What's in an Acronym?

A lot, in the comic book and feature film universe. In the new movie Iron Man, the titular character, Tony Stark, is contacted by a representative of a shadowy government organization that has great interest in his newfound capabilities to take down baddies. It's name? The Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement and Logistics Division.

Interestingly, according to Wikipedia, in previous incarnations of Iron Man in the world of comics, the organization was known as Supreme Headquarters, International Espionage, Law-Enforcement Division and, later, Strategic Hazard Intervention, Espionage Logistics Directorate.

The varying names highlight the shift in national attention away from Communist cold warriors to the terrorists of the new millennium. But they all add up to the same apt acronym: SHIELD.