WandaVision Episode 4 Reveals SWORD's Origin and Leaders

WandaVision returned today with an episode that was much different from the show's first three entries. We got to see the story from a different perspective as Darcy Lewis (Kat Dennings) and Jimmy Woo (Randall Park) attempt to help SWORD uncover what's happening in Westview. Warning: Spoilers Ahead! Things get intense when SWORD sends Monica Rambeau (Teyonah Parris) to New Jersey to connect with the FBI's Woo about a missing person's case. Turns out, it's actually an entire missing town! Monica gets sucked into the force field surrounding Westview, but before she finds herself in the sitcom world, we learn a little bit about Monica and SWORD's history.

The episode begins with Monica waking up in a hospital as we learn that she was turned to dust during the Thanos snap while waiting for her mother, Maria Rambeau, to have surgery. While the hospital scrambles to deal with The Blip, a doctor informs Monica that her mother's cancer returned and she died three years earlier, two years after Monica was decimated by Thanos.

Once Monica returns to work at SWORD, she's greeted by the agency's acting director, Tyler Hayward (Josh Stamberg). We learn that he got the job because he was the only viable option after Maria passed and that Maria put plans into place should the people who were lost to Thanos return. The episode confirms that the MCU acronym is Sentient Weapon Observation Response Division as opposed to the comic's Sentient World Observation and Response Department.

Not only does WandaVision reveal that Maria founded SWORD, but its operations were up and running before the events of Avengers: Infinity War, altering the theories that Nick Fury started the agency after Avengers: Endgame. While it looks like Director Hayward is in charge, for the time being, we wouldn't be surprised if the title was eventually given to Monica. However, we also wouldn't mind seeing Abigail Brand, who serves as Commander of SWORD in some of the comics.

What are your thoughts about the addition of SWORD? What do you think this means for the future of SHIELD? Tell us your thoughts in the comments!

WandaVision's first four episodes are now streaming on Disney+ with new episodes dropping on Fridays. The rest of 2021's line-up includes The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, which is scheduled to premiere on Disney+ on March 19th, Black Widow in theatres on May 7th, Loki debuting on Disney+ in May, Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings in theatres on July 9th, What If... on Disney+ this summer, Eternals in theatres on November 5th, Ms. Marvel and Hawkeye coming to Disney+ later in the year, and Marvel's Spider-Man 3 in theatres on December 17th.