- "The secret is out. For decades, your organization stayed in the shadows, hiding the truth, but now we know—they're among us. Heroes... and monsters. The world is full of wonders."
- ―Skye
| "Pilot" | |
|---|---|
| |
| Air date | September 24th, 2013 |
| Writers | Joss Whedon; Jed Whedon; Maurissa Tancharoen |
| Director | Joss Whedon |
| Producers | Jeffrey Bell; Garry A. Brown; Chris Cheramie; Alan Fine; Stan Lee; Jeph Loeb; Robert Parigi; Joe Quesada; Maurissa Tancharoen; Samantha Thomas; Paul Zbyszewski; Jed Whedon; Joss Whedon |
| Starring | Clark Gregg; Ming-Na Wen; Brett Dalton; Chloe Bennet; Iain De Caestecker; Elizabeth Henstridge |
| Episode guide | |
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"Pilot" is the premiere episode of the action drama series Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., which is based on the S.H.I.E.L.D. organization featured in various comic book titles published by Marvel Comics. Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. is a spin-off of the 2012 feature film The Avengers and is part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The episode was written and directed by Joss Whedon and co-written by Jed Whedon and his wife, Maurissa Tancharoen. It first aired on ABC on Tuesday, September 24th, 2013. In this episode, Agent Phil Coulson - having seemingly come back from the dead ever since the Battle of New York, heads up a special strike force team in service to the super-spy agency known as S.H.I.E.L.D. After putting together his team, the agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. investigate witness reports of a hooded superhuman who saved a young woman from a burning building. A rogue revolutionary named Skye learns about the mystery behind the hooded Mike Peterson and quickly finds herself on S.H.I.E.L.D.'s radar.
Cast
Principal Cast
| Actor | Role |
|---|---|
| Clark Gregg | Agent Phil Coulson |
| Ming-Na Wen | Agent Melinda May |
| Brett Dalton | Agent Grant Ward |
| Chloe Bennet | Skye |
| Iain De Caestecker | Agent Leo Fitz |
| Elizabeth Henstridge | Agent Jemma Simmons |
Guest Stars
| Actor | Role |
|---|---|
| J. August Richards | Mike Peterson |
| Shannon Lucio | Debbie |
| Ron Glass | Doctor Streiten |
| Bob Stephenson | Gary |
| Cobie Smulders | Maria Hill |
| Ajani Wrighster | Ace Peterson |
| Aaron Behr | Angry man |
| Nicole J. Butler | Aunt Mindy |
| Sarah Dumont | Beautiful woman |
| Dan Sachoff | Reporter #1 |
| Arlene Santana | Reporter #2 |
| Kevin Sifuentes | Technician |
Notes & Trivia
- Both Phil Coulson and Maria Hill are characters who appeared in 2012's The Avengers. Both roles are reprised by their original actors Cobie Smulders and Clark Gregg.
- Aside from Phil Coulson and Maria Hill, this is the first appearance of all other characters. These characters are unique to the Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. television series and were not derived from either the Marvel Cinematic Universe film series of the Marvel Comics comic book titles.
- Series creator Joss Whedon is not only responsible for helming The Avengers feature film, but he is also known for creating other popular television projects including Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel, Firefly and Dollhouse.
- Series creator Joss Whedon likes recycling actors from his past projects and Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. is no exception. In this episode, he brings back Firefly actor Ron Glass to play the role of Doctor Streiten. Also in this episode, former Angel actor J. August Richards appears as the featured superhuman whose name is Mike Peterson.
- The pilot episode of the series introduces the S.H.I.E.L.D. flying car, which Agent Coulson has expresses a certain fondness for and has nicknames "Lola". A precursor to the car was seen in 2011's Captain America: The First Avenger, which was the invention of Howard Stark. The S.H.I.E.L.D. flying car has a long history in related comic book stories and is the second most often-used vehicle in S.H.I.E.L.D.'s arsenal after the Helicarrier.
- The music for this episode was composed by Bear McCreary, who is also known for his haunting scores on such notable programs like the Battlestar Galactica reboot and AMC's The Walking Dead.
- Actress Cobie Smulders is best known for playing the role of Robin Scherbatsky on the popular CBS comedy series How I Met Your Mother.
- Actor Akeem Mair is uncredited for his participation in this episode.
- Another pilot episode that premiered on the same night as Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. is the first episode of the ABC comedy Trophy Wife.
- This is the first television acting work for Ajani Wrighster, who plays Ace Peterson.
- This is the first appearance of Doctor Debbie. She appears next in "Girl in the Flower Dress".
- This is the seventh appearance of Phil Coulson in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, including film appearances, after-credit appearances and film shorts.
Allusions
- There are numerous references to Joss Whedon's The Avengers peppered throughout this episode. Ace Peterson is seen pointing at a collectibles' display in a storefront window comprised of replicas of the entire team, which includes the Hulk, Captain America, Thor, Iron Man, Hawkeye and the Black Widow. The opening of the episode also features a montage of fast clips from the film including Captain America's shield, Thor catching his mystic hammer Mjolnir, and Iron Man flying through the sky. Maria Hill also makes a reference to Thor, affirming his status as a God.
- Skye compares Grant Ward to a T-1000 in this episode. A T-1000 is a robot Terminator from the Terminator film series. Specifically, it appeared in the 1991 movie, Terminator 2: Judgment Day where it was played by actor Robert Patrick.
- Grant Ward pokes fun at Skye, calling her a groupie who attended cosplay parties at Stark Tower. Cosplay is the act of dressing up as a fictional character, usually utilizing home-crafted attire and accouterments and appearing at public functions such as comic book or sci-fi conventions. Stark Tower is the Manhattan-based skyscraper owned by Tony Stark, which later became the headquarters for the Avengers.
Quotes
- Skye: We can't explain everything we see. But our eyes are open. So what now? There are no more shadows for you to hide in. Something impossible just happened. What are you going to do about it?
....
- Mike Peterson: You said if we worked hard, if we did right, we'd have a place. You said it was enough to be a man. But there's better than man. There's gods. And the rest of us... what are we? They're giants. We're what they step on.
- Phil Coulson: I know. I've seen giants... up close. And that privilege cost me... nearly everything. But the good ones, the real deal, they're not heroes because of what they have that we don't. It's what they do with it. You're right, Mike. It matters who you are.
....
- Skye: How will you come at us? From the air? From the ground? How will you silence us this time? How can you? The truth is in the wind. It's everywhere. You cannot stop the rising tide. You will not find us. You will never see our faces but rest assures—we will rise against those who shield us from the truth.
....
- Skye: Listen, you cannot walk away from this. With great power comes a... ton of weird crap that you are not prepared to deal with.