“Marvel’s Agent Carter” has added Ken Marino to Season 2, Variety has learned exclusively.
The “Wet Hot American Summer” star will play mob boss Joseph Manfredi, a volatile leader in the Maggia crime syndicate who will help Peggy Carter’s (Hayley Atwell) adversaries further their agenda.
Marino’s recurring gig marks a reunion for him and “Agent Carter” showrunners Tara Butters and Michele Fazekas, who created the CW series “Reaper,” in which Marino appeared.
SEE MORE:‘Agent Carter’ Adds ‘Newsroom,’ ‘Outlander’ Stars for Season 2
“We’ve loved working with Ken ever since he played a gay ex-demon for us on ‘Reaper,’ and we were so happy he was available for this role,” said “Agent Carter” exec producers Butters, Fazekas and Chris Dingess, who also worked on the CW show. “His range is incredible — he can go from comedy to romance to drama with ease. Writing for him is easy, because he can do pretty much anything. And he used to have a karaoke room in his house, which makes him even more awesome.”
Marvel’s head of television and “Agent Carter” exec producer Jeph Loeb commented, “At Marvel, even our villains need a certain degree of charm as they make life difficult for our heroes. Ken brings a quality to Joseph Manfredi that only serves to make him even more menacing, adding another layer of depth to our already outstanding supporting cast.”
Known for starring in comedies “Childrens Hospital,” “Party Down,” NBC’s “Marry Me” and dating show spoof “Burning Love,” Marino’s other credits include “Dawson’s Creek” and “Veronica Mars.” He reprised his original “Wet Hot American Summer” role in the recent Netflix revival series.
SEE MORE:‘Agent Carter’ Heading to Hollywood in Season 2
“Agent Carter” stars Atwell as the title character, plus James D’Arcy, Chad Michael Murray and Enver Gjokaj. Season 2 will also welcome back major players Dominic Cooper and Bridget Regan in their roles of businessman Howard Stark and Peggy’s rival Dottie Underwood, respectively.
Along with Marino, other new cast members for the sophomore season are Wynn Everett (“The Newsroom”), who will play Whitney Frost, better known as the villainous Madame Masque in the Marvel Comics universe; Lotte Verbeek (“Outlander”) who will play Ana Jarvis, Peggy’s friend and the wife of Jarvis (D’Arcy); Currie Graham (“Murder in the First”) as Whitney’s (Everett) high-powered businessman husband Calvin Chadwick; and Reggie Austin (“Pretty Little Liars”) as Jason Wilkes, a quirky scientist who charms Peggy.
Exec producers on the ABC Studios and Marvel TV production are Butters, Fazekas, Dingess, Loeb, Christopher Markus, Stephen McFeely, Kevin Feige, Louis D’Esposito, Alan Fine, Joe Quesada and Stan Lee.
Season 2 is set for a midseason 2016 debut on ABC.
