"Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D." Assemble

ABC reports that the new "Avengers" TV spin-off pilot, is officially titled "Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D." and we have the synopsis and list of characters that will be featured.

Executive producers are Joss Whedon, Jed Whedon, Maurissa Tancharoen, Jeffrey Bell and Jeph Loeb, in what is being touted as "...Marvel's first live-action TV series..."

"...fresh from his role in the summer's box office smash, 'Marvel's The Avengers', 'Agent Phil Coulson' (Clark Gregg) returns to the worldwide law enforcement organization 'S.H.I.E.L.D.' 

"He puts together a small, highly trained, team of 'Agents' to tackle the cases that haven't been classified yet, the new, the strange and the unknown.

"That team consists of straight arrow 'Agent Grant Ward' (Brett Dalton), an expert in combat and espionage, pilot and martial artist 'Agent Melinda May' (Ming-Na Wen), plus brilliant if socially awkward scientists 'Agent Leo Fitz' (Iain De Caestecker) and 'Agent Jemma Simmons' (Elizabeth Henstridge).

"They'll be joined by civilian new recruit and computer hacker 'Skye' (Chloe Bennet).

"Prepare for an epic adventure that showcases the hope and wonder of the human spirit. This is a world of 'Super Heroes', aliens and the unusual -- of action, spectacle and world spanning stories. 

"The show will speak to the human condition through the lens of our very human, non-powered 'S.H.I.E.L.D.' agents -- that together we are greater than we are apart, and that we can make a difference in the world..."

Marvel Comics' 'S.H.I.E.L.D.' was created by writer Stan Lee and illustrator Jack Kirby in "Strange Tales" #135 (Aug. 1965). The acronym originally stood for 'Supreme Headquarters, International Espionage, Law-Enforcement Division'. Its most persistent enemy was 'HYDRA', a criminal organization founded by former Third Reich leader 'Baron Wolfgang von Strucker'. 

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