Who Are The Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.?

After much anticipation, Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. debuted on September 24 with a tremendous number of viewers, who have been taken on adventures in countries spanning the globe. Many of these S.H.I.E.L.D. agents have only recently been introduced to one another, and their cohesiveness as a team is still developing. So let us take a look at these agents and get to know them a bit better.

Meet the agents

Phil Coulson - We last saw Agent Coulson being stabbed through the heart by Loki, thereby catalysing the Avengers into coming together as a team and saving the world. As it turns out, Coulson's death was apparently a stunt set up by S.H.I.E.L.D. to achieve that very outcome. Though this plot twist is nowhere near as interesting as the one that went viral on Tumblr, suggesting that Coulson was the little boy named Phil seen playing in the streets in Captain America and became another test subject after Steve Rogers, we can overlook this for the sole reason that Clark Gregg is excellent at bringing to life the firm, but caring leader of the team. In "Eye Spy" (ep. 4), we see Coulson determined to save his former pupil, Akela Amadour, from being terminated. His faith in her is justified, for as it turned out, her seemingly treacherous actions were not done of her own volition. Coulson leads his team with a blend of intelligence, communication, and compassion. He also exhibits a great fondness for his car, Lola.

Melinda May - This is a woman you do not want to mess with. It is evident that there are many things in her past which she refuses to discuss. Her nickname is "The Calvary," though the origin or meaning of this nickname has yet to be elaborated on, and May strongly dislikes it to even be mentioned in her presence. She has the strongest combat skills of the team and with her many additional skills (such as flying a plane), she may be likened to a Swiss Army knife. Ming-Na Wen brings a sleek confidence to the role of May and has already gained much popularity amongst fans, being praised for her "badassery" each and every week. In all likelihood, we will slowly be introduced to more of May's backstory as the character begins to grow more comfortable with her team members and more willing to open up. This is not another cliched Asian-action character; given that this is within a Whedonverse, there is no doubt that this is merely a starting point that will lead to some fantastic, probably emotional, character development.

Grant Ward - A black ops specialist, and by-the-book straight shooter, Grant Ward takes his job very seriously. He doesn't seem to have much of a personal life outside of his job, nor does he appear to have much of an interest in having one. He is revealed to have had a rough childhood, with an older brother that would beat both him and his younger brother at the slightest provocation. His work appears to be an extension of this need to protect those in need of that protection that he provided for his younger brother. Having structure and order in his life is clearly a means of asserting control, but his demeanour is sometimes off-putting to those around him. Grant's development as a character will likely show him loosening up, and learning to enjoy himself more. The show has already hinted at his having an eventual romance with Skye. At the moment, he is responsible for training her with the skills necessary to be a stronger agent, such as combat and weapons training. Actor Brett Dalton was already a fan of both Marvel and Joss Whedon before being cast.

Skye - Originally, Skye was a member of the group Rising Tide and was none too fond of the secretive branches of government with a propensity for cover-ups. However, Coulson saw potential in her and recruited her into S.H.I.E.L.D. She is a superhero fangirl, admitting to having cosplayed as well as camping out at Starks Tower. She is cheeky, witty, and highly relatable and admirable to the show's high fangirl demographic. Skye is also a talented hacker, and this is one of her strongest assets to the team. She has affectionately (or perhaps cheekily) dubbed Agent Coulson as "AC," and addresses him as such, despite his half-hearted attempts to make her stop. She has also demonstrated a bit of an attraction to Grant. Her opinion of him improved upon his confessing about protecting his younger brother from their abusive elder brother. Additionally, she used a pair of X-ray specks to sneak a peak at his (phenomenal) physique hidden beneath his clothing. Actress Chloe Bennet's performance is vibrant and charismatic.

Jemma Simmons and Leo Fitz - For clarification, actress Elizabeth Henstridge is English and actor Iain De Caestecker is Scottish. Simmons and Fitz are close partners, with Simmons specialising in life sciences (be they human or alien), and Fitz specialising in engineering, most often in regards to weapons. The two of them have entertaining banter with each another and with the rest of the team. They have great chemistry, and their closeness could remain a sort of brother/sister relationship, or it could evolve into something more.

Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. has laid a foundation that holds potential to build a truly remarkable show. With Joss Whedon steering this ship, there will inevitably be a larger (and in all likelihood, emotionally devastating) story arc that will span across the season(s). Thus far, each episode has been its own bite-sized morsel of goodness that a viewer can follow and enjoy without having watched any of the other episodes. Even though television programs are not offered the same (swollen) budgets as films, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. utilises its budget to create tremendous action sequences, incredible special effects, and an array of fantastic gadgets. Given Joss Whedon's propensity for re-casting actors he has already worked with, there are strong odds of many more Whedonverse guest stars to look forward to in addition to J. August Richards (Angel) and Ron Glass (Firefly, Serenity), who have already appeared on the show. Cobie Smulders made an appearance as agent Maria Hill, and given that How I Met Your Mother is in its final season, there is an even higher chance that she will be offered more time on the show, be it as an occasional guest star, part-time, or full-time cast member. Samuel L. Jackson reprised his portrayal of Nick Fury in a post-credits cameo on Episode 2, further boosting the hope that more stars from the Marvel films will visit the show too. (Loki, please!)

Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. airs on ABC at 8/7 c.