Draft:S.H.I.E.L.D. (Marvel Cinematic Universe)
Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement, and Logistics Division, better known by its acronym S.H.I.E.L.D., is an intelligence agency founded by Peggy Carter, Howard Stark, and Chester Phillips following World War II as the successor to the Strategic Scientific Reserve (SSR). High-ranking agents and scientists throughout S.H.I.E.L.D.'s early history include Hank Pym, Janet Van Dyne, Arnim Zola, and Bill Foster.
History and formation
[edit]One year after the events of Captain America: The First Avenger, Peggy Carter is working as an agent for the Strategic Scientific Reserve (SSR) New York City office. After solving a case alone, Howard Stark calls and informs her boss that Carter will co-head the newly created S.H.I.E.L.D.,[1] the Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement and Logistics Division. She co-heads it with Chester Phillips.[2]
S.H.I.E.L.D. recruits Arnim Zola a prisoner and former Hydra scientist, who was captured by Steve Rogers during World War II. Zola masterminds Hydra's infiltration within S.H.I.E.L.D.'s infrastructure before a terminal illness in the 1970s leads to him transferring his consciousness into a computer system in Camp Lehigh.[3]
Starting from the 1960s, Hank Pym and Janet Van Dyne operated covertly as the Ant-Man and the Wasp on behalf of S.H.I.E.L.D. Van Dyne disappeared into a subatomic Quantum Realm while disabling a Soviet nuclear missile in 1987. Pym resigned in 1989 after discovering S.H.I.E.L.D.'s attempt to replicate his Ant-Man shrinking technology. Believing the technology would be dangerous if replicated, Pym vows to hide it for as long as he lives.[4]
In the early 21st century, Nick Fury was promoted to the position of Director by Secretary Alexander Pierce, who was secretly working for Hydra. In 2010, Agent Phil Coulson was sent to speak with Tony Stark and Pepper Potts following his kidnapping in Afghanistan, but before he could do so Stark became involved in a battle with Obadiah Stane in an advanced armored suit. Later, in a press conference, Stark publicly declares himself as "Iron Man", prompting Fury to approach him on the "Avengers Initiative".[5]
The World Security Council shuts down S.H.I.E.L.D.'s search for Captain America's crashed plane in the Arctic, as well as the surveillance of Tony Stark and Bruce Banner / Hulk, in favor of Project Pegasus — S.H.I.E.L.D.'s attempts at exploiting the Tesseract — though Director Fury decides to continue these operations "off the books". Fury learns on the same day, that Stark is near death,[a] Banner has entered the United States,[b] and there are unusual atmospheric disturbances above New Mexico.[c] With S.H.I.E.L.D.'s help, Stark discovers a new element that saves his life, while Agents Coulson and Clint Barton discover Thor Odinson in New Mexico, and recover the remains of the Asgardian Destroyer armor there. Natasha Romanoff follows Banner to New York City, where, while the Hulk fights the Abomination, she discovers the mutating Samuel Sterns. A year later, S.H.I.E.L.D. is actively studying Sterns, Jane Foster's Nine Realms Theory, and the Destroyer — which they now have control over, and are developing into a handheld gun — and have been successful in their search for Captain America. Barton is assigned to watch Dr. Erik Selvig at Project Pegasus, who, using Stark's new element, is on the brink of harnessing the Tesseract's power, but who is also under the control of the Asgardian Loki.[6][7][8][9]
In 2012, S.H.I.E.L.D. recovered the long-lost body of Rogers.[10] In 2012, Fury assembled a team which consisted of Stark, Banner, Thor, Rogers, Romanoff and Barton known as the Avengers in response to the theft of the Tesseract by Loki, leading to the Battle of New York. During the events, Loki kills Coulson.[11]
Two years after the battle, Rogers now works in Washington, D.C., for the espionage agency S.H.I.E.L.D. During a mission alongside Agent Romanoff and S.H.I.E.L.D.'s counter-terrorism S.T.R.I.K.E. team led by Agent Brock Rumlow to free hostages aboard a S.H.I.E.L.D. vessel from pirates led by Georges Batroc, Rogers discovers Romanoff has another assignment: to extract data from the ship's computers.[3]
