Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.: Pilot

"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.

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.

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.