Could Emma Stone Really Be Joining The MCU?

Emma Stone might be getting set to make a Marvel-ous return.

Rumor-mongering website We Got This Covered is reporting that its perpetually anonymous sources inform them that Stone is being eyed for the role of Abigail Brand, a mutant and agent of the organization known as S.W.O.R.D., in the upcoming Disney+ series WandaVision. 

Recent set photos have confirmed that the organization, a counterpart to S.H.I.E.L.D. which specializes in protecting the Earth from threats of the extraterrestrial variety, will indeed make its debut in the series. This is a very interesting development in and of itself, which we'll get to shortly. 

Since making its debut in the pages of Marvel comics in 2004, S.W.O.R.D. has been overseen by Abigail Brand — a Nick Fury-esque type with shocking green hair and a very, shall we say, unique lineage. The product of a union between an alien father and a mutant mother, Brand is (you guessed it) only half-human, and in the comics she boasts the mutant power to create bright blue bursts of energy powerful enough to incinerate most earthly metals. Thanks to dear old dad, she also has an oddly-shaped tongue which allows her to converse in alien dialects that are impossible for human beings to master.

The fact that S.W.O.R.D. will be introduced in WandaVision — which will star Elizabeth Olsen and Paul Bettany reprising their roles as Scarlet Witch and Vision, respectively —makes it a near-certainty that the character of Brand will be involved as well. Sure, it's a role that we can definitely see Stone holding down; it must be noted, though, that WGTC's report is completely unsubstantiated beyond its own sources, and that the website is typically not a super-reliable source of inside information.

Considering that no other media outlets have caught a whiff of this rumor, we're going to go ahead and slap it with the label "glorified fan-casting." We'd like to be proven wrong on this one, though; Stone has definitely demonstrated her ability to be funny, be no-nonsense, be kickass, and be all of the above when the situation calls for it (just check out the Zombieland flicks for proof). 

Also, we've always felt that she was pretty damn under-utilized in her previous Marvel role: that of Gwen Stacy in the Amazing Spider-Man series. Stone, and the character, deserved better than her portrayal in those films, so it'd be nice to see the actress get a second chance to kick some tail for Mighty Marvel.

S.W.O.R.D. stands for "Sentient World Observation and Response Department," and here's an interesting little factoid: it was created by none other than Joss Whedon, during his run on the Astonishing X-Men series. Whedon, of course, would go on to direct the first two Avengers films, and he played a substantial role in helping shape the MCU during its early years.

Now, if you've been keeping score, you've probably noticed two things — that we've referred to Abigail Brand as a mutant, and that her organization made its debut in the pages of an X-Men book. This has probably raised a specific question in your mind, and we have an answer: yes, S.W.O.R.D. is shaping up to be the very first property previously controlled by Fox Studios to be introduced into the Marvel Cinematic Universe since Fox's absorption by Disney.

This, it goes without saying, is massively significant. We know that WandaVision will debut on Disney+ sometime in 2021; said debut is likely to be preceded by the theatrical release Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (May 7, 2021), which will co-star Olsen as Scarlet Witch and is said to figure heavily in the events of the series.

We find it likely that S.W.O.R.D. — and by extension, mutants, and by further extension, possibly even the X-Men themselves — could be introduced or at least alluded to in the Doctor Strange sequel. Judging by the flick's title alone, we're going to go ahead and guess that it's through the plot device of the Multiverse that Mutantkind will be introduced into the MCU, although we don't necessarily expect to see Wolverine or Nightcrawler come leaping out of a Sling Ring portal (yet).

We'd even go so far as to say that Brand — a badass character — could serve as an excellent bridge the MCU and the... er... UWME (Universe Where Mutants Exist). In the comics, she's someone who has seen just about everything, and she could be helpful in making sense of what's going on (for both the characters and the audience) when these two universes inevitably collide.

At any rate, we're obviously super-pumped to see how Marvel handles the introduction of Brand and S.W.O.R.D., and despite its silly title, WandaVision might just be our most anxiously-awaited Disney+ series. We hope that the studio actually does give Stone a call; we can just picture her, all steely grey eyes and green hair, telling Nick Fury what he can go do with himself.