S.H.I.E.L.D. TV Series Characters Revealed

Ever since the upcoming ABC TV pilot based on Marvel's spy comic series S.H.I.E.L.D. was announced back in August, fans have been wondering who the featured characters would be.  Fortunately, TVLine has just provided casting details for the TV pilot, which will be directed by Avengers movie director and Astonishing X-Men writer Joss Whedon depending on his schedule.  Whedon will also be writing the pilot along with his brother Jed and Jed's wife Maurissa Tancharoen.

The Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement and Logistics Division should have ties to the same agency depicted in The Avengers, but characters such as Nick Fury, Maria Hill or the presumably dead Phil Coulson weren't listed in the casting details.  Instead, the following characters are described:

SKYE: This late-20s woman sounds like a dream: fun, smart, caring and confident – with an ability to get the upper hand by using her wit and charm.

AGENT GRANT WARD: Quite the physical specimen and “cool under fire,” he sometimes botches interpersonal relations. He’s a quiet one with a bit of a temper, but he’s the kind of guy that grows on you.

AGENT ALTHEA RICE: Also known as “The Cavalry,” this hardcore soldier has crazy skills when it comes to weapons and being a pilot. But her experiences have left her very quiet and a little damaged.

AGENT LEO FITZ and AGENT JEMMA SIMMONS: These two came through training together and still choose to spend most of their time in each other’s company. Their sibling-like relationship is reinforced by their shared nerd tendencies – she deals with biology and chemistry, he’s a whiz at the technical side of weaponry.

So...How many currently unemployed veterans of Firefly, Dollhouse, Buffy the Vampire Slayer and/or Angel will become agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.?