WandaVision Episode 4 took its first big steps away from the warped sitcom life this week, with big new developments in the layers of modern Marvel film.
In particular, we took a look at what – in the comics – is one of the most secret organizations in the Marvel Universe. And it could tie in with the future of Captain Marvel, Nick Fury, and the Skrull Empire.
[Ed. note: This piece contains spoilers for WandaVision through episode 4.]
WandaVisionThe strongest hint of SWORD’s existence came in its third episode, in which it spent much more time with the character Geraldine when she befriended Wanda and helped set her twin sons free. But other members of Westview say Geraldine is weird and new to town. It is also different from other citizens in other ways. So far she is the only one who seems to have memories of Wanda’s life as an avenger.
Geraldine tells Wanda that she remembers when Ultron killed her brother Pietro and Wanda gets excited and suspicious. We don’t see exactly what happens next, but the next time we see Geraldine she will be ejected through a shimmering barrier around Westview as armed, uniformed people surround her.
One of the things Wanda becomes suspicious of is Geraldine’s pendant, a tear with a raised sword.
The mixture of sword images and a shady military group points in one direction for Marvel Comics fans: SWORD.
WandaVisionThe fourth episode of “We Interrupt This Program” outside of Westview shows us the almost immediate response from SWORD, the Sentient Weapons Watch and Response Division, to the disappearance of Westview, a small (fake) town in New Jersey.
Founded by Maria Rambeau, a close friend of Captain Marvel who first appeared in Captain MarvelSWORD is apparently a government agency dedicated to uncovering and dealing with alien threats to Earth. So one wonders where exactly they were when Thanos showed up Avengers: Infinity War – but maybe WandaVision has plans to address that. First, let’s talk about SWORD in the original Marvel comics.
What is SWORD?
First, the acronym for SWORD is slightly different in the comics: the Sentient World Observation and Response Department. In other words, it’s a counterpart to SHIELD that focuses on extraterrestrial events just like on the show.
SWORD’s profile isn’t as big as SHIELD’s in Marvel Comics’ history, though it’s in arcs like that Secret invasion
In addition, SWORD has just developed into the space research and diplomacy arm of the mutated government of Krakoa in the comics. This is such a recent development that it shouldn’t be expected to have any connection to it WandaVisioneven if Wanda and her brother Pietro were mutants in the comics. But it is cool.
SWORD, beyond WandaVision
There are many signs that we will see more of SWORD beyond that WandaVision.
Teyonah Parris’ Monica Rambeau, who we now know has an important role on SWORD, will repeat her role on Captain Marvel 2. And Monica could have stayed in touch with Nick Fury since then Captain Marvel. Last time we saw SHIELD’s raunchiest agents Spider-Man: Far from homeHe was in space on a Skrull ship. Samuel Jackson will eventually return to the role for Secret invasion, and Parris will appear again in the subtitle Captain Marvel 2. It is possible like the Marvel way is WandaVision lays the foundation for both future installments of the MCU.