‘Agents Of SHIELD’ Season 4 Spoilers: Who Is The Director? Captain America Incarnation Hinted At In Episode 2

UPDATE: 10/3 7:22 p.m. EDT — Executive producers Jed Whedon and Maurissa Tancharoen confirmed to Entertainment Weekly that the Patriot is the new director.

Original Story: “Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.” has been keeping the director’s identity a secret due to his comic book origins, but Season 4, episode 2 may have revealed who he is. Not only is he a superhero, but he just might be one of the men who took on the Captain America mantle.

No, the new S.H.I.E.L.D. director (Jason O’Mara) is not Steve Rogers (although, it was mentioned that he could’ve been director). The director’s name is Jeffrey, and it seems like he might be Jeffrey Mace. Marvel previously hinted that the character has a history that goes back to the 1940s comics, and Mace matches that description. Although he was the third man to hold the Captain America title, he is better known as a different superhero: the Patriot.

While Cap was just starting his career in World War II, Jeff was inspired to fight crime at home, according to Marvel Database. He kept the streets of New York safe and fought Nazi spies. He even helped Bucky Barnes rescue Steve Rogers from Red Skull. Once Steve and Bucky disappeared and the second Captain America died, Mace put on the Cap suit. He maintained the title for several years until he retired in 1950.

“Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.” put their own spin on the character that Sid Greene and Ray Gill created. Unlike the comics, this Jeff isn’t just a good athlete with amazing abilities. The director is an Inhuman. Coulson’s (Clark Gregg) replacement is like a brick wall. He didn’t even flinch when May (Ming-Na Wen) tried to fight him, and he easily defeated her.

Though the writers haven’t confirmed the director’s identity as Jeffrey Mace, it seems highly likely. TVLine reports that closed captioning even identified him as Mace.

It’s no surprise that Captain America fanboy Coulson would choose someone as seemingly trustworthy as Jeff to replace him. However, they’ll still have trouble getting along. “Obviously, the relationship between my character and Coulson [Clark Gregg] is going to be huge,” O’Mara revealed to the Hollywood Reporter last month. “It’s a power struggle kind of dynamic there. It’s going to be huge and important.”

“Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.” Season 4 airs Tuesdays at 10 p.m. EDT on ABC.