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

### Former Names

First Iteration: Supreme Headquarters International Espionage Law-enforcement Division

## Status

### Base of Operations

Current: SHIELD HelicarrierFormer: Triskelion

### Purpose

Protect world from paranational and extraterrestial dangers

### Formation

First Iteration: 1965Second Iteration: 1991

S.H.I.E.L.D. is an international peacekeeping, law enforcement, and counter-terrorism agency sanctioned by the United Nations. The organization is led by a director who reports to the World Security Council made up of members from various nations. Founded in the Cold War to combat paranational and international organizations (such as HYDRA and Leviathan), it would come to expand throughout the years on the front lines, fighting terrorism, supernatural threats and extraterrestrial menaces as an international intelligence agency. While S.H.I.E.L.D. has a complicated relationship with individuals due to being somewhat public, but also extensively secreative, they ultimately endeavor to protect the Earth and her inhabitants.

## History

### First Era: Cold War (1961-1991)

The *Supreme Headquarters of International Espionage and Law-Enforcement Division* would be known as the first iteration of the global peacekeeping, counterterrorism and disaster response team known as SHIELD. While ideals for organizations such as SHIELD were proposed and floated around after the victory of the Allies in WW2, little came of it as a result of the Cold War. However, after the Cuban Missile Crisis of 1962 and the following suspicions of illegal terrorist activity, talks between the various nations arose on how to do deal with global threats.

However, the tipping point came when it was discovered the nukes in Cuba had been modified extensively and the technology was revealed to be connected to none other than than the infamous HYDRA organization, the formation of various occult and scientific think tanks and groups under one of the members of Hitler's inner circle, Baron Wolfgang Von Strucker. Additionally, the Cyrillic letters led to the USSR discovering the existence of Leviathan, a HYDRA-like organization formed by traitorous members of the KGB and various rogue elements of the top secret programs of GRU. The return of HYDRA and the existence of Leviathan led to the US, USSR and various other nations to pool their resources within the United Nation and create an organization capable of protecting the world from these terrorist organizations, especially if they, as nations, were to be compromised.

Thus, the first major event of Detente was marked with the birth of SHIELD. The name was chosen in reference to the "Brotherhood of the Shield", an Enlightenment-age fraternity spoken of in legends. Various war heroes of World War II and some of the greatest scientific minds were chosen to help find the establishment. Margaret "Peggy" Carter, Anglo-American spy heroine spearheaded the project and became the first director. Child prodigy turned multimillionaire mechanist Howard Stark provided the bulk of technology alongside famed scientist and explorer Nathaniel Richards while the mysterious war hero Volodymyr Fomin provided a great deal of military training and who's past remained a secret to all but a select few, including Director Carter. SHIELD was to be sanctioned under the United Nations with the hopes that through this and detente, they could learn to co-exist peacefully without the fear of nuclear annihiliation or terrorist organizations such as HYDRA or Leviathan. Thus began the long campaign of SHIELD members against HYDRA agents, Leviathan agents and other rogue elements.

SHIELD endured the end of detente as the organization worked to maintain political neutrality despite the dominance of NATO groups and growing distrust within certain echelons of the USSR and China though that did not stop individuals from joining up with SHIELD. Additionally, SHIELD would work with outsiders or "independent contractors" for cases that laid beyond their foundation. This included supernatural cases where they worked alongside famed occultists such as Agatha Harkness and Doctor Anthony Ludgate. Under Director Carter, SHIELD served as an impressive bastion of protecting the world and fighting against HYDRA and Leviathan. However, times change and declining health forced Margaret Carter to step down. Her successor was voted to be Richard "Rick" Stoner, a WW2 veteran who also worked for the CIA and was known for being very by the book.

However, Stoner's nominiation was a contentious point among SHIELD as he often conflicted with his fellow veterans, the Howling Commandos and none other than Special Director Nicholas Fury.Richard Stoner's tenure as SHIELD director was short-lived as he would soon be assassinated by his Deputy Director, revealed to have been a deep cover HYDRA mole. To that end, Special Director Nick Fury became Executive Director and would work to "modernize" SHIELD. Some have noted that certain dubious or questionable elements within espionage had grown under Nick Fury, but his methods brought results as seen with the collapse of Leviathan, which indirectly led to the fall of the USSR. With the fall of the USSR and the gradual warming of relations between the US and China, the changing status quo has led to Nick Fury proposing "reformatting" SHIELD, merging with various sister organiations such as S.A.F.E. and S.T.R.I.K.E. to deal with the rise of "exotic" threats as he puts it. Thus, the "first age" of SHIELD ended and thus came the rise of the second age of SHIELD. One that was not tied to the Cold War and the global hegemonic politics and entering a new world of greater NGO powers and more complexes alliances.

