A new star is rising on “Agents of SHIELD,” but it’s one with a dubious inclination. In the wake of the midseason finale, Jeffery Mace (Jason O’Mara) has updated his resume. No longer is the affable Inhuman merely the Director of SHIELD - The Patriot has officially suited up. As Simmons (Elizabeth Henstridge) knows, however, there’s more to Mace than meets the eye.

‘Agents of SHIELD’ episode 14 title

“Agents of SHIELD” will return on Jan. 10 with “Broken Promises.” Mace will step into the limelight during his eponymously titled Jan. 17 episode, but that won’t be his most revealing hour of season 3. According to a new behind-the-scenes photo from Visual Effects Supervisor Mark Kolpack, episode 14 will be the hour to watch.

Behind Gabriel Luna (Ghost Rider), you can just make out the titles of “Agents of SHIELD”'s spring slate. “The Man Behind the Shield” has some MCU devotees hoping for a Steve Rogers (Chris Evens) cameo, but it seems the writers were aiming for a little double meaning instead.

Not only is Mace the power behind SHIELD, but the Patriot also canonically defends himself with Caps’ original shield. As Captain America and the rest of Team Cap continues to hide in the shadows, “Agents of SHIELD” will light the lamps on Mace’s backstory. Between Senator Nadeer and Gemma Simmons, someone knows the truth.

“There is something there that has yet to be uncovered,” showrunners Maurissa Tancharoen and Jed Whedon told Entertainment Weekly. “What [Mace] said [Nadeer] had on him was the presence of Daisy and Ghost Rider, but we also know that Simmons, at one point, observed him telling his story and caught him in a lie, so we know there’s something there.”

What’s next on 'Agents of SHIELD'?

This spring, Coulson (Clark Gregg) and co.

will turn their attention to Aida’s (Mallory Jansen) Life Model Decoys in lieu of Ghost Rider. In the midseason premiere, “Broken Promises,” May 2.0 (Ming-Na Wen) will continue to worm her way into the lives of our heroes.

“Though Coulson and May are growing closer, Coulson remains unaware of the dark secret May is hiding beneath the surface,” ABC teased. “Meanwhile, Aida is unrelenting in her search for the Darkhold.”

Catch “Agents of SHIELD” Tuesdays at 10 p.m. ET on ABC.