S.H.I.E.L.D.

"We're going to neutralize a lot of threats before they even happen." "I thought the punishment usually came after the crime." "S.H.I.E.L.D. takes the world as it is, not as we'd like it to be." "This isn't freedom. This is fear."

- Nick Fury and Captain America

The Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement and Logistics Division, better known by its acronym S.H.I.E.L.D., is a secret United States extra-governmental military counter-terrorism and intelligence agency. With its advanced weapons and extraordinary agents, S.H.I.E.L.D. is maybe the greatest military power on Earth. Run by Nick Fury in the modern age, S.H.I.E.L.D. has to deal with all kinds of superhumans, gods, and extraterrestrials.

Foundation
The exact date of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s foundation is unknown, but it was formed shortly after World War II as a successor agency to the Strategic Scientific Reserve (SSR), an Allied deep science agency which fought against the Nazi sponsored special weapons division HYDRA during the war. Howard Stark, an industrialist of great wealth and one of the most prominent members of the SSR was among the founders of the new agency. One of the first agents of the new agency was Margaret "Peggy" Carter, the former partner of the American war hero Steve Rogers, better known as Captain America. Alexander Pierce was also one of the agency's first agents. The scientists of S.H.I.E.L.D. continued the SSR's work on researching the advanced weapons captured from HYDRA as well as the mysterious Tesseract.

World wide actions
By the beginning of the 21st century, the Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement and Logistics Division was led by Colonel Nick Fury, a distinguished officer of the United States Armed Forces and espionage veteran of the Cold War. Under his leadership, the agency recruited some of the best marksmen and spies in the world, including Clint Barton and Natasha Romanoff. At that time, agent Phil Coulson served as Fury's right hand man, though the actual deputy director of the agency was Maria Hill. However, the real head of S.H.I.E.L.D. was Alexander Pierce, who was leading the agency from the shadows.

The birth of Iron Man
"I can be in Afghanistan by sunrise, Director Fury." "You can. But you won't. We're the Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement and Logistics Division. Note the word "Homeland". We're not currently authorized for foreign ops."

- Phil Coulson and Nick Fury

In 2009, Tony Stark, the son of Howard Stark and CEO of Stark Industries, was kidnapped by the terrorist group Ten Rings in Afghanistan. After he escaped from captivity, Fury suspected that he was actually released because he made a deal with the Ten Rings. He was even more suspicious when Stark announced that his company is shutting down their weapons developing program. Fury then sent Agent Phil Coulson who repeatedly attempted to talk to Stark, but without success. When they discovered that Stark actually made an armored suit and used it not just to escape but also to repay to his kidnappers, they thought better of him. Later, they investigated Stark's business partner Obadiah Stane and found out that he sold the Stark Industries weapons to the terrorists. Fury sent Coulson to arrest Stane. When they arrived to Stark Industries, Coulson, his colleagues, and Stark's secretary Pepper Potts were attacked by Stane, who developed his own armored suit. Thanks to Stark, Stane was defeated, and Fury finally began to look at Stark as a good guy.

The same night, Coulson finally met Stark, who was accompanied by his friend James Rhodes, an officer of the U.S. Air Force. He took them both to a secret S.H.I.E.L.D. base where he told Stark that despite his high tech suit, he still needs to learn to fight like a warrior. Rhodes gladly offered to serve as Tony's instructor. A day later, Coulson came up with a cover story for what happened at Stark Industries during Iron Man and Iron Monger's fight, but Stark refused to use it and publicly proclaimed that he is Iron Man. A few hours later, Fury visited Stark in his Malibu home and informed him of the Avengers Initiative. Stark refused to join Fury's "superhero boy band".

Protecting the mankind
"What is all this?" "S.H.I.E.L.D. Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement and Logistics Division. Your tax dollars at work. Hard work. We keep our fingers on America's pulse, and believe me, America has veins in every section of the world."

- Tony Stark and Phil Coulson

In the following year, S.H.I.E.L.D agents Phil Coulson, and Natasha Romanoff, alongside Fury watched over Stark. Stark later learned that his father was a founding member.

General Thaddeus Ross used the S.H.I.E.L.D. servers to help him track the e-mails from the fugitive Bruce Banner. Fury personally confronted Banner in one bar, and witnessed his transformation into the Hulk.

The Big Week
"One thing I know for sure: Nobody is better suited to protect this world than me and my people."

- Nick Fury to the World Security Council

The World Security Council ordered S.H.I.E.L.D. to send an agent to ask General Thaddeus Ross to release Emil Blonsky into their custody. They see him as a war hero and a perfect addition to Fury’s Avenger Initiative, and blame his fight in New York City with Bruce Banner on Banner. At Sitwell's urging, Coulson reluctantly sends the consultant: Tony Stark to annoy the General so that Blonsky will remain in prison. The next day, Sitwell informs Coulson that their plan worked and the Abomination would remained locked away. S.H.I.E.L.D. investigated the discovery of Thor's hammer on Earth. When Thor broke into the S.H.I.E.L.D. compound to recover his hammer, he was thwarted by the hammer's power to refuse him and was then captured and interrogated. After releasing the Asgardian, S.H.I.E.L.D. agents then moved to investigate a series of arcane rings carved into the earth not far from the compound. They were interrupted from their investigation by the arrival of the Destroyer, a colossal sentinel sent by Loki to eliminate Thor. The Destroyer, having swept the S.H.I.E.L.D. personnel aside effortlessly, was soon beaten by Thor who then announced that S.H.I.E.L.D. could count him as an ally.

