Quick Links
MarvelStudios has debuted its first Disney Plus series of 2023 in Secret Invasion, following past S.H.I.E.L.D. members Nick Fury and Maria Hill investigating an ongoing Skrull invasion that threatens humanity’s longevity on Earth.
RELATED:Spider-Man 2 Is Giving Me Web of Shadows Flashbacks
The spy thriller supplied a heart-racing conclusion to reel the audience into next week’s episode, but the introduction of a third agency in theMCUalso caused some confusion within the fandom. Here’s everything you need to know about the S.H.I.E.L.D., S.W.O.R.D., and S.A.B.E.R. organizations.
What Is S.H.I.E.L.D.?
Founded byHoward Stark, Chester Phillips, and Peggy Carter, S.H.I.E.L.D. stands for Strategic, Homeland Intervention, Enforcement, and Logistics Division and is an American-based government counter-terrorism and intelligence agency maintaining security on a national and global scale.
In Marvel Comics, S.H.I.E.L.D. was created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby for the agency’s first appearance in Strange Tales #135, published in 1965, and the acronym instead stands for Strategic Hazard Intervention Espionage Logistics Directorate in the source material.
Established after HYDRA’s downfall in World War II, S.H.I.E.L.D. was tasked withprotecting the world from internal and, for a time, external threats by way of advanced weaponry and special field agents. Said agents included the responseteam, the Avengers–a group of enhanced individuals with extraordinary powers who helped the modern-age leader, Nick Fury, and the World Security Council tackle supervillains and alien invasions.
RELATED:Midnight Suns: Best Storm Build
It later became known thatHYDRA managed to infiltrate S.H.I.E.L.D., and during the destruction of the Triskelion, the organization’s classified information was leaked to the world. Consequently, the US government deemed S.H.I.E.L.D. a terrorist organization which resulted in mass arrests. Had it not been for Agent Phil Coulson, who won the battle against traitor John Garrett, the organization would have never survived. Therefore, Fury made Coulson the next director of S.H.I.E.L.D. and asked him to rebuild the agency.
Coulson’s plight was largely covered in the ABC series, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., which ran for seven seasons, but in the current MCU, S.H.I.E.L.D. remains disbanded with individual agents working outside the agency.
What Is S.W.O.R.D.?
First mentioned within a deleted scene in 2011’s Thor, S.W.O.R.D. was fully explored in the Disney Plus series, WandaVision, and the acronym stands for Sentient Weapon Observation and Response Division and serves as an American government and intelligence agency that protects Earth against alien and extra-dimensional threats.
This agency wasfounded in 1995 by Maria Rambeau, Carol Danvers’ best friend, and fellow Air Force pilot, and specializes in extraterrestrial matters. Fast-forward to 2010, and Erik Selvig joined the team to use S.H.I.E.L.D.’s database after Jane Foster’s titular theory was established regarding wormholes to other dimensions.
After Rambau died of cancer in 2020,Tyler Hayward became S.W.O.R.D.’s acting directorand steered the agency towards artificial intelligence, including a project built around replicating Vision. This triggered the events of WandaVision, whereRambeau’s daughter, Monica, came on board to assist the FBI in their investigation of Wanda Maximoff’s hold over Westview. Hayward’s leadership at S.W.O.R.D. became questionable when he planned on using his White Vision creation to kill her and cover up her death with a lie. Hayward was later arrested by the FBI after his plans were aired.
RELATED:Spider-Man 2 Will Have Venom, But It Won’t Be Eddie Brock
In the comics, S.W.O.R.D. is a subdivision of S.H.I.E.L.D. based in space dealing with extraterrestrial threats, created by Joss Whedon and John Cassaday within the Astonishing X-Men Vol. 3 #6. The agency will be explored more in the upcoming The Marvels feature released later this year.
What Is S.A.B.E.R.?
Lastly, S.A.B.E.R. is the newest addition to the MCU’s agency roster, and it’s a completely original concept because it doesn’t exist in Marvel Comics. We’ve still to find out what the acronym stands for, but we know, thanks to Secret Invasion episode 1, that it’s anintergalactic space organization led by Nick Fury and another defense barrier for Earth against extraterrestrial and extra-dimensional threats.
We got our first look at the S.A.B.E.R. space station in the first trailer for The Marvels, which resembles a spear with two cylinders at the top. This design is based on the structure of The Peak from Marvel Comics, which actually serves as S.W.O.R.D.’s headquarters situated in orbit around Earth. The Peak was first used as an observation station in order for Nick Fury and Agent Abigail Brand to monitor mutants.
S.A.B.E.R. in the MCU, however, is also in charge of investigating anomalies circling Earth and functions as a subdivision of S.W.O.R.D. that defends from space while the parent organization operates on the Earth’s surface. We also found out that Nick Fury had been living on S.A.B.E.R. eversince Thanos’ Blipwas reversed–except for attending Tony Stark’s funeral.
More information will be released about S.A.B.E.R. in The Marvels because we know from the trailer that Nick Fury and Monica Rambeau are working there, and the fact that S.H.I.E.L.D. has now taken a backseat with both S.W.O.R.D. and S.A.B.E.R. taking the lead demonstrates the MCU’s shift to focus on the Multiverse in Phases 5 and 6.
