Board Thread:General Discussion/@comment-24467536-20140327132748

As it has been spread all over the Internet, S.H.I.E.L.D. is disbanded because of the widespread corruption in its ranks, courtesy of HYDRA. Here's a possible plot line for AoU:  Howard Stark, the founder of S.H.I.E.L.D., also went to the dark side. (Why not? World Security Council members were found to be HYDRA agents.)  A man who wanted to be on the cutting edge of technology would be tempted with the possibilities of a power source and technology that is not from Earth. Those possiblities can also grow the family fortune. In one of the mid-credit scenes (also out on the Internet) Nick Fury leaked S.H.I.E.L.D./HYDRA's dirty laundry to the public, which may include naming names. If Howard Stark is outed, people would be giving Stark Industries the side-eye. That may explain why Maria Hill is working for Stark Inductries in HR:  she still wears the white hat, and she may be looking for Stark employees and corporate officers who may have been compromised by HYDRA. If Tony Stark builds Utron, it may be that's the reason why Utron goes rogue:  HYDRA sleeper agents helped design Ultron. Tony may be building Ultron to redeem the family name if his father aided and abetted HYDRA plots. (It's also been leaked as a plot point that Howard Stark was killed by HYDRA, so Tony could be out to avenge his father.

Thoughts? 