Clearance Level

"Trust the system."

- Phil Coulson to Skye

Clearance Levels were used by S.H.I.E.L.D. to keep order in their system and protect information that is protected by S.H.I.E.L.D.

Numeric System
"I can't lead a mission when the people I'm leading have missions of their owns." "It's called compartmentalization. Nobody spills the secrets because nobody knows them all."

- Steve Rogers and Nick Fury

There were 10 levels of clearance, as well as Level Alpha, Omega, and Tango Clearance. As agents moved up from Level 1, they gained access to more information, and frequently, more power, though rank and clearance level is not necessarily correlated. For example, for agents to know all of the information surrounding the Battle of New York, they had to have been Level 7. An agent's clearance level was not based on how long they have been a part of the agency, but primarily on their performance.

Case File: 092074 was classed under Security Clearance: Tango, it was a S.H.I.E.L.D. satellite feed that showcased Tony Stark around the time he was first using the Mark III suit.

When Phil Coulson became Director of S.H.I.E.L.D., he eliminated the clearance level system.

Color System
"Why do I, Level Red, have to go through you, Level Orange, to request hardware? Shouldn't Red be higher than Orange?" "Well, Orange encompasses both Red and Yellow, so... It's hard to explain, but the Director didn't want to use numbers because he didn't want any team member to feel less than." "But you do have a higher clearance than me." "Only in most instances."

- Melinda May and Jemma Simmons

Following the re-legitimization of S.H.I.E.L.D., a new security clearance system, dubbed the "Spectrum of Security" was established. Unlike the original one, which was numeric, the new one was based on colors. Colors such as orange would generally be higher clearance than red and yellow as both are encompassed by orange, but in some cases, the lower colors would have higher clearance in select areas.

Numeric System

 * Level 10 (Director)
 * Nick Fury † - Alpha Level, Omega Level
 * Alexander Pierce (HYDRA) † - Alpha Level
 * Level 9
 * Maria Hill †
 * Level 8
 * Phil Coulson
 * Victoria Hand †
 * Level 7
 * Clint Barton
 * Davis
 * Melinda May
 * Bobbi Morse
 * Felix Blake
 * Grant Ward (HYDRA)) †
 * John Garrett (HYDRA)) †
 * Jasper Sitwell (HYDRA)) †
 * Level 6
 * Steve Rogers
 * Natasha Romanoff
 * Antoine Triplett †
 * Rebecca Stevens †
 * Eric Koenig †
 * Billy Koenig
 * Sam Koenig
 * Mack
 * Level 5
 * Leo Fitz †
 * Jemma Simmons
 * Level 4
 * Katherine Shane
 * Level 1
 * Skye

Color System

 * Level Platinum (Director)
 * Jeffrey Mace †
 * Level Orange (Field Support)
 * Jemma Simmons
 * Level Red (Operations)
 * Melinda May
 * Piper
 * Level Blue (Field Agents)
 * Phil Coulson
 * Daisy Johnson
 * Alphonso Mackenzie
 * Anderson
 * Cecilio
 * Harlan
 * Davis
 * Sam Koenig
 * Fisher †
 * Level Green (Research)
 * Leo Fitz †
 * Holden Radcliffe †
 * Nathanson †
 * Level White (Public Relations)
 * Burrows †
 * Level Black (Enhanced Individuals)
 * Elena Rodriguez