feature film universes, including the blockbuster 2012 movie The Avengers , in which S.H.I.E.L.D. director Nick Fury recruits Iron Man , Captain America , the Hulk + Thor to stop Thor’s adoptive brother Loki from subjugating Earth. Whedon also confirmed that S.H.I.E.L.D. will be largely “autonomous” from The Avengers 2 .