Age of Ultron SSR ... SHIELD ...strategic homel ... wait

[Just_Human]

Posted this in the AOS forums.

Mods, if you thing this thread is useless, please lock it.


Unless Marvel Studios made a mistake somewhere, this could reveal something about SHIELD and/or Coulson :


- In Iron Man 1, Coulson keeps calling the organization "Strategic Homeland ............ etc.." ... Stark tells him "you've got to get a shorter name for that" , to which Coulson replies "we are working on it"... and at the end of the movie, he calls it "SHIELD"

- now let's go back to the 1940's : SHIELD used to be called SSR (correct me if I'm wrong); then, after the events of CATFA, in the one shot Agent Carter, Howard Stark says "SHIELD"

So if it was already called SHIELD back then, why would Coulson systematically (almost like a robot) refer to it a "Strategic Homeland etc" until the end of the movie when he finally says "SHIELD" ?

It's like he was slowly being reprogrammed; or is he like super old ? t:

Regarding SHIELD itself, when we know what's about to happen CATWS, is it possible that it had already been through internal battles/directors being overthrown before ? Has it been rebuilt/re-renamed ?


As I said, it could just be a mistake from Marvel Studios ... or perhaps an inside joke

 

[jaqua99]

I think you're thinking to hard. And that says a lot, coming from me

 

[cherokeesam]

I don't think there's any continuity issues there at all.

The SSR, the Strategic Scientific Reserve, was the predecessor to the agency during WWII (the comparison can be made to the historical OSS being the forerunner to the CIA); then, after the War, the agency was repurposed and expanded as the Strategic Homeland Intervention Enforcement and Logistics Division. It's been that way ever since, operating in the shadows. The name isn't supposed to be new, even in IM1; just awkward and clunky. (As Ward says in AOS, "It means somebody was trying really hard to make the letters in 'SHIELD' stand for something.")

However, there *is* a possible continuity error there that needs to be addressed involving Howard Stark. In IM1, Tony Stark has no idea who SHIELD is; and that's a strange thing, considering that his own father founded the damn agency. Howard kept lots of secrets from Tony; but heading up SHIELD for all those years....? That's a pretty big secret to keep buried from your own family.

 

[metaphysician]

I don't think its a continuity error, I think its just that Howard kept lots of secrets. Plus, he wasn't the *director*, I think; just one of the inner circle. Not quite as big a time demand, and lots of it would be in technical work that could be easily mixed in with more general Stark Industries work.

 

[Just_Human]

interesting

thanks guys

 

[SpideyFan866]

The Strategic Scientific Reserve was a military program and a separate entity from SHIELD.

 

[Just_Human]

The Strategic Scientific Reserve was a military program and a separate entity from SHIELD.

SSR was reformed into SHIELD after the War

 

[Bren]

Since 'SHIELD' at that point was unknown to the general populace, I think Coulson used the entire name to sound more official to Pepper and Tony. Say 'Strategic Homeland...' and I'm thinking "Govt". Say 'SHIELD' and I'm thinking "huh? Bugger off".

 

[Just_Human]

Since 'SHIELD' at that point was unknown to the general populace, I think Coulson used the entire name to sound more official to Pepper and Tony. Say 'Strategic Homeland...' and I'm thinking "Govt". Say 'SHIELD' and I'm thinking "huh? Bugger off".

Makes sense

But hten when why did Coulson reply to Stark by saying "we are working on that "

 

[InternetPeople]

It's a line to keep the mystery going. It may be a line strictly for the audience and nothing more.

 

[Spider-Fan]

I think it is because audiences had no idea what SHIELD was in IM1, so they did that to slowly get them their. Now audiences know what SHIELD is, they used it by name in the One Shot. Possible continuity issue? Sure, but who cares. It is VERY small.

But even in IM2, Fury said Howard was a founding member. No issue there.

 

[cph9fa]

However, there *is* a possible continuity error there that needs to be addressed involving Howard Stark. In IM1, Tony Stark has no idea who SHIELD is; and that's a strange thing, considering that his own father founded the damn agency. Howard kept lots of secrets from Tony; but heading up SHIELD for all those years....? That's a pretty big secret to keep buried from your own family.

That's basically the second act of Iron Man 2 in a nutshell (which I just re-watched the other day). Fury tells Tony something about his father, and Tony quips that Fury must've known Howard better than he (Tony) did. To which Fury replies "You'd be surprised. Howard was a founding member of SHIELD." That leaves Tony all like "Wait, what?!" and Fury leaves Tony with a box full of Howard's old notes and footage.

 

[Bren]

I really wouldn't be surprised if Marvel at the end of a phase, releases a DVD/Bluray of "The Making of a Unified Universe where the whole thing documents the initial planning, brainstorming, hiring directors/actors, meetings between involved parties etc.

If they were to do something like this, I'd love Marvel to be strong and ego-less enough to include a section where they discuss errors they feel they made in terms of continuity and how they slipped through the net etc.

I could see this as one, but I think they still didn't 'nail themselves', that they leave enough room for fans like us to come up with reasons to explain. Even though they might just admit, "oops sorry that slipped through"...

If they were to make such a documentary, I'd snap it up!

 

[Mysteryman]

They might make a documentary,
But they are more likely to say that they work hard to get the continuity right .

 

[storyteller]

I think Shield wasn't very public since it's creation to Iron Man. There are many agencies that do important work but don't have the fame as the CIA or FBI. Coulson was a very official person so he kept saying the full name. Eventually thanks to Pepper he gave in and just called it Shield. Like if he was with the FBI he would use the full name and not FBI.

Now after the Avengers thing, Shield is smack dab in the center of saving the world. So now everybody knows about them and the Avengers.

 

[fixxxer]

However, there *is* a possible continuity error there that needs to be addressed involving Howard Stark. In IM1, Tony Stark has no idea who SHIELD is; and that's a strange thing, considering that his own father founded the damn agency. Howard kept lots of secrets from Tony; but heading up SHIELD for all those years....? That's a pretty big secret to keep buried from your own family.

We know that Howard Stark was quite old (relative to when most people have children) when Tony was born. By that time, it's possible that he had already retired from SHIELD. Also, Howard Stark (like Tony, but to a greater extent) has been portrayed as an individual battling some internal demons. Maybe he isn't exactly proud of something that went down during his SHIELD days, necessitating his retirement, and subsequently needing to keep it secret from Tony.

Also, to address the thread starter's initial post... that was just Coulson being sarcastic. I can just hear Coulson's internal monologue going, "Can't you tell what that spells, dummy?"