We actually found out that Mexican actress Natalia Cordova-Buckley would play Slingshot about three months ago, but today it was made official, as Marvel announced the casting along with our first look at the character as she’ll be appearing on Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D. when the show returns from its midseason break.
The official description reveals that this take on the Secret Warriors speedster will go by Elena Rodriguez, and not “Yo Yo” like her comic counterpart – though that could still be a nickname, of course. ComicBook.com (who broke the story) adds that she’s going to be “a street-wise Colombian woman who will be based on the Jonathan Hickman comic creation.”
In those comics, Rodriguez has super-speed much like The Flash or X-Men‘s Quicksilver, but unlike them, her power eventually slingshots (hence the codename) her back to the point she started running from. It remains to be seen if those powers will translate over to the small screen, but now that Marvel’s flagship show has fully embraced its superhero roots, it’s probably a safe bet.
Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. returns to ABC at 9 pm EST on Tuesday, March 8.