison to S.H.I.E.L.D., and is known for his interrogation skills.

To be frank, I haven’t kept up with the TV series since the second half of the first season, because it just didn’t hold my interest. So I can’t offer any useful commentary on Simmons’ character as he’s represented by the show’s writers producers and showrunner. I’ll leave the chatter to those of you who are fans.

Past characters of African descent with roles in S.H.I.E.L.D. include  J. August Richards, Ruth Negga, and Pascale Armand, in guest-starring, or recurring roles. 

The news of Simmons’ promotion was first announced by TV Line.