S.H.I.E.L.D. (Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement, and Logistics Division) is one of the most well-known organizations in the Marvel Universe. S.H.I.E.L.D. has been prominently featured in the MCU, and there was even a long-running spin-off show called Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. that focused on a group of agents and the fallout of what happened after Hydra's infiltration.
It is responsible for many major things happening, and even the creation of other organizations and teams. Many heroes joined S.H.I.E.L.D. temporarily, and others were introduced to the Marvel Universe through it as well. Each character has brought something different to S.H.I.E.L.D. and has helped shape the organization as a whole.
10 Black Widow Brings Her Unmatched Spy Expertise To The Team
Natasha Romanoff, aka Black Widow, is the most well-known spy in the Marvel Universe. In the MCU, Natasha joined S.H.I.E.L.D. at the very beginning of her hero career, while in the comics, it's a bit further down the road.
She started with trying to join the Avengers, going solo, and then partnering with Daredevil before she decided to work with S.H.I.E.L.D.. Since then, she has worked with them on and off when she is not a part of other teams.
9 Dum-Dum Dugan Is One Of The Original Members & Served As Director For A Time
Dum-Dum Dugan was one of the first agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. He is a close friend of Nick Fury Sr., as the two severed in the war together as Howling Commandos.
Dugan played a role in the Secret Invasion and Civil War events and was even briefly the director of S.H.I.E.L.D. He also became an agent of S.T.R.I.K.E., and became one of the enforcers of C.R.A.D.L.E., a law to regulate superheroes under twenty-one.
8 Contessa Valentina Allegra de Fontaine Was A Close Partner Of Nick Fury & Part Of An All-Female S.H.I.E.LD. Team
Contessa Valentina Allegra de Fontaine has just been introduced to the mainstream audience thanks to her appearance in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier. She started as Agent 14, and was also a partner and romantic interest of Nick Fury Sr.
Valentina also was a member of the all-female S.H.I.E.L.D. team called the Femme Force and graduated from the S.H.I.E.L.D. academy. After leaving S.H.I.E.L.D., she eventually took the mantle of Madame Hydra.
7 Iron Man Became Director During Civil War & Worked To Stop The Extremis Virus
While Iron Man is not too involved with S.H.I.E.L.D., he does have some history with the organization. Tony Stark first interacted with the organization before he became Iron Man but would play a much larger role later on. During the superhero Civil War, Iron Man became the director of S.H.I.E.L.D. as Maria Hill's successor.
While he was director, he investigated the Extremis virus and villain Maya Hansen. He was let go after the events of Secret Invasion, since S.H.I.E.L.D. itself fell apart.
6 Mockingbird Graduated At The Top Of Her Class & Has Done Pioneering Work With Agents of G.I.R.L
Bobbi Morse, best known as Mockingbird, is another Marvel heroine who has ties to S.H.I.E.L.D. She was recruited to S.H.I.E.L.D. after working with them on Project Gladiator, which was intended to recreate the Super Soldier Serum.
Mockingbird has also been Hawkeye's partner; an Agent of Wakanda; and was a member of the Secret Avengers, the West Coast Avengers, and Force Works. Currently, she is a mentor for the Agents of G.I.R.L. and a part of the Daughters of Liberty.
5 Jimmy Woo Is A Former FBI Agent & Founded The Agents Of Atlas
Jimmy Woo is now a household name due to his role in the MCU projects Ant-Man and The Wasp and WandaVision. He is also one of Marvel's oldest characters, as he made his debut in Yellow Claw #1 by Al Feldstein and Joe Maneely back in 1956.
Prior to joining S.H.I.E.L.D., Jimmy was an F.B.I. agent. His biggest connection is to the Agents of Atlas, a team where he was a founding member, and is now the CEO of the Atlas Foundation.
4 Maria Hill Has Had Multiple High-Ranking Positions Within S.H.I.E.L.D. & Was Integral In Setting Up Pleasant Hill
Maria Hill became a fan favorite after her appearance in the first Avengers film and became a reoccurring character in the MCU after that. She was first introduced in New Avengers Volume 1 #4, by Brian Michael Bendis and David Finch.
Maria Hill has been both the Director and Commander of S.H.I.E.L.D. and affiliated with the Secret Avengers, Force Works, and the Avengers. She is directly responsible for the creation of Pleasant Hill, a place created by the sentient cosmic cube to imprison super villains.
3 Nick Fury Sr. Is One Of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s Longest-Serving Directors & Recruited Most Of Its Best Agents
Without Nick Fury Sr., S.H.I.E.L.D. would not be the influential organization that it is in the Marvel Universe. He was one of the first to be recruited, one of the most long-term directors, and is responsible for bringing in many of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s best agents.
Nick even formed his own team, the Secret Warriors, during the Skrull Secret Invasion. He then went on to inspire his son, Nick Fury Jr., who followed in his footsteps. Nick Fury Sr. has since gone on to become the Man on the Wall.
2 Quake Is A Spy Prodigy Who Rose To The Rank Of Director As A Teenager
Daisy Johnson, aka Quake, is what can be considered a prodigy in the spy world. She became a level 10 S.H.I.E.L.D. agent— a security clearance level shared only with Nick Fury and Black Widow— at only seventeen years old, and even went on to be the organization's director not long after.
Quake is one of Nick Fury's most trusted agents, and she was a member of his Secret Warriors during the Skrull's Secret Invasion. She also became a member of the Avengers, and is an Inhuman with the ability to manipulate vibrations.
1 Agent 13 Was S.H.I.E.L.D.'s First Female Director & Is One Of Its Most Iconic Members
Sharon Carter, also known as Agent 13, is one of the most important and iconic members of S.H.I.E.L.D.. She joined after being inspired by her aunt Peggy Carter's stories from her times with the French Resistance.
Agent 13 later became a partner of Captain America, a member of the Secret Avengers, and a member of the Daughters of Liberty. She was also the first woman to be the director of S.H.I.E.L.D. and formed a group of all-female agents at S.H.I.E.L.D. called the Femme Force.