Tradecraft: Robert Redford Joins S.H.I.E.L.D.

Never one to yield, film legend Robert Redford (Spy Game) is backing S.H.I.E.L.D. in the Marvel sequel Captain America: The Winter Soldier, according to Deadline. Robert Redford as a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent? That's pretty awesome! (Come to think of it, he might have made a great Nick Fury, though that never occurred to me.) The trade blog doesn't mention what character he'll be playing, reporting only that "Redford is in talks to play a senior leadership role in S.H.I.E.L.D., the superhero collective run by Samuel L. Jackson’s Nick Fury character." Of course, Double O Section readers are well aware that S.H.I.E.L.D. is not a "superhero collective" (that's the Avengers), but a powerful high-tech spy agency. Since Jackson is in The Winter Soldier and Fury's in charge of S.H.I.E.L.D., it seems likely that Redford's character will be clashing with him. Otherwise, what's the point of adding another agent in the "senior leadership?" Unless... Is it maybe possible that Redford will play a modern-day version of Fury's best friend, Dum Dum Dugan? Neal McDonnough played Dum Dum in the first Captain America movie, set during WWII. No, the ages don't work out, but Hollywood always fudges that when it comes to WWII veterans. (Michael Caine and Christopher Plummer have both played them in recent years, despite being too young.) Plus, they could always say Dum Dum got a few drops of Infinity Formula over the years to slow the aging process. (S.H.I.E.L.D. junkies know what I'm talking about.) And it would make sense to include one elder character who Cap knew in his former life. Could it be? Probably not, but it's fun to speculate! I'd love to see Dum Dum turn up in a modern S.H.I.E.L.D. capacity!

UPDATE: I guess he's not Dum Dum, but closer to my first guess. Latino Review reports that Redford's character is named Pierce, and The Hollywood Reporter adds that "one source describes the role as similar to the one played by Ralph Fiennes ... in last year’s James Bond movie Skyfall."