Pilot (Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.)

"Pilot" is the pilot and first episode of the first season of the American television series Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Based on the Marvel Comics organization S.H.I.E.L.D., it follows Phil Coulson and his new team of S.H.I.E.L.D. agents. The first television episode to be set in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), it acknowledges the continuity of the franchise's films. The episode was written by series creators Joss Whedon, Jed Whedon, and Maurissa Tancharoen, and was directed by Joss Whedon.

Clark Gregg reprises his role as Coulson from the film series, starring alongside Ming-Na Wen, Brett Dalton, Chloe Bennet, Iain De Caestecker, and Elizabeth Henstridge. The pilot was ordered in 2012, after Joss Whedon wrote and directed The Avengers (2012). It was filmed in early 2013 in Los Angeles, with additional filming in Paris. Cobie Smulders guest stars, reprising her role of Maria Hill from The Avengers, with previous Whedon collaborators J. August Richards and Ron Glass also guest starring. Emphasis was put on consistency with the MCU films, including reusing elements from them such as the substance Extremis from Iron Man 3 (2013).

"Pilot" originally aired on ABC on September 24, 2013, and was watched by 12.12 million viewers, the highest ratings received by the first episode of a drama series since 2009. The episode received mostly positive reviews, particularly for Joss Whedon's work and Richards' performance, but some critics were disappointed that the episode did not reach the standard of the MCU films. The use of the name "Rising Tide" for a hacktivist group in the episode received backlash from a real-life group of the same name. The episode received a nomination for Outstanding Visual Effects in a Broadcast Program at the 12th Visual Effects Society Awards and Best Sound Editing – Short Form: Music at the 61st Golden Reel Awards