Returning to the Triskelion, S.H.I.E.L.D.'s headquarters, Rogers confronts Director Fury and is briefed about Project Insight: three Helicarriers linked to spy satellites, designed to eliminate threats preemptively. Unable to decrypt Romanoff's data, Fury becomes suspicious about Insight and asks senior S.H.I.E.L.D. official and Secretary of Internal Security Pierce to delay the project. On his way to rendezvous with Maria Hill, Fury is ambushed by assailants led by an assassin called the Winter Soldier. Escaping to Rogers' apartment, Fury warns him that S.H.I.E.L.D. is compromised but is shot by the Winter Soldier before handing Rogers a flash drive containing the ship's data. Fury is pronounced dead during surgery, and Hill recovers the body.[3]
Pierce summons Rogers to the Triskelion. When Rogers withholds Fury's information, Pierce brands him a fugitive. Hunted by S.T.R.I.K.E., Rogers meets with Romanoff. Using the data, they discover a secret S.H.I.E.L.D. bunker in New Jersey, where they activate a supercomputer containing the preserved consciousness of Zola. Zola reveals that after being captured by Rogers during World War II, he was recruited to S.H.I.E.L.D., where he secretly reformed Hydra within its ranks, sowing global chaos using the Winter Soldier as their primary assassin. The pair narrowly escapes death when a S.H.I.E.L.D. missile destroys the bunker, and they realize that Pierce is Hydra's leader within S.H.I.E.L.D. Rogers and Romanoff enlist the help of VA employee and former USAF pararescueman Sam Wilson, whom Rogers befriended, and acquire a powered "Falcon" wingpack used by Wilson while he was in the Air Force.[3]
They capture S.H.I.E.L.D. agent Jasper Sitwell, a Hydra mole, forcing him to divulge that Zola developed a data mining algorithm that can identify individuals becoming future threats to Hydra. The Insight Helicarriers will sweep the globe using satellite guns to eliminate the threat. Sitwell is killed in an ambush by the Winter Soldier, whom Rogers recognizes as Bucky Barnes, his longtime best friend previously thought dead; he had survived due to Zola's experimentation and has been repeatedly brainwashed and cryogenically frozen to perform Hydra's missions. Hill manages to extract the trio to a safehouse where Fury, who had faked his death, plans to sabotage the Helicarriers by replacing their controller chips.[3]
After the World Security Council members arrive for the Helicarriers' launch, Rogers broadcasts Hydra's plot to everyone at the Triskelion. Romanoff, disguised as one of the Council members, disarms Pierce. Fury arrives and forces Pierce to unlock S.H.I.E.L.D.'s database so Romanoff can leak classified information, exposing Hydra to the public. Following a struggle, Fury fatally shoots Pierce. Rogers and Wilson raid two Helicarriers and replace the controller chips, but Barnes destroys Wilson's suit and fights Rogers on the third. Rogers fends him off and replaces the final chip, allowing Hill to take control and have the vessels destroy each other.[3]
Rogers refuses to fight Barnes in an attempt to reach his friend, but as the ship collides with the Triskelion, Rogers falls into the Potomac River. Barnes rescues the unconscious Rogers before disappearing into the woods. With S.H.I.E.L.D. in disarray, Romanoff appears before a Senate subcommittee to defend her and Rogers' actions. Fury, under the cover of his apparent death, heads to Europe to pursue Hydra's remaining cells. Rogers and Wilson decide to find Barnes, while Rumlow, who was a Hydra agent, is hospitalized following the Triskelion's destruction.[3]
When Hydra emerges in 2014, S.H.I.E.L.D. is labeled as a terrorist organization while most of its non-Hydra members leave S.H.I.E.L.D. to work the private sector or go off the grid. In the finale of the first season of the Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., Nick Fury charges Phil Coulson with rebuilding the organization as the new director.
In 2015, S.H.I.E.L.D. was secretly revived by Coulson and Fury, the latter assisting the Avengers during the Battle of Sokovia.
In 2024, S.H.I.E.L.D. created a stealth suit for Peter Parker and an agent gave it to him when he was in Europe.
