On top of Marvel's string of surefire blockbuster hit films scheduled to premiere this year, the comic titan's TV venture, 'Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.' is also set to unravel its second season this year.

The new Marvel super team series is set to air on September 23 by American broadcasting giant, ABC.

During the 2014 International Comic-Con in San Diego, 'Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.' producers have revealed that a number of new characters are set to join the show's upcoming season.

Among the newcomers are Lucy Lawless, who is set to portray a veteran S.H.I.E.L.D. agent, British actor Nick Blood who will be playing the character of a yet-unnamed mercenary, and 'Homicide: Life on the Street' actor Reed Diamond, who, according to Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. screen writer Jed Whedon, will be playing the character of one of the Hyda villains. Whedon is the same writer who was partly responsible for 'The Avengers' movie's success.

During the same Comic-Con event, ABC/Marvel panelists revealed that the directors of 'Captain America: Winter Soldier', Anthony Russo and Joe Russo, are scheduled to direct at least two episodes in the Marvel TV series. The action-packed series' second season started filming in July.

In addition to the 'Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.' Season 2 newcomers, the superhero series' regular cast also includes Clark Gregg (Phil Coulson), Ming-Na Wen (Melinda May), Brett Dalton (Grant Ward), Chloe Bennett (Skye), Iain De Caestecker (Leo Fitz), and Elizabeth Henstridge (Jemma Simmons).