Marvel Confirms SHIELD's New Purpose As The Avengers' Biggest Enemy

Published Oct 22, 2026, 10:00 PM EDT Mark has been a comic book journalist for over 15 years and has interviewed comic book creators like Gail Simone and Caspar Wijngaard. And when he's not writing, he's working on beating his record of 1,200 comics read in a year. Sign in to your ScreenRant account WARNING! Spoilers for Avengers: Armageddon #5 S.H.I.E.L.D. has always had a complicated relationship with the superheroes in Marvel Comics. Sometimes, leaders like Nick Fury and Maria Hill have worked with the superhero community to keep the world spinning. Other times, they’ve been willing to have them outlawed. Both sides are understandable since superpowered fights cause death and chaos. Sadly, the events of Avengers: Armageddon have forced S.H.I.E.L.D.’s hand. In Avengers: Armageddon #4, the Russian superhero team, the Winter Guard, set up Thaddeus Ross (the Red Hulk) to go nuclear and explode 600 miles north of Moscow. Carol Danvers tried to absorb as much of the blast as she could, but it wasn’t enough. Hundreds of people died, and more are likely injured. The final issue of Avengers: Armageddon confirms the repercussions of this, and they aren't good for Earth's Mightiest Heroes. S.H.I.E.L.D. Makes The Avengers Their Enemy After everything went wrong in Russia, the United Nations got together to vote on banning superpowers worldwide. The only country to abstain was the United States. Sue Storm thanks Secretary of State Brooke for abstaining, but he gives her the harsh truth. America didn’t join the U.N. because it couldn’t enforce the ruling, since 80% of the world’s superpowered beings live in America. However, Brooke knew something Sue didn't. When Secretary Brooke gets on his plane, readers see that he has a meeting with Nick Fury Jr. It’s then revealed that the U.N. will be funding S.H.I.E.L.D. as long as they help enforce the superhero resolution. Fury knows that superhumans (good and bad) are a threat, and since he has the means for humanity to fight back, he’s going to use it. It’s easy to guess that S.H.I.E.L.D.’s first order of business will be a contingency plan against the Avengers. A new team of Earth's Mightiest Heroes hasn’t been formed, but Fury knows who the major players are. He already has the weapons to negate their powers. Now all he needs is a plan. Luckily for the Avengers, the original Nick Fury is back and ready to fight. The Original Nick Fury Returns Avengers Armageddon brilliantly tells the story of how even good intentions can go poorly. For example, Nick Fury Jr. being funded by the U.N. will eventually lead to something bad happening. The world’s leaders won’t be able to help themselves and will try to use their new weapons to preemptively attack the Avengers, Fantastic Four, and the X-Men. That’s why Nick Fury, the newly resurrected Bucky Barnes, and Hydra are the right people for the job. During the 2026 New York Comic-Con, Marvel Comics announced a title called Immortal Soldiers with Nick Fury working for or leading Hydra. While it may seem odd that Fury would work with a group he dedicated his life to destroying, if there was a team to oppose a S.H.I.E.L.D. run by the U.N., it’s Hydra. This is all speculation, but Nick Fury saying it was time to save the world means he's on the side of good. Plus, it makes sense that the return of comic book's greatest spy would be heroic. It’s only a matter of time before Nick Fury Sr. saves the world and reclaims his title as the head of S.H.I.E.L.D. Nick Fury Episode Number 10 Season Marvel Studios: Legends - Season 2