Dr. Erik Selvig was taken to a S.H.I.E.L.D. facility where he met Nick Fury. Fury asked Selvig to study the recently-discovered Tesseract, an object of limitless power. Selvig agreed while Loki watched. A year later, S.H.I.E.L.D. operatives in the Arctic uncovered Captain America's body in the Red Skull's airship from WWII. Rogers awoke in a room designed to appear as if it were still the early 1940s. Deducing the truth and escaping to Times Square, Rogers learned from S.H.I.E.L.D. leader Nick Fury that he had been asleep for nearly 70 years, and they had wanted to acclimate his reentry into modern times.

War for Earth
When Loki stole the Tesseract and escaped along with several enslaved S.H.I.E.L.D. personnel, Director Fury reactivated the Avengers Initiative to counter the threat. Agent Romanoff was sent to bring in Dr. Banner, Agent Coulson was sent to retrieve Tony Stark, and Fury himself approached Steve Rogers, all in the hope that together these individuals might combine their respective talents to help with the problem of Loki and the missing Tesseract. S.H.I.E.L.D. assisted Rogers in his capture of Loki, and then provided a prison on the Helicarrier once Loki had been apprehended. It transpired that Loki had intended to be captured however, a ruse to sow the seeds of discord throughout the ranks of the forces assembled against him. His mind-controlled agents later attacked the Helicarrier to free him, heavily damaging it in the process. The attack became a bitter defeat for S.H.I.E.L.D, although Fury turned one of its defining losses into the motivational push that Stark and Rogers needed. In short order the remaining heroes set off in pursuit of Loki, and began referring to themselves as the Avengers.

During the Chitauri invasion in Manhattan, the World Security Council ordered the deployment of nuclear missile to the city in the hope of stopping the invasion. Nick Fury was able to stop a jet carrying a nuke from taking off, but was unable to prevent another. With Fury's help, Iron Man was able to prevent the other missile from detonating over New York City.

New actions
"We're the line between the world and a much weirder world!"

- Grant Ward

After the Avengers' victory and departure, S.H.I.E.L.D. continued its normal military activities. When two bank robbers, Claire Wise and Benjamin Pollack, come into possession of a Chitauri weapon, Agent Blake sends Jasper Sitwell to kill them and retrieve the weapon. Sitwell tracks them to a motel and stays in the room next to theirs. He disturbs them with loud music and Benny goes to investigate. Sitwell attacks Benny, who warns Claire of the ambush. Claire then attacks Sitwell with the Chitauri weapon. During the struggle, the gun destroys most of the room, but is broken in the process. Sitwell ties up Benny and Claire, but decides not to kill them when he discovers that the gun was working because Benny, who was a scientist, had repaired it. Seeing a great potential in the couple, Sitwell recruits Benny and Claire in S.H.I.E.L.D. as special agents, much to Blake's disappointment.

Some time after the battle of New York, Phil Coulson assembled a small, highly trained team of Agents to tackle the cases that haven’t been classified yet, the new, the strange and the unknown.

Weapons
Regular S.H.I.E.L.D. field agents are usually equipped with a 9mm pistol. A military branch used for heavy security has access to military grade personal armaments. A few selected elite agents carry less conventional armaments, such as explosives, or bows. The S.H.I.E.L.D. project titled, "Phase 2", was dedicated to advancing alien technology weapons and reverse-engineer them into laser weapons.
 * Stark Sonic Cannon
 * Destroyer Armor Prototype Gun
 * Night-Night Gun

Equipment
S.H.I.E.L.D. personnel have access to an extensive array of cutting edge technology at their disposal. A supply contract with Stark Industries ensures that they have some of the most advanced weapons and equipment available. S.H.I.E.L.D. maintains a fleet of Acura vehicles for the regular deployment of field agents and scientists. S.H.I.E.L.D. editions of the Acura MDX, Acura TL, and the Acura ZDX are painted in black and equipped with sophisticated surveillance technology. The military arm of S.H.I.E.L.D. uses a range of surface vehicles suitable for urban security, and aircraft with combat capabilities extending to fighter jets and helicopters. This branch also has access to previously unknown aircraft types.
 * Helicarrier - Airborne aircraft carrier
 * Quinjet - Armed VTOL transport
 * CXD 23 Airborne Mobile Command Station - Airborne command unit
 * Modified 1962 Corvette  - Flying car

Codes

 * 0-8-4, an object of unknown origin.
 * Clearance level, the level of a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent.
 * The Index, a short-list of people with special powers.

Known members
Leaders
 * Nick Fury, director
 * Maria Hill
 * Alexander Pierce

Other
Consultant Researchers Technologists Other
 * Steve Rogers (Captain America)
 * Tony Stark (Iron Man)
 * Skye
 * Erik Selvig
 * Jane Foster
 * Jemma Simmons
 * Leo Fitz, weapons/tech specialist
 * Benjamin Pollack, R&D Think Tank section
 * Claire Wise, assistant of Agent Blake

Former members

 * Akela Amador
 * Franklin Hall
 * Howard Stark †
 * Peggy Carter
 * Kwan Chen †

Allies

 * Thor
 * Bruce Banner
 * Darcy Lewis
 * Thaddeus Ross
 * Pepper Potts
 * James Rhodes
 * Avengers

Enemies

 * Obadiah Stane †
 * Ivan Vanko †
 * Justin Hammer (imprisoned)
 * Hammer Drones
 * Emil Blonsky (imprisoned)
 * Georgi Luchkov
 * The Destroyer (destroyed)
 * Loki
 * Chitauri
 * Rising Tide
 * Zodiac
 * Centipede Project
 * Debbie  †
 * Raina
 * Scorch †
 * Po
 * Camilla Reyes
 * Ian Quinn
 * Franklin Hall

Video game only

 * A.I.M.
 * Kearson DeWitt
 * Crimson Dynamo