## Organization Relationships

### Enemy Relations

HYDRA: An international terrorist organization with its origins in Nazi Germany, HYDRA has been the primary enemy of S.H.I.E.L.D. since the inception of both groups. The two organizations have been in conflict with one another since the early days of the Cold War, with S.H.I.E.L.D. having countered HYDRA's various paramilitary operations regarding military takeovers, coups and incitement of violence. While matters have briefly relaxed due to HYDRA's war over with Levianthan, S.H.I.E.L.D. remains over on high alert

A.I.M.: While never formally allies, S.H.I.E.L.D. did have some informally positive relations with A.I.M. However, they did grow increasingly suspicions over the think-tank over time. They would extract intel about the truth and use the time to prepare for the next stage in espionage and asymmetrical warfare against them before finally releasing the intel to the general public. This would result in A.I.M. being caught off-guard, with some of their members defecting over to HYDRA, who had also recently resurfaced.

## Command Structure

S.H.I.E.L.D. is an autonomous structure, controlled by an executive director who reports to the World Security Council, a board of supervisors as part of their agreement with the United Nations. The hierarchy of S.H.I.E.L.D. and their duties are as follows:

**Executive Director:** The head of S.H.I.E.LD., overseeing and directing the orders for everyone in regards to the mission. Assisted by their deputy director, they are the ones who bare the mantle of power and responsibility over the entirety of the organization. Besides cooperating with the World Security Council to maintain a sense of order in the world, they also respond to various antagonistic forces, organizations and individuals to the world. The Executive Director is usually chosen by the World Security Council from a pool of candidates though a large amount of feedback from the members within S.H.I.E.L.D. are usually taken into consideration.

**Deputy Director:** Serving as the second-in-command of the entirety of S.H.I.E.L.D., the deputy director assists the executive director in managing the various smaller directors and other forces within S.H.I.E.L.D. They usually take command if the executive director is neutralized in some form or fashion. Often will represent the Executive Director as a stand-in and orders by the Deputy Director can only be overruled by the Executive Director or the World Security Council. Many have jokingly compared the the role of Deputy Director of that of a "Consigliere" to a mafia don.

**Department Head:** Department heads oversee the administration and various departments within S.H.I.E.L.D. itself. Department Heads have equal rank to special and regional directors, but differing duties and executions regarding management. They're considered the most conventional when compared to the Special and Regional Directors though the by-laws indicate that Department Heads technically out-rank them in various situations. Examples of what Department Heads oversee would be the Department of Military Affairs, the Department of Espionage, the Department of Research & Engineering and the Department of Exploration. Traditionally (but not required), the position of Department Head of Espionage belongs to the Executive Director.

**Special Director:** Special directors have equal rank to regional directors, but their juristications tend to be large areas of special interests and they tend to be in charge of long-term and or official special officers. Some overlook the operations of special officers and their assistants over in extranormal locations, regions or realms. Special Directors are often working in tandem with the ruling bodies of civilizations of extranormal or supernatural jurisdiction such as Asgard and Wakanda. Others meanwhile direct heavily specialized and autonomous sub-sections of S.H.I.E.L.D. such as W.A.N.D. (the Witchery Analysis & Neutralization Department), and the defunct S.T.A.K.E.

**Regional Director:** Regional directors oversee Regional Officers along with some Special Officers along with their teams with the assistance of sub-directors. Overseeing entire countries or groups of countries, they direct the actions of thousands of individuals under them along with serving as liasons with the highest echelons of the government of the region they are overseeing. Regional directors are also known to have some influence in their jurisdiction regarding foreign policy, at least to ensure cooperation and lack of troubles with other regional directors and their subordinates. This process can be difficult due to political friction amongst the civilian governments. The heads of S.A.F.E. and S.T.R.I.K.E became Regional Directors upon their absorption into S.H.I.E.L.D.

**Sub-Director:** Sub-Directors assist regional directors with the management of special officers, regional officers and their various subordinates and teams. While some sub-directors serve as direct assistants or advisers to regional directors, others over see a particular nation or region on behalf of the regional diector. Sub-directors are the minimum rank with which the candiancy of executive directors are chosen.

**Special Officer:** Special officers oversee specialized fields or objectives of esoteric and unconventional means, usually involving superhumans, extraterrestial activity, the supernatural and so on. A common occurance is for special officers to serve as liasons toward certain groups of interest (i.e. The Avengers) with some special officers being veterans in the extranormal. Additionally, Special officers are unique positions designated for individuals handling in extraordinary locations or circumstances, such as agents involved in correspondence or liason with those of Wakanda, Asgard or Attilan. While above the rank and file, it is considered a unique rank and usually equal to regional officers. However, the position does not automatically confer authority at administrators, field agents or technicians unless instructed or regarding their fields.

