Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D.: What Is The Real S.H.I.E.L.D.?

The latest episode of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., “One of Us,” finally revealed who it is that [...]

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The latest episode of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., "One of Us," finally revealed who it is that Mack and Bobbi are working for behind-the-scenes: the "real S.H.I.E.L.D."

So what is the real S.H.I.E.L.D.? We won't sure until we get some more details from the show. While they seem committed to the S.H.I.E.L.D. name and branding, there are other organizations from the comics that they could be inspired by.

Here are a few:

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H.A.M.M.E.R.

In the comics, H.A.M.M.E.R. is what S.H.I.E.L.D. became after the Skrull Secret Invasion. The organization was headed up by Director Norman Osborn, a.k.a. the Green Goblin (then wearing the Iron Patriot armor), and its star players were the Dark Avengers, a bunch of supervillains pretending to be heroes the public knew and loved. This choice represents the possibility that the "real S.H.I.E.L.D." is entirely corrupt, though we'd bet that Bobbi and Mack are unaware if that's the case.

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S.T.R.I.K.E.

S.T.R.I.K.E. is basically the British equivalent of S.H.I.E.L.D. In the comics, it's headed up by none other than Lance Hunter, so there's a possible connection there. Whether or not "the real S.H.I.E.L.D." proves to have actual British origins or not, there's still the possibility that Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. would borrow the name to, eventually, represent this splinter group, perhaps even eventually with Hunter at the lead. Of course, they already used STRIKE for the name of Brock Rumlow's corrupt elite squad in Captain America: The Winter Soldier, so they might have to justify or distance themselves from that association first.

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S.W.O.R.D.

This one is kind of out there…and that's kind of a pun. Where S.H.I.E.L.D. monitors Earth for potential threats, S.W.O.R.D. monitors…well, everything else. The fact that they are tasked with monitoring extraterrestrial threats is interesting when considering Mack's annoyance with Coulson's fascination with aliens, and could be considered evidence for or against an S.W.O.R.D. parallel.

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Secret Warriors era Howling Commandos

This one is more a matter of perspective than anything else. During the Dark Reign of Norman Osborn and H.A.M.M.E.R., Nick Fury went underground and formed his own team of agents. This was depicted in the series Secret Warriors, which is where Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. draws a lot of inspiration. Perhaps this is the position the "real S.H.I.E.L.D." believes it is taking, that of the true good guys working against a corrupt institution.

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The U.S. Government

Maybe when HYDRA revealed itself, not all of the S.H.I.E.L.D. went underground. Perhaps some of them pledged loyalty the government, maybe even serving under a certain Brigadier General Glenn Talbot? Having moles in Coulson's organization could explain why Talbot has been so much more willing to S.H.I.E.L.D. slack recently than he used to be.

Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. airs Tuesdays at 9 p.m. ET on ABC.

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