S.H.I.E.L.D. BARBERSHOP

Classification: Terrestrial technology

Creator: Unrevealed

Users/Possessors: Various agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.; staffed by "Slim", Sam, and an unidentified female agent; one base later operated by Deadpool

First Appearance: Strange Tales I#136/1 (September, 1965)

Powers/Abilities/Functions: Located near 59th Street and Madison Avenue, New York City, the S.H.I.E.L.D. Barbershop was a front, disguising the entrance to S.H.I.E.L.D.'s New York base hidden underground. The barbershop was staffed by a trio of S.H.I.E.L.D. agents who masqueraded as barbers, but had an arsenal of weaponry available to them in case of an emergency. S.H.I.E.L.D. agents and other friendlies could gain access to the underground base by sitting in the barber chairs and being lowered by the staff down into the base. The windows of the shop could be automatically fogged to prevent people on the street from witnessing the goings-on within the shop. The shoeshine chair and manicure station could activate steel clamps to capture people who sat in them.

The Barbershop could be changed within minutes into a hardware store to maintain confusion among their enemies.

History: (Strange Tales I#136/1) - On his way to S.H.I.E.L.D.'s base, Nick Fury became aware that he was being tracked by Hydra agents. He entered the barbershop and alerted the staff that the two men following him were from Hydra. When the Hydra agents entered, one was captured in the shoeshine chair while the other was caught in the manicure station. Fury then used a hypno-beam on both of the agents to make them think they had killed him and the three barbershop staff members, so that Hydra would be thrown off their trail. Once the Hydra agents were released and told their story, the other Hydra forces moved on to continue their search for S.H.I.E.L.D.'s headquarters. Fury had the staff quickly disguise the barbershop as a hardware store, then descended into S.H.I.E.L.D. headquarters while the staff took up their guns.

(Strange Tales I#144/1) - Rookie agent Jasper Sitwell arrived at the barbershop and demanded to be let in to see Fury, but the agent on duty doubted his story until he demonstrated a device Tony Stark had given him to prove he was with S.H.I.E.L.D. When Fury and Dum-Dum Dugan arrived in the barbershop, Sitwell went into a lengthy introduction which the two men happily ignored as they were lowered into the base, leaving Sitwell behind.

(Strange Tales I#147/1) - A.I.M. raided the barbershop and used knock-out gas on the three agents. Before passing out, one of them sent a distress alarm to the base below, and Fury, Dugan and Sitwell blew out one of the barber chairs then had jets propel them into the shop where they quickly beat all of the A.I.M. agents and rescued the three shop agents, who had been tied up and locked in a closet.

(Avengers I#32) - Steve Rogers came to the barbershop to request information from Nick Fury, and showed "Slim" the badge Fury had given him. "Slim" lowered him into the base, but alerted S.H.I.E.L.D. staff. They confronted Steve, but he revealed himself to be Captain America, and they lowered their weapons.

(Strange Tales I#153/1) - Fury visited the barbershop to get a free shave from the staff. They discussed how Fury had recently rescued Laura Brown from Hydra, and he used the shop's communications equipment to keep in touch with Jasper Sitwell as Sitwell oversaw Laura's transportation to safety.

(Tales of Suspense I#92/2) - A.I.M. sent a Mecho-Assassin to the barbershop to assassinate Nick Fury. Despite the efforts of Captain America, Fury and the staff were all seemingly killed, but it turned out that Fury had anticipated the attack, and the Mecho-Assassin had only destroyed a LMD of Fury and LMDs of the staff.

(Strange Tales I#159/1) - Fury brought Laura Brown with him to S.H.I.E.L.D. headquarters to offer membership to her, and they used the barbershop to enter the base. The staff had heard how Fury had recently defeated Baron Strucker, and congratulated him on his victory.

(Strange Tales I#164/2) - As "Slim" and Sam were sitting around complaining about having to deal with genuine customers, Nick Fury suddenly materialized before them from thin air. "Slim" quickly closed the front door (shutting out a man who looked suspiciously like James Bond) while the bald agent sent Fury into the underground base for medical treatment.

(Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes II#2) - Jasper Sitwell brought the Vision to S.H.I.E.L.D. headquarters via the barbershop so that he could be interrogated.

(Captain America I#114) - Captain America came to the barbershop to find Nick Fury, and was lowered into the base.

(Captain America I#120) - Captain America visited the base again, wanting Fury to tell him where Sharon Carter was.

(Captain America I#124) - Captain America visited the base again, this time to demand that Sharon be removed from active duty.

(Captain America I#127) - Captain America departed the base via the barbershop chairs following a training session with Fury.

(Captain America I#143) - Sam greeted Captain America and the Falcon as they exited the base by traveling up the barber chairs.

(Captain America I#149) - Sam greeted Captain America as the hero departed the base following a personal clash with Nick Fury that seemed to spell the end of his association with S.H.I.E.L.D.

(Captain America I#161) - Sam was just about to send the agents "Ham and Eggs" into the base when Captain America entered, and the duo started a fight with the Captain that ended when Nick Fury intervened.

(Captain America I#217) - Two agents (not of the regular staff) were seeing to their customers when Captain America and the Falcon suddenly entered the shop. The customers were quickly driven out while the Captain and the Falcon descended into the base, then the customers were allowed back in.

(Captain America I#228) - Captain America was lured to the base, but found the shop deserted. Entering below, he contacted Jasper Sitwell and learned that S.H.I.E.L.D. was about to destroy the base because it had been breached too many times. Before the Captain could leave, he was attacked by the Constrictor, and they were trapped underground together as explosives went off to destroy the base.

(Captain America I#229) - The barbershop above was shown to be still intact as Captain America dragged the Constrictor to safety from the ruins below.

(Captain America III#3 - BTS) - At some point, S.H.I.E.L.D. opened up a new base which used the same kind of barbershop front.

(Captain America III#3) - When ex-agent Sharon Carter came to the shop to see S.H.I.E.L.D., the agent minding the shop allowed her in, but sent an alarm to warn Dum-Dum Dugan she was coming.

(Daredevil I#376) - S.H.I.E.L.D. agent Harlan operated out of the barbershop as he oversaw Daredevil's undercover mission as "Laurent Levasseur," but he was accidentally run over by a truck.

(Daredevil I#376) - Harlan's mission was picked up by Tia Senyaka, who went over his work to learn what he had been up to.

(Deadpool III#65-69) - After raising his profile in the mercenary community by killing four crimelords at once, Deadpool moved the offices of Deadpool, Inc. into an old S.H.I.E.L.D. barbershop base, with a working chair still operational. His staff members Sandi Brandenberg and Ratbag both operated out of the run-down base with him.

Comments: Created by Stan Lee, Jack Kirby and John Severin.

The S.H.I.E.L.D Barbershop was probably inspired by "The Man from U.N.C.L.E." TV series (which was running at the time), wherein the secret entrance to U.N.C.L.E headquarters was in Del Florio's Tailor Shop.
--John McDonagh