It appeared in the films Iron Man, The Incredible Hulk, Iron Man 2, Thor, Captain America: The First Avenger, The Avengers, Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Avengers: Age of Ultron, Ant-Man, Ant-Man and the Wasp, Captain Marvel, Spider-Man: Far From Home and Black Widow; the Marvel One-Shots The Consultant, A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to Thor's Hammer, Item 47, and Agent Carter; as well as the ABC series Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. and the Disney+ series What If...?.
Notable members
[edit]Directors
[edit]Known directors include:
- Peggy Carter – Co-founder of S.H.I.E.L.D.; First known director. Deceased.
- Nick Fury – Faked his death after S.H.I.E.L.D's fall and appointed Phil Coulson as his successor.
- Phil Coulson – Deceased.
- Jeffrey Mace – Appointed in the wake of the Sokovia Accords and S.H.I.E.L.D. being made a legitimate organization again. Deceased.
- Daisy Johnson / Skye / Quake –
- Alphonso "Mack" Mackenzie – Handpicked by Johnson after Coulson retired.
?
[edit]- Howard Stark – co-founder of S.H.I.E.L.D. Deceased.
- Chester Phillips – co-founder of S.H.I.E.L.D. Deceased.
- Alexander Pierce – Secretary of S.H.I.E.L.D. Deceased.
Agents
[edit]- Maria Hill – Field agent; former deputy director; had Level 9 Security Clearance before S.H.I.E.L.D. was taken down. Deceased.
- Agent 60 – In contact with Coulson's team.
- Barbour – Stationed at the Hub.
- Baylin – Stationed at the Hub.
- Tomas Calderon – Member of the "Real S.H.I.E.L.D."
- Goodman – Doctor; participated in experiments on GH-325 and in Phil Coulson's resurrection.
- Billy Koenig – Stationed at secret base Playground.
- Sam Koenig – Stationed at secret base Playground.
- Jazuat – Doctor; stationed at S.H.I.E.L.D. Trauma Zentrum in Zurich, Switzerland.
- Jones – Stationed at the Hub.
- Mack – Undercover trucker.
- Mike Peterson / Deathlok – Former test subject for Project Centipede and slave of John Garrett and Hydra. Now a member of S.H.I.E.L.D.
- Elena "Yo–Yo" Rodriguez – Inhuman field agent with ability to move at super speed for the duration of one heartbeat before returning to her starting point. Member of the Secret Warriors.
- Katherine Shane – Undercover specialist.
- Shade – Stationed at the Hub.
- Shaw – Undercover specialist; stationed at the Hub.
- Streiten – Doctor; participated in Phil Coulson's resurrection.
- Tyler – Mechanic aboard helicarrier; later field agent.
- Anne Weaver – Director of the S.H.I.E.L.D. Academy of Science and Technology; member of the "Real S.H.I.E.L.D."
- Akela Amador – Undercover operative prior to being kidnapped by Project Centipede/Hydra organization. Freed from their control by Phil Coulson's group. Incarcerated.
- Linda Avery – Field agent who discovered Skye as an infant. Deceased.
- Clint Barton / Hawkeye – Assassin and skilled marksman with an exceptional ability in archery; founding member of the Avengers. Level 7 Security Clearance.
- Laura Barton – Espionage agent.
- Felix Blake – Espionage agent; went rogue after S.H.I.E.L.D.'s collapse and joined the Watchdogs. Status Unknown.
- Roger Browning – Stationed at a S.H.I.E.L.D. containment facility; went freelance after S.H.I.E.L.D.'s fall; killed by Carl Creel while trying to sell classified information.
- Lincoln Campbell – Inhuman doctor and field agent with ability to generate electrical charges; member of the Secret Warriors. Deceased.
- Mitchell Carson – Former Head of Defense at S.H.I.E.L.D.; now a member of Hydra.
- Sharon Carter / Agent 13 – Espionage agent; now a member of the CIA.
- Chaimson – Stationed at the Hub. Deceased.
- Sebastian Derik – Assassin; test subject for GH-325; arrested after killing other GH-325 test subjects.
- Leopold "Leo" Fitz – Weapons, gadgets, and cutting-edge technology, Level 5 Clearance;[12] Engineer[13]
- Bill Foster – Scientist; fired by Hank Pym.
