[Editor’s note: The following containsspoilersforWandaVision, Season 1, Episode 2.]
We don’t know a lot about what’s going on with our pals Wanda and Vision inWandaVisionright now, but we know enough about the MCUto look for clues and easter eggs wherever we can. And so far, the biggest clue by far is a symbol that’s appeared multiple times in the first two episodes: An oval surrounding a sword. The secret of this symbol isn’t too hard to uncover, thanks to both the comics as well asmaterials released early by Marvel Studiosin connection with the Disney+ series. These references all point to an organization known as S.W.O.R.D., a sister agency of S.H.I.E.L.D. (Get it?)
What does S.W.O.R.D. stand for? That’s the million-dollar question, and one to which the answer says a lot about the potential role this group might play in what’s to come down the line. When it made its first appearance inJoss Whedon’sAstonishing X-Mencomics in 2004, the acronym was short for Sentient World Observation and Response Department, which tracked with the organization’s stated mission to deal with alien worlds, alternate dimensions, pocket realities, and other oddities in a perhaps more aggressive fashion than S.H.I.E.L.D. might.
WandaVisionmarks the first appearance of S.W.O.R.D. in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. However, here in the MCU it’s now known as Sentient Weapon Observation and Response Division. “Department” to “Division” isn’t that big a change, but “World” to “Weapon”? That’s amassiveshift, speaking to the fact that Wanda is a massively powerful individual — and her powers may be going wackadoo right now.
It’s pretty clear Wanda and Vision (and perhaps many of their lovely charming neighbors?) are trapped in some sort of pocket reality — what we don’t know is whether that trap is the result of Wanda’s doing or someone else’s. At the end of Episode 2, her reaction to watching the Beekeeper Man climb out of the sewer grate makes it seem like she’s in control of what’s going on. But earlier in the episode, when she sees the crashed toy helicopter, emblazoned with the symbol, beam red and yellow at her, she seems terrified.
In short: Something weird is happening here, and the line we may be looking at is Wanda vs. S.W.O.R.D. While we know, to some degree, Wanda is capable of, we don’t know what tools S.W.O.R.D. has at its disposal, and who is the more powerful entity here remains a mystery. In the MCU, just because an organization claims to be working for the betterment of humanity doesn’t mean they’re telling the truth — and even if those working for S.W.O.R.D. haven’t gone full “Hail Hydra,” that doesn’t mean they have everyone’s best interests in mind.
For right now, keep an eye out for that symbol in future episodes. Because it’s the biggest hint we’ve gotten yet as to what’s in store for the future.
WandaVisionEpisodes 1 and 2 are streaming now on Disney+. For more, check outour guide to this wild and wonderful cast of characters.