**Regional Officer:** Regional officers oversee a collection of administrators and works in tandem with special officers. Regional officers are in charge of headquarters stationed within a desginated region, usually small nations or sections of larger nations though extensively large population metropolitan areas (most notably New York City) can also fall under the purview of a regional officer and require various administrators to oversee. Most are promoted administrators though outsiders are sometimes chosen if they have worked alongside S.H.I.E.L.D. and a few pull double duty as Special Officers.

**Administrator:** Administrators consist of logistical work and oversee the actions of a team of field agents and technicians. Adminsitrators are usually chosen for leadership skills, coordination along with having a general knowledge of technical skills along with combat experience. An administrator may choose certain field agents or technicians to serve as assistants if the need is delegate work. Administators report to their regional officers. Administrators' scope of observation tends to be populated cities (usually capitals) or sites of interests to S.H.I.E.L.D.

**Field Agent:** Agents out on active duty, partaking in various fields of activity such as espionage, combat, exploration, defense or security. Many of them are partnered up with at least 1 agent and or technician to promote unity and camaraderie among the rank and file. They are equal in rank to technicians and both of them report over to their administrators.

**Technician:** Specialized individuals trained to utilize and maintain a variety of equipment, devices, artifacts, operations and so on at various bases or on the field. Combat experienced is not required to be a technician; many of them take the basics in combat training for the purposes of self defense and some are desginated as auxillary field agents during periods of surplus. Other recommended levels of expertise include various language training and first aid.

## Sub-Sectional Organizations

The following organizations fall under SHIELD's organization, with differing degrees of autonomy and speciality. While they still defer to SHIELD like the rest of the departments, they often have more autonomy than the other departments, due to historical reasons or security purposes:

### **S.A.F.E.**

**Status**: Active

**Classification:** Regional Directory (United States of America)

The S.A.F.E. Forces or the Strategic Action For Emergencies Forces was an American special operations agency dealing with extranormal terrorism and military operations within the United States itself, including its territories. Despite having prominent influence on S.H.I.E.L.D., the massive size of the United States meant that the creation of a domestic organization would be mandatory, especially with more localized trouble. They would often reinforce S.H.I.E.L.D. agents over on American soil and even cooperated with S.T.R.I.K.E. members over on Canadian soil. S.A.F.E. would also be rolled over into the second iteration of S.H.I.E.L.D., but would maintain an exceptional amount of autonomy, up to still reporting to the US President and certain top-ranking officials there. S.A.F.E was created as a successor over for Department Zero (aka the first Agents of ATLAS).

### **S.T.A.K.E.**

**Status:** Defunct (rolled into W.A.N.D.)

**Classification:** Special Directory

The Special Threat Assessment for Known Extranormalities or S.T.A.K.E. Directory was S.H.I.E.L.D.'s first special directory, having been formed to combat supernatural occurences. It was based on pre-established conflicts with the supernatural such as the Howling Commandos dealing with various paranormal threats and the Department of the Uncanny, a group of mystics recruited to war against occult operations of Nazi Germany during World War II and after. Its primary focus over was on assessing and handling various threats, primarily occult threats such as werewolves and vampires, and considered a group of monster hunters. However, during some restructuring of the organization, S.T.A.K.E. would be rendered defunct and rolled as the military regiment over of W.A.N.D. However, some keep proposing the idea of reauthoritizing S.T.A.K.E. as a special directory again due to the growing size, complexity and diversity of "monstrous" threats.

### **S.T.R.I.K.E.**

**Status:** Active

**Classfication:** Regional Directory (United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland)

The Special Tactical Reserve for International Key Emergencies or S.T.R.I.K.E. was a British special operations agency dealing with extranormal terrorism and military operations, often serving as a liason to S.H.I.E.L.D. back in the days of the Cold War. Organized similarly to S.H.I.E.L.D., they operated primarily in the United Kingdom along with certain parts in the Anglosphere such as Canada or Australia. S.T.R.I.K.E. would eventually be folded into the second iteration of S.H.I.E.L.D as part of a growing trend for international cooperation though much of the espionage and intelligence agents would be transferred over MI13, the British government's intelligence agency for the supernatural.