- Robert Gonzales – An elderly high-ranking S.H.I.E.L.D. Agent, tactician, commander of the Iliad, and founder of the "Real S.H.I.E.L.D."; Deceased.
- Franklin Hall – Former S.H.I.E.L.D. instructor; discovered gravitonium.
- Joey Gutierrez – Inhuman construction worker and field agent with ability to manipulate metal objects; member of the Secret Warriors.
- Victoria Hand – Director of the Hub. Deceased.
- Isabelle "Izzy" Hartley[14] – Undercover specialist; member of "Real" S.H.I.E.L.D. Deceased.
- Lance Hunter – Decorated former member of SAS who joined his old friend Agent Hartley in doing mercenary work for Coulson's reconstituted S.H.I.E.L.D.; formally joined S.H.I.E.L.D. after avenging Hartley's death. Disavowed status.
- Cameron Klein / Hank Thompson – Field agent; test subject for GH-325; had memories erased and retired to civilian life.
- Eric Koenig – Communications agent; stationed at hidden base Providence. Deceased.
- Jacobson – Stationed at the Hub. Deceased.
- Richard Lumley – Field agent who discovered Skye as an infant; faked death and went off the grid.
- Melinda May – Ace pilot and combat expert, Level 7 Security Clearance, a.k.a. "the Cavalry"; Retired.[15] Administrator[13]
- Barbara "Bobbi" Morse[16] – Espionage agent; founding member of the "Real S.H.I.E.L.D."; a.k.a. Mockingbird. Disavowed status.
- Oliver – Member of the "Real S.H.I.E.L.D." Deceased.
- Kara Lynn Palamas / Agent 33 – Espionage agent; brainwashed by Daniel Whitehall. Deceased.
- Benjamin "Benny" Pollack – Bank robber recruited into S.H.I.E.L.D. R&D Think Tank. Whereabouts unknown.
- Prescod — Field agent who uncovers the Skrulls' invasion. Deceased.
- Hank Pym / Ant-Man – Scientist and field operative.[17]
- Quan Chen – Field agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. Deceased.
- Natasha Romanoff / Black Widow – Assassin and undercover spy; founding member of the Avengers; one of the few agents with known Level 10 Security Clearance. Deceased.
- Steve Rogers / Captain America – Field operative; leader and founding member of the Avengers. Level 8 Security Clearance. Whereabouts unknown; likely deceased.
- Lewis Seaver – Test subject for GH-325. Deceased.
- Erik Selvig – Astrophysicist; originally recruited for Project P.E.G.A.S.U.S. to study the Tesseract.
- Jemma Simmons – Life scientist; Xenobiologist (both human and alien),[12] Level 5 Clearance, Bio–chemist.[13]
- Daniel Sousa – Chief of S.H.I.E.L.D. West Coast in the 1950s. Originally deceased but was saved by Phil Coulson. Joined Daisy Johnson.
- Tony Stark / Iron Man – S.H.I.E.L.D. Advisor; founding member of the Avengers. Deceased.
- Ava Starr / Ghost – Former field agent. Whereabouts unknown.
- Elihas Starr – Scientist; fired by Hank Pym. Deceased.
- Rebecca Stevens / Janice Robbins – Stationed at the Triskelion; test subject for GH-325. Deceased.
- Antoine "Trip" Triplett – Field operative. Deceased.
- Janet van Dyne / Wasp – Scientist and field operative.[17]
- Noelle Walters – Team leader in Europe. Deceased.
- Claire Wise – Accomplice of Benny Pollack; became apprentice of Agent Felix Blake. Whereabouts unknown.
Hydra sleeper agents
[edit]- Hauer – Freed Werner Reinhardt (Marvel Cinematic Universe) from custody.
- John Garrett – Field operative; Hydra double agent known as the "Clairvoyant"; prototype Deathlok. Deceased.
- Kaminsky – Helicopter pilot; Presumed deceased after being buried in a collapsing Hydra base by May.
- Jack Rollins – Member of S.T.R.I.K.E.; Whereabouts unknown; presumed deceased.
