Major Issues: First Appearance of SHIELD

Hundreds of comic book characters are being portrayed in film and television, and with each new day more are being announced.

Major Issues -- a ComicBook.com original video series -- will speak to true comic book hobbyists as well as new fans in a short, fast-paced digital series featuring the first appearances of characters we all love. Each episode will feature the actual comic book, info on the creators, and the backstory on the creation and legacy of the character.

The next in our series is our look at the introduction of one of the longest standing collections of heros in the Marvel universe.

This is the origin of is tied to SHIELD. Here is the write up from the Marvel Database: Col. Nick Fury reports to the Pentagon where he is mysteriously cloned. Full of questions, he is then escorted to the streets above where the clones have been positioned to protect Fury from hidden assassins. Shoved into a car, another attack is thwarted by various spy gadgets that the car is equipped with. He is told about SHIELD and that the attacks have come from HYDRA, where the agent responsible for the failed attacks on Fury is killed by Agent H, who replaces him. At SHIELD HQ, Fury is greeted by Tony Stark, who is in charge of the Special Weaponry Section and told that he has been chosen to lead SHIELD in their mission to destroy HYDRA. At first, Fury is reluctant, but after uncovering a bomb that had been rigged to blow up him and high-ranking officials, he quickly takes control and agrees to lead SHIELD.

Originally published as Strange Tales #135 in 1965 the issue is also the first appearance of Hydra, Imperial Hydra, and Agent H.

Be sure to check out our other Major Issues.

Luke Cage | Black Mariah | Misty Knight | Cornell Cottonmouth | Wally West | Negan | King Ezekiel | Kaecilius | Bane | Savitar | Deadshot | Darth Vader | Spawn | Phoenix