Clearance Level

**Clearance Levels** were used by S.H.I.E.L.D. to keep order in their system and protect classified information.

## History

### Numeric System

*"You're Director now, not some Level 1 field agent."
"There are no levels anymore. I got rid of those."*
―Melinda May and Phil Coulson[src]
There were 10 levels of clearance, as well as Level Alpha, Omega, and Tango Clearance. As agents moved up from Level 1, they gained access to more information, and frequently, more power, though rank and clearance level is not necessarily correlated. For example, for agents to know all of the information surrounding the Battle of New York, they had to have been Level 7.An agent's clearance level was not based on how long they have been a part of the agency, but primarily on their performance. Agents at the Triskelion had to have level 8 to access the project insight bay.

Agents who primarily went their code names like; Sharon Carter/Agent 13 we’re level 6 field operatives.

When Phil Coulson became Director of S.H.I.E.L.D., he eliminated the clearance level system.

### Color System

*"Why do I, Level Red, have to go through you, Level Orange, to request hardware? Shouldn't Red be higher than Orange?"
"Well, Orange encompasses both Red and Yellow, so... It's hard to explain, but the Director didn't want to use numbers because he didn't want any team member to feel less than."*
―Melinda May and Jemma Simmons[src]
Following the re-legitimization of S.H.I.E.L.D., a new security clearance system, dubbed the "Spectrum of Security" was established. Unlike the original one, which was numeric, the new one was based on colors. Colors such as orange would generally be higher clearance than red and yellow as both are encompassed by orange, but in some cases, the lower colors would have higher clearance in select areas.

## List of Agents by Confirmed Level

### Hidden Levels

* **Alpha Level**
	+ Nick Fury
	+ Alexander Pierce †
* **Omega Level**
	+ Nick Fury

### Numeric System

* **Level 10** (Director)
	+ Nick Fury
	+ R. Keller
	+ Peggy Carter †
* **Level 9** (Deputy Director)
	+ Maria Hill
* **Level 8** (Field Commanders)
	+ Phil Coulson †
	+ Victoria Hand †
	+ Brandon Gamble
	+ Robert Gonzales †
	+ Rick Stoner
	+ Kenneth Avery (HYDRA)
* **Level 7** (field superior officers)
	+ L.T. Koenig
	+ Jasper Sitwell (HYDRA)
	+ Adam Manna (HYDRA)
	+ Grant Ward (HYDRA) †
	+ Brock Rumlow (HYDRA) †
	+ Melinda May
	+ Felix Blake
	+ James Mcdonald
	+ John Garrett (HYDRA)
	+ Earl Angstrom
	+ Clint Barton
	+ Goldman
	+ Natasha Romanoff †
* **Level 6** (Field Operatives)
	+ Alphonso Mackenzie
	+ John Warden
	+ Bobbi Morse
	+ Jimmy Woo
	+ Agent 13
	+ Agent 19
	+ Agent Red †
	+ Chaimson †
	+ Jacobson †
	+ Bradley Braden (HYDRA) †
	+ Hauer (HYDRA)
	+ Kirk Skadden
	+ Janice Robbins †
	+ Hank Thompson
	+ Antoine Triplett †
	+ Tomas Calderon
	+ Steve Rogers
	+ Tyler
	+ Barbour
	+ Rivera
	+ Dumont
	+ Shaw
* **Level 5**
	+ Leo Fitz
	+ Jemma Simmons
	+ Sands
* **Level 4**
	+ Katherine Shane †
	+ Richard Lumley
	+ Linda Avery †
	+ Akela Amador
* **Level 1**
	+ Skye
	+ Hendricks

### Color System

* **Level Platinum** (Director)
	+ Jeffrey Mace †
* **Level Orange** (Field Support)
	+ Jemma Simmons
* **Level Red** (Operations Division)
	+ Melinda May
	+ Piper
	+ Prince †
	+ Flynn
	+ Navarro
	+ Doug
* **Level Blue** (Field Agents)
	+ Phil Coulson †
	+ Daisy Johnson
	+ Anderson
	+ Fisher †
	+ James Davis †
	+ Cecilio
	+ Harlan
	+ Agent
	+ Nelson
	+ Sam Koenig
	+ Elizabeth Albee
	+ Todd
* **Level Green** (Research Division)
	+ Anne Weaver
	+ Nathan B. Nathanson †
	+ Leo Fitz
	+ Crawford
	+ Holden Radcliffe †
* **Level White** (Public Relations)
	+ Burrows †
	+ Assistant
* **Level Black** (Enhanced Individuals)
	+ Yo-Yo Rodriguez

## Agents with Unknown Clearance

* Russo (HYDRA) †
* Bobbitt †
* Rick Mason
* Quan Chen †
* Anne Weaver
* Oliver †

1. ↑ *Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.: 1.01: Pilot*
2. ↑ *Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.: 2.02: Heavy is the Head*