Tonight, Marvel will make its live action debut on ABC with Agents of SHIELD. Coulson (Clark Gregg) lives in the new Joss Whedon backed program that brings a revolutionary look at the human element of the superhero world.

Co-created by Joss and Jed Whedon along with Maurissa Tancharoen, the series revolves around Coulson's new elite team, Rising Tide, with the Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement and Logistics Division. Tasked with managing and protecting a world now cognizant of a superhero presence, the members of Rising Tide pick up following the events of 2012's The Avengers.

But don't worry; you won't need to be a Marvel aficionado to understand the show. To get viewers ready for the series premiere, here is a brief synopsis of the new core characters that will be introduced in the pilot episode.

Melinda May (Ming-Na Wen)

May is a SHIELD legend that Coulson manages to coax back into the field. While it is unknown what May did to become so renowned within the SHIELD community or why she is hiding out at a desk job, the longtime agent is skilled in hand-to-hand combat and originally agrees to team up with Coulson in order to fly their plane.

Grant Ward (Brett Dalton)

A black ops specialist, Ward has Level Six clearance with SHIELD before being promoted to Level Seven by Coulson. While skilled at reconnaissance, Ward fails to grasp basic humor and his serious manner hinders his general people skills.

Skye (Chloe Bennet)

Skye is a tech expert who originally posses a threat to SHIELD as a computer hacker. Snarky and sarcastic, Skye enters Coulson's world with at least a little knowledge of superheroes.

Leo Fitz (Iain De Caestecker) and Jemma Simons (Elizabeth Henstridge)

We'll list these two together since promos rarely show them apart from each other. A tag team operation, Fitz and Simons comprise the technical aspect of Coulson's crew. While Skye may be a hacker, Fitz and Simmons provide the team with all the gadgets they could possibly need, drawing on their combined backgrounds in biochem and engineering. Think of them as younger, more excitable versions of James Bond's Q.

Phil Coulson (Clark Gregg)

Back from the dead, Coulson is still the generally affable, extremely competent agent Marvel fans grew accustomed to during the studio's Phase One films. However, prepare to see the normally calm Captain America fan get a beat heated when he becomes determined.

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Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.