Secret Invasion: What Marvel's S.W.O.R.D. Can Tell Us About The MCU's S.A.B.E.R.

S.H.I.E.L.D. has been a part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe since the early days when Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) came knocking on Tony Stark's (Robert Downey Jr.) door to recruit him into the Avengers Initiative. Of course, it came crashing to the ground (literally) in "Captain America: The Winter Soldier" when Steve Rogers (Chris Evans) uncovered the organization was infested with HYDRA, all the way up to the leader, Alexander Pierce (Robert Redford). Since then, the world has needed a different kind of protector.

We were left to wonder when and what that protector would be until we saw Fury aboard a space station in the post-credit scene for "Spider-Man: No Way Home." While fans may have assumed it was the adaptation of the comic book organization, S.W.O.R.D., trailers for both "The Marvels" and "Secret Invasion" have revealed another organization altogether tasked with our defense, S.A.B.E.R.

Given the similarities in the names of the two organizations, we can guess that they are related. Still, while the former is a critical agency in the comics, the latter is an MCU original. But with a little deductive reasoning, we can guess that S.A.B.E.R. is taking the intergalactic weight off of S.W.O.R.D.'s shoulders, if not being an offshoot of the same agency.

Sentient World Observation and Response Department, or S.W.O.R.D., was a subdivision of S.H.I.E.L.D in the comics. While the parent organization was tasked with protecting the people of Earth from each other and dealing primarily with terrestrial threats, S.W.O.R.D. took on the responsibility of safeguarding the planet from more extraterrestrial and interdimensional threats.

The organization appeared already in the MCU when they arrive at Westview to investigate and eventually combat the events of "WandaVision." The series introduces the character of Monica Rambeau (Teyonah Parris), but it also gives us the first iteration of the replacement for the dissolved S.H.I.E.L.D. While they are seemingly there to protect the people of Westview initially, they eventually reveal themselves to be corrupt and became one of the series' villains.

Seeing a new organization already is a curious decision for the MCU. Recent franchise entries revealing information that Fury is on a S.A.B.E.R ship instead of a S.W.O.R.D. vessel tells us either one of two things. Once the latter was seen as corrupt, the former could have been created in its place. Or, it is a subdivision of the already introduced agency and will have another purpose entirely.

Interdimensional threats could be a lot when you consider that both Peter Parker (Tom Holland) and Dr. Stephen Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) had their hands full with the concept. Magic was enough to put an entire town at risk and necessitate that S.W.O.R.D. bring in their big guns in Darcy Lewis (Kat Dennings), Jimmy Woo (Randall Park), and Rambeau. Adding space to their purview may be more than they can handle.

Therefore, S.A.B.E.R. may very well be a subdivision of S.W.O.R.D. The former's aim could be to keep their eye on the sky and investigate any threats coming from outer space. Nick Fury would seem like the perfect person to head up that division of the agency since he has had dealings with Captain Marvel (Brie Larson), Thor (Chris Hemsworth), and Thanos' (Josh Brolin) minions throughout the "Infinity Saga." He has a long history with aliens and beings not of Earth, so he wouldn't be easily rattled when faced with more.

"Secret Invasion" has a lot going on in just the first five minutes of the series, and we can expect a lot more mayhem to ensue. During all the thrilling chaos, comic book aficionados will surely want at least two questions answered: who is S.A.B.E.R., and what happened to S.W.O.R.D.?