He may not have half a metal face or a big red eye, but a version of Deathlok is joining up with Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. in the show's February 4 episode on ABC.

Well, "joining up" might not be the right phrasing. He's actually been on the show since the pilot, but viewers didn't know just what was in store for Mike Peterson, played by J. August Richards, until now. Turns out, the whole thing was a stealth celebration of Deathlok's 40th anniversary.

Marvel summarizes the episode on its Tumblr:

Transformed into the cybernetic solider against his will, Mike Peterson (J. August Richards) must struggle to find the man in the machine. With a high-tech eye that allows him to see through walls, super strength and increased speed courtesy of a cybernetic leg, will Deathlok fight alongside the Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. or against them?

Richards is pretty into the whole thing. "If you would have asked when I was nine-years old what I wanted to be, I would have said a super hero and I’m so excited to be one now as an adult on TV!" he said. "It’s a dream come true."

But can it really be when you don't look like a zombie with metal arms and legs or talk to an AI in your head that you affectionately call "'Puter'"? Those are the real questions.

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