Henry Simmons Added To Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D. As MacKenzie

Via SuperHeroHype.com, we have news that Henry Simmons has been added to the cast of Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. in the recurring role of Alphonso “Mack” MacKenzie.

Henry Simmons started his acting career in small roles on television which included Saturday Night Live, The Cosby Mysteries, New York Undercover, and the soap opera Another World.  He quickly found success as a regular cast member playing Detective Baldwin James on ABC’s NYPD Blue.  Since then, he has had stints on television shows such as Spartacus, Pepper Dennis, Shark, The Cleaner, CSI: Miami, and Ravenswood.  In film, his roles included Above the Rim (1994), Taxi (2004), Are We There Yet? (2005), Something New (2006), Maedea’s Family Reunion (2006), The Insurgents (2006), and From the Rough (2011).

The character of Alphonso MacKenzie (or Al MacKenzie) originated from the comics and first appeared in Nick Fury vs. S.H.I.E.L.D. #3 in August of 1988.  MacKenzie was originally a CIA liasion to S.H.I.E.L.D. and had a relationship with Contessa Valentina Allegra di Fontaine, a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent who also had Nick Fury’s heart (you can already feel the tension rising).  MacKenzie eventually joined S.H.I.E.L.D. as one of their full-time agents and became a liason to his original agency, the C.I.A.  After leaving S.H.I.E.L.D., MacKenzie wrote a tell-all book and became a source to Ben Ulrich for the sole purpose of exposing Nick Fury’s unauthorized activities in Latveria.

This will be the first live-action incarnation of Alphonso MacKenzie.  And the character has been officially described as “a mechanic in his thirties allying himself with Coulson’s team.”  It is unknown how much of his original character history in the comics the series will retain.

ABC will premiere Season Two of Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. on Tuesday, September 23rd at 9/8c.