The fourth episode of WandaVision dropped on Disney+ today and it featured the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s first real look at SWORD. We learned that Monica Rambeau (Teyonah Parris) is a member of the agency, which was founded by her mother, Maria Rambeau (Lashana Lynch). The current director of SWORD is Tyler Hayward (Josh Stamberg), but the character’s emphasis on being “acting director” makes us think he won’t hold the position for long. One of the biggest new things featured in the episode was the official acronym for SWORD, which is a bit different from the one used in the comics.
According to the WandaVision episode, SWORD stands for Sentient Weapon Observation Response Division. In the comics, it was the Sentient World Observation and Response Department. We are not too surprised they changed it considering the same was done with SHIELD. Currently, SHIELD stands for Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement and Logistics Division but it used to be called the Strategic Hazard Intervention Espionage Logistics Directorate which came after Supreme Headquarters, International Espionage, Law-Enforcement Division. In the words of Agents of SHIELD‘s Grant Ward, “someone really wanted it to spell SHIELD.”
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While we are certainly enjoying the ride from Wanda’s sitcom reality to SWORD’s perspective, some folks haven’t been fans of the show’s pacing. Recently, WandaVision‘s head writer/creator, Jac Schaeffer, spoke to Digital Spy about those concerns.
“I understand it. I was worried about that, especially because Marvel fans show up with an expectation, and we are bucking that expectation [laughs] quite a bit,” Schaeffer shared. “But I think that anyone who invests in the show will find satisfaction. We do take the show to places that a traditional Marvel fan will enjoy.”
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.
