For Your Protection

Written by GL

In the Marvel Universe, one of the biggest problems with the world isn't pollution or over-population; it's metahumans. Metahumans, with all their powers and abilities, are simply a threat to our way of existence. If, at any time, one of these super-strong, super-fast guys or girls ever decided to take out their anger on us, normal folks, who could possibly stop them?

Thank the Lord for S.H.I.E.L.D.

Standing for the Strategic Hazard Intervention, Espionage and Logistics Directorate (renamed in 1991), S.H.I.E.L.D. was the creation of comic greats, Jack Kirby and Stan Lee. Created in 1965, S.H.I.E.L.D. is concerned with all dangers metahuman in the Marvel Comic Universe.

S.H.I.E.L.D. came into comics during that big trend towards secret agents and underground organizations in the 60’s. The comic itself, when it first appeared, was totally focused on the inner workings of the organization and its employees. It was initially written as long-running S.H.I.E.L.D. titled issues, but this idea was modified to make way for short, high-impact storyline comics where S.H.I.E.L.D. could play major roles alongside headlining characters.

If we take a trip into the wonderful world of Marvel, the actual background of S.H.I.E.L.D. would be something like this:

Right at the end of World War II, after the conclusion of Nick Fury’s run with the Howling Commandos; the one-eyed general came up with the idea of the S.H.I.E.L.D. organization – but he scrapped the idea thinking the American government would never support it. It was a meeting between former members of the superhero team First Line that brought back the idea of S.H.I.E.L.D. once again to Nick Fury. But it was the United Nations that actually managed to put the organization together, without Fury’s knowledge. He was recruited as the group’s executive director (the second in command).

The problem with the S.H.I.E.L.D. storyline is that so many writers have depicted the group in a varying number of ways. Initially, S.H.I.E.L.D. was a branch of the government. Today, however, S.H.I.E.L.D. is highlighted as being under the jurisdiction of the United Nations. This of course means that international problems don’t really bother S.H.I.E.L.D.

A spin-off in the S.H.I.E.L.D. story happened when one of the group’s cool technological devices – the LMD (Life Model Decoy); androids used to replace humans in dangerous situations – went wild and started taking the place of actual S.H.I.E.L.D. employees. It was Nick Fury that came to the rescue and dissolved the original organization. He had replaced it with a totally new company but kept it under the same name.

Another storyline follows the resignation of Nick Fury as executive director. He was replaced with a lady named Maria Hill. It seems that Maria Hill was actually chosen by the members of the United Nations and her main purpose was to get rid of all employees who sided with Fury and to stay away from the world’s superheroes. This had been a main part of the ‘Secret War’ comic-plot issues.

In following comics, hints were thrown about S.H.I.E.L.D. turning corrupt and unethical after the departure of Nick Fury – that the organization had begun piling super villains into prisons and using them as slave labor.

In the ‘Civil War’ comic-plot, S.H.I.E.L.D. had been the controlling company that enforced a new law called the Super-Human Registration Act. This act not only persecuted the metahumans but also started the introduction of superheroes into the actual S.H.I.E.L.D. organization as employees.

Maria Hill then went on to have a chat with a little billionaire known as Tony Stark. Stark was offered the position of Director, to replace Maria Hill by her own consent. What she didn’t know was that the US government had already approached Stark with the proposal.

In ‘Civil War’, Stark accepted the post of Director of S.H.I.E.L.D. and went on to re-vamp the organization successfully.

Although most S.H.I.E.L.D. agents are human, from time to time, superheroes are recruited to act as teams, to help in tough situations. S.H.I.E.L.D. also has some pretty close ties with the more popular metahuman celebrities such as Captain America, the Avengers and the Fantastic Four.

If you’re looking for their base, S.H.I.E.L.D. headquarters is nowhere on land but on airborne heli-carriers that are equipped with serious fire-power and top-of-the-line jet-fighters.

Onboard, there are a countless number of faceless characters that I had never ever read of until I had finished my reading research on S.H.I.E.L.D. The most prominent character would, no doubt, have been the infamous Nick Fury. When you think of S.H.I.E.L.D., you usually immediately think of Fury. Other characters of not such highly fame include Thaddeus ‘Dum Dum’ Dugan and Gabriel ‘Gabe’ Jones – both former members of the Howling Commandos.

S.H.I.E.L.D. is all over the Marvel Comics Universe – from relevant games to long comic storylines. And even though the whole political drama and underground internal security thing in comics is no longer big, thank your lucky stars that there’s an organization like S.H.I.E.L.D. to watch over you.

But don’t say your thanks too loud. They could be watching us right now.