- Brock Rumlow – Leader of S.T.R.I.K.E.; Deceased.
- Jasper Sitwell – Espionage agent; Deceased.
- Grant Ward – Black ops specialist; Level 7 Security Clearance; Deceased.[18]
- Arnim Zola – Hydra scientist recruited during Operation Paperclip following World War II; restarted Hydra within S.H.I.E.L.D. Deceased.
Units
[edit]Phil Coulson's team
[edit]Robert Gonzales' faction
[edit]S.T.R.I.K.E.
[edit]Special Tactical Reserve for International Key Emergencies, also known as S.T.R.I.K.E., is a unit of S.H.I.E.L.D. led by Steve Rogers, but also infiltrated by Hydra moles such as Brock Rumlow. A glimpse of S.H.I.E.L.D. records in The Avengers show that Natasha Romanoff and Clint Barton were partnered together under S.T.R.I.K.E. Team Delta.[19]
It appeared in the films Captain America: The Winter Soldier and Avengers: Endgame; as well as the Disney+ series What If...?.
Facilities
[edit]See also
[edit]Notes
[edit]- ^ As depicted in Iron Man 2.
- ^ As depicted in The Incredible Hulk.
- ^ As depicted in Thor.
References
[edit]- ^ Agent Carter. September 3, 2013.
- ^ "Everything that's happened leading up to 'Avengers: Infinity War'". Chicago Tribune. December 14, 2018. Retrieved January 14, 2025.
- ^ a b c d e f g Captain America: The Winter Soldier. March 13, 2014.
- ^ Ant-Man. June 29, 2015.
- ^ Iron Man. April 14, 2008.
- ^ Chris Yost and Eric Pearson (w), Luke Ross and Daniel Hdr (p), Mark Pennington (i). "Chapter One" The Avengers Prelude: Fury's Big Week, no. 1 (February 5, 2012). Marvel Comics.
- ^ Chris Yost and Eric Pearson (w), Luke Ross and Daniel Hdr (p), Mark Pennington (i). "Chapter Two" The Avengers Prelude: Fury's Big Week, no. 2 (March 21, 2012). Marvel Comics.
- ^ Chris Yost and Eric Pearson (w), Agustin Padilla and Wellinton Alves (p), Rick Ketcham and Don Ho (i). "Chapter Three" The Avengers Prelude: Fury's Big Week, no. 3 (April 4, 2012). Marvel Comics.
- ^ Chris Yost and Eric Pearson (w), Agustin Padilla and Wellinton Alves (p), Rick Ketcham and Don Ho (i). "Chapter Four" The Avengers Prelude: Fury's Big Week, no. 4 (April 18, 2012). Marvel Comics.
- ^ Captain America: The First Avenger. July 19, 2011.
- ^ The Avengers. April 11, 2012.
- ^ a b Roots, Kimberly (October 1, 2012). "S.H.I.E.L.D. Scoop: Meet the Members of Joss Whedon's New ABC Pilot!". TVLine. Archived from the original on October 2, 2012. Retrieved October 1, 2012.
- ^ a b c Cite error: The named reference
IGN titles
was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Abrams, Natalie (July 21, 2014). "Exclusive: Lucy Lawless Heading to Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D." Retrieved September 12, 2014.
- ^ Andreeva, Nellie (October 24, 2012). "Ming-Na To Star In Joss Whedon's ABC Pilot 'Marvel's S.H.I.E.L.D.'". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on October 25, 2012. Retrieved October 24, 2012.
- ^ Stanhope, Kate (August 19, 2014). "Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Recruits Adrianne Palicki to Play Marvel Character". TVGuide.com. Retrieved September 12, 2014.
- ^ a b Nicholson, Matt (June 22, 2015). "Ant-Man Set And Edit Bay Visit: Making Marvel's Underdog Movie Page 3 of 3". IGN. Archived from the original on June 23, 2015. Retrieved June 22, 2015.
- ^ "Agent Grant Ward: Declassified". Facebook. July 9, 2013. Retrieved July 9, 2013.
- ^ "The Avengers Secretly Set Up Black Widow's Solo Movie". Screen Rant. April 14, 2019. Retrieved May 9, 2021.