Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Season 1 (Earth-113599)

Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Season 1 is the first season of a 2013 television series by the same name, created by Marvel Television and Touchstone Television on the ABC Network. It takes place in the Marvel Cinematic Universe focusing on the personalized adventures of the top secret spy & espionage agency S.H.I.E.L.D. It is the first ever episodic product to take place in the continuity. It premiered September 24th 2013.

Production
The idea television series based on Marvel Comics properties had been discussed by Walt Disney as early as 2006. In 2009 popular comic book writer Jeph Loeb was announced to be spearheading the new Marvel Television company to try and develop potential series for ABC. Many pitches were thrown around but none reached anymore than the development stage. This all changed in summer of 2012 after the smash hit of The Avengers when Kevin Feige expressed interest in expanding the universe into television and absorbed the struggling Marvel Television into the much more successful Marvel Studios. Afterwards Feige, Loeb, and director Joss Whedon worked together to pitch an MCU TV show based around the adventures of S.H.I.E.L.D. An organization that appeared in the films often but was barely touched upon in a deeper way. At the 2012 comic con this news was announced and it was also revealed that Clark Gregg would be reprising his role as Agent Phil Coulson to star in the series.

More information slowly unveiled to the public such as Joss Whedon's younger brother Jed Whedon and his wife Maurissa Tancharoen would be the showrunners and that the series first arc would tackle the popular Iron Man story Extremis. Tancharoen announced afterwards that Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. would also acknowledge the events of the movies it overlaps with (Thor: The Dark World & Captain America: The Winter Soldier) but refused to explain just how it would work. Ming Na Wen in late 2012 was revealed to be cast as Agent Melinda May and Brett Dalton as Agent Grant Ward. This earned controversy as they were both original characters, but Whedon defended this decision but claiming S.H.I.E.L.D. isn't well known to the public and they have a very unique situation where they can creatively add a lot to the Marvel Universe where they normally wouldn't be able to. Coulson was an originally character back in Black Widow and Hawkeye, adding more for his team would just be building upon that. This trend continued when Chloe Bennet was casted as "Skye" and many more. However, it didn't last as J. August Richards was confirmed to be playing Luther Manning in the pilot along with Shannon Lucio as Maya Hansen. Filming began in early 2013 and the first episode of the series aired September 24th 2013.

Main Cast

 * Clark Gregg as Agent Phil Coulson


 * Chloe Bennet as Agent Skye


 * Iain De Caestecker as Agent Leopold "Leo" Fitz


 * Elizabeth Henstridge as Agent Jennifer "Jenna" Simmons


 * Brett Dalton as Agent Grant Ward


 * Ming Na Wen as Agent Melinda May

Recurring Cast

 * J. August Richards as Luther Manning/Deathlok


 * Shannon Lucio as Maya Hansen


 * Cullen Douglas as Aldrich Killian


 * Cobie Smulders as Agent Maria Hill


 * Samuel L. Jackson as Director Nick Fury