Spoilers ahead for the Season 2 premiere of Will Trent, called "Me Llamo Will Trent."
Will Trent is officially back on ABC in the 2024 TV schedule, with the first new episode since the previous season finale aired back in May. Many TV shows had delayed returns due to the WGA writers strike and SAG-AFTRA actors strike, but I would say that the Ramón Rodriguez-led show was worth the wait as the Season 2 premiere continued the story from the Season 1 finale cliffhanger. The episode featured former MCU star Clark Gregg, and between his performance and the fun Avengers joke early on, I'm hoping to see more of him. Read on for what we know!
Clark Gregg As Arthur (And That Avengers Joke)
The case of the week kicked off with a car bombing in suburbia, with the wrong man dying in a case of very mistaken identity... or, to be more specific, mistaken address. Several law enforcement agencies converged since there was the question of terrorism, and Will was representing the GBI alongside the APD's Ormewood and Franklin before being joined by This Is Us' Susan Kelechi Watson as bomb squad expert Cricket. When Ormewood commented on bomb squad and GBI joining the case, Franklin commented that "It's like The Avengers."
Will quickly deduced that Clark Gregg's Arthur was the intended target of the car bomb, and Arthur quickly turned out to be a very fun addition to the Season 2 premiere. Between spectacularly failing to convince Will and Faith that nothing shady was happening and his reactions to Will's comments about the stock market and paying in cash, I found myself really hoping that the bombers wouldn't catch up with him. And not just because I loved him as Coulson on Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.!
But the case also seemed to be moving on from Arthur by the end of the hour, particularly after the death of Cricket in a bomb just after she and Will formed a bond. Cricket saved a lot of lives with her heroic action, and her death motivated Will to reach out to the serial killer who also just might be his father. The episode just didn't end on any kind of guarantee that Arthur's story would continue. That said, there's reason to expect more of him!
Will Clark Gregg Be Back?
When Clark Gregg's casting for Will Trent was announced, it was reported (via TVLine) that he would appear in the first two episodes of Season 2. While that was announced back in January and there's no guarantee that nothing has changed in the time since, that report gives every reason for optimism that Arthur will be back for at least one more episode.
Unfortunately, there's no sign that there's a future for Arthur beyond the second episode of Season 2. Characters who come as parts of the cases of the week generally don't return in more significant capacities, and I wouldn't expect Clark Gregg to recur on Will Trent.
Still, if the upcoming episode ends without killing Arthur off, I'm going to take it as a win that hasn't ruled out bringing him back. And honestly, if Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. has given me any expectations, it's that not even death will stop a character played by Clark Gregg.
In all seriousness, you can see new episodes of Will Trent Season 2 on Tuesdays at 8 p.m. ET on ABC. You can also revisit the first season streaming with a Hulu subscription now.