Actress Ming-Na Wen is the first female lead to be cast in Joss Whedon and Marvel Entertainment’s eagerly anticipated ABC series “S.H.I.E.L.D.” The show is based on the secret military agency run by Nick Fury in the Marvel Comics Universe.

Whedon will direct the pilot from a script written by Whedon, his brother Jed Whedon and Jed’s wife Maurissa Tancharoen. Wen will play Agent Melinda May, an emotionally unstable pilot and weapons expert.

Wen, of course, is best known for starring on one of NBC’s biggest and most influential programs: “The Single Guy.” She played Trudy Sloan, wife to Jonathan Silverman’s best friend on the show… OK, I’m semi-kidding. Ming-Na is best known for playing Dr. Jing-Mei Chen on “ER.”

Genre fans will also recognize the still hot at 48 starlet from her recurring roles on the Syfy series “Eureka” and “Stargate Universe,” and parts on Screen Gems Prom Night remake and Summit Entertainment’s sci-fi thriller Push.