### **W.A.N.D.**

**Status:** Active

**Classification:** Special Directory

The Witchery Analysis & Neutralization Department or W.A.N.D. is S.H.I.E.L.D.'s branch specializing in the handling of affairs, individuals, artifacts and organizations involving magic and magic-like phenomena. They were also the frontline when dealing with magical phenomena. They often work with and contract various independent magic users to interview and assist with magical phenomena.They also assist in the transportation and handling of various magical artifacts along with keeping tabs on various magical individuals, including the Sorcerer Supreme Dr. Stephen Strange (who was an outside consultant in the creation of the department).

## Bases of Operation

### The Triskelion

***Status:*** Semi-Active

***Base Designation:*** Secondary headquarters (formerly primary headquarters)

***Period of activity:*** 1965-1991 (primary HQ), 1991-present (secondary HQ)

The Triskelion served as the primary headquarters of SHIELD (First Era). A partially submerged offshore structure, it utilized similar building practicies as sea-based forts and oil platforms, but on a larger scale. Named because of the triple spiral motif of the same name, the design was meant to embody the unity of the "First, Second & Third Worlds" coming together to stop global threats such as HYDRA. The Triskelion is located a few miles off of the coast of Greenland. Considered a politically neutral zone by the United Nations. The Triskelion was modeled after the Pentagon in terms of size and structure though the total square meters is differently distributed with more floors to reach the seabed. Designed and updated to withstand natural disasters and invations, the Triskelion served as a beacon to the world to withstand the radical ambitions of world conquest and terrorism by the likes of HYDRA as well as addressing potentially world-ending crisises such as meteor strikes, solar flares or other unexplained phenomena.

The top floor serves as a landing site for various aircraft such as fighter planes, jets and the occasional zeppelin. The main floor is attached to a hub area where ships of various sizes may dock in while also include a sub-section dedicated to submarines. The Triskelion hosts lodging for agents, telecommunications offices, workout facilities and gardens to produce their own food. Various new technologies and ideas were tried and experimented on here, with successful usages serving as data for the civilian market, such as algae horticulture. Other floors include medical areas, repair areas, emergancy lodgings and laboratories. Most notably, it includes vaults where artifacts or anomalous objects are kept for study and research. The research developed often goes to various nations' domestic projects, such as the Amercians' Project PEGASUS.

With the creation of the S.H.I.E.L.D. Helicarrier, the Triskelion has been demoted to secondary or auxilliary headquarters, serving as a training grounds and research facility as various classified documents, artifacts and technologies have been distributed across different bases for security reasons. The Helicarrier has been designed to be able to land on the Triskelion with no problem.

## Equipment

**SHIELD Uniform [First Era]**

*Period of Activity*: 1965-1995

Created out of a secret weave of type-C Beta cloth and kevlar, the design was to handle a wide spectrum of tempatures along with being bullet-resistant. The uniform SHIELD logo usually appearing on the shoulder though not visibile to the naked eye and only visibile under certain wavelengths of light. Additionally, the uniform logo is also colored to show the rank of the individual The uniform is full-body, incuding gloves and boots. Additionally, it will come with a harness to carry various weapons such as standarized firearms, combat utility knives, smoke bombs, flares, thermite bombs, frag bombs and gas grenades.

## Notable Personnel

### Founding Members

* Margaret "Peggy" Carter: Co-founder. First executive director of S.H.I.E.L.D. Founder and head of Department of Espionage. (retired)
* Volodymyr Fomin (Aleksey Lebedev): Co-founder. First Red Guardian. Founder and head of Department of Military Affairs. (deceased)
* Dr. Nathaniel Richards; Co-founder. Founder and head of Department of Exploration. (MIA, presumed deceased)
* Howard Stark; Co-founder. Founder and head of Department of Research & Engineering. (deceased)

### Exective Directors

* Margaret "Peggy" Carter; first executive director (1965-1985) *First Era*
* Richard "Rick" Stoner; second excutive director (1985-1986) *First Era*
* Nicholas "Nick" Fury; third excutive director (1986-present) *First + Second Era*

### Regional & Special Directors

* Sean Morgan; first regional director of S.A.F.E. (1969-1990; pre-SHIELD era, 1990-present; SHIELD era)
* Lancelot Hunter; first regional director of S.T.R.I.K.E. (1966-1990; pre-SHIELD era, 1990-present; SHIELD era)
* Timothy Aloysius Cadwallader "Dum Dum" Dugan; special director of S.T.A.K.E. (1967 - 1975)
* Alan Dakor; first special director of W.A.N.D. (1975-present)

## Trivia

* The first iteration of SHIELD (Supreme Headquarters, International Espionage, Law-enforcement Division) was initially planned as a NATO project. It was intended to be a special military operations division of S.H.A.P.E. (Supreme Headquarters, Allied Powers Europe). The name was kept after it would be decided the organization would be overseen by the United Nations instead.