This modern Earth-like world's history has been influenced by magic, superpowered beings, and limited alien contact; from the shadows, the extra-governmental division SHIELD works to protect innocent people from a dangerous multiverse.
Type: BlossomAnalogous to an early twenty-first century Earth in terms of society and technology, this world sports many prosperous metropolises and technological innovation. The globe is known and mapped. Electricity powers massive metropolises of glass, concrete, and steel. Consumer-level machinery like automobiles, personal computers, and telecommunications are fairly common; even the poorest of countries still have cell phone infrastructure and some access to mobile phones.
The really cutting-edge stuff is developed by SHIELD and one of its R&D partners, Stark Industries, which sells some of its civilian designs as toys for the obscenely rich. SHIELD is a lot less willing to share, and keeps its technology mostly classified.
Aliens are totally real. Most people just don't buy it. Every so often, items of extraterrestrial origin might find their way to Earth. (This has happened in the past, like that one time Thor's hammer wound up in the New Mexico desert!)
When investigating artifacts, SHIELD tries to be first on the scene. Standard protocol is to cordon off the area, restrict access to the local civilians, and determine whether the thing is dangerous or not. If it is, it gets locked in a storage vault. If it's not, it gets... locked in a storage vault. Once they're done, SHIELD tries to return things to their owners.
When aliens actually invade, the agency gets more serious. SHIELD can cooperate with other governmental branches to gather information and formulate a course of action. They have the faculties to mount a limited defense, too, such as using their fleet of quinjets for civilian evacuation or aerial defense. They just have to pick their battles: SHIELD's resources are very finite.
A number of noteworthy groups influence the various societies of this Earth. Not everybody knows about these factions, but their reach is still felt in the weave of daily life.
>> HYDRA: Founded in ancient times, this authoritarian group has flourished in the underbelly of society since time out of mind. It works tirelessly towards its endgame of world domination. Cult-like and committed absolutely to their goals, they're willing to stoop to horrifying lows to succeed. While their existence isn't public, they're still influential, nonetheless.
>> S.H.I.E.L.D.: The Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement, and Logistics Division (SHIELD) is a branch of the American government created as a counter-terrorism and intelligence agency tasked with global and national security. Formed after World War II to defend against threats like HYDRA, the agency has made a name for itself with its cutting edge technology and a history of outstanding agents. Publicly, their existence is now a known factor, but the full extent of their scope (or the cool super-spy tech they use) isn't known to the average civilian.
>> Stark Industries: This independent venture is a company whose net worth is "yes." Deeply involved in research and development, its technological innovations are put to use by SHIELD, the world's superheroes, or otherwise marketed as toys for the absurdly rich. Stark Industries can usually be counted on to do the morally upstanding thing within society; Tony Stark, its owner and chief executive officer, is mostly a good soul. Even if he does happen to be an insufferable man-child. Stark Industries is a publicly listed company, but most of the R&D they do, especially for SHIELD, is very classified.
In terms of the source material, this timeline begins shortly after the Battle of New York and the Rising Tide incident. SHIELD has been publicly revealed as an official division of the American government, though they still play things very close to the vest, and have a known reputation for dealing with the inexplicable and the weird.
Well aware that knowledge is power, Director Fury has kept the agency busy investigating World Tree-related incidents on its turf.
Rare subsets of the population develop strange, wonderful powers due to various causes, such as freaky genetics or exposure to Terrigen Mist. The abilities of these "powered" run the gamut. Some people get super strength. Some get X-ray vision. Others can shoot fire from their fingertips. The sky's the limit on what weird powers humanity can manifest. Sometimes, people even wind up with bizarre, completely useless powers! Do ya feel lucky?
A number of governmental agencies maintain databases of powered individuals, particularly those with criminal records. Some agencies, like SHIELD, try to actively recruit the misguided or lost before they become super-powered problem children.
This modern earth-like world has integrated partially with its neighbouring worlds.
More exotic forms of technology, like extraterrestrial things or offworld gadgets, are always irresistible to the average scientific researcher or the odd richer-than-God societal elite. Many societies have embraced offworld tourism and the careful, gradual exchange of neighbouring worlds' technology. People are wary. It wasn't that long ago that New York City was invaded by aliens.
The tone is analogous to earlier episodes of "Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D." as humanity adapts to the existence of the supernatural and braces itself for the next extradimensional threat. Public opinion about the World Tree is mixed. Most people and official government policies are welcoming of offworlders, while some swear they'll be the cause of the next big disaster. It takes all kinds!
Several groups and factions are at play in this world. Some of them are public; some are not:
>> HYDRA: This clandestine, loose-knit cult of thugs and villains was founded in ancient times, thriving in the seedy underbelly of humanity. Now HYDRA's turned its sights on the World Tree. They're eager to destroy, exploit, and seize new resources to further their goals of world dominance. In most cases they're willing to work with other people whose moral compasses are as cracked as theirs are; they have no loyalty, though, and they're liable to turn on someone as soon as HYDRA has no more use for them. Legitimate governments and divisions like SHIELD are always trying to find new ways to root out and destroy the evil HYDRA sows. With the vermin so thoroughly entrenched, it's the long game... and the game is "Whack-A-Mole."
>> S.H.I.E.L.D.: The Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement, and Logistics Division (SHIELD) is a branch of the American government created after the conclusion of World War II. Its purpose is to counter groups like HYDRA and to protect innocent people. The agency was publicly acknowledged after the Battle of New York some years ago; even so, most people don't know the full extent of their scope. Or the cool super-spy tech they use. They're often first responders to bizarre offworld incidents in their own world, especially if things take a supernatural or weird turn, although they can't be everywhere at once.
>> UNITED NATIONS: This international assembly has continued its humanitarian mission of fostering cooperation among world governments and global peace. They've been hustling to keep up with all the changes to their world, dispatching disaster relief to regions affected by hostile neighbouring worlds. Although they have virtually no military presence, their efforts are still much needed and valued in a crisis. While they try to respond to every crisis they can, it's no secret that their resources are stretched thin.