The presence of the agency known as S.W.O.R.D. may have come as a surprise to many viewers as they've made their way through Marvel's trip of a show known as WandaVision. In fact, its entire existence may have been a surprise itself. Well, it turns out series creator Jac Schaeffer didn't take the introduction of this counterpart to S.H.I.E.L.D. lightly. In fact, she was positively reverent about the whole thing.
According to Schaeffer, one of the biggest challenges was implementing S.W.O.R.D. (mercifully shortened down from "Sentient Weapon Observation Response Division") as an agency that's already been established in-universe. "Sort of imagining an agency that already exists without like the building of it and seeing all of it... It was a little bit challenging," she said of the ambitious development, adding that while it certainly had its difficulties, the whole process has been "really, really fun to watch happen."
But aside from the issues of bringing the agency itself into the MCU canon, Schaeffer also had plenty to say about the newly-minted history behind S.W.O.R.D. that she had a hand in deploying. As viewers likely know (but possibly missed in the show), S.W.O.R.D. was officially created by Maria Rambeau, mother of WandaVision breakout character Monica Rambeau and long time friend of Carol Danvers (a.k.a. Captain Marvel). The mother and daughter both appeared in the Captain Marvel film, albeit with Monica at a much younger age.
This new development adds a sort of poetic connection between S.W.O.R.D. and S.H.I.E.L.D., the latter of which was founded by Agent Peggy Carter. The idea of both agencies being created by strong, ambitious women thrilled Schaeffer to no end. "The idea that Maria Rambeau founded S.W.O.R.D. was a real discovery and very exciting," she said while discussing the division's role during the writing of WandaVision.
The Marvel Cinematic Universe has been making notable strides with regards to diversity in recent years. From the undeniable popularity of 2018's Black Panther to the highly-anticipated Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (which also features Marvel's first Asian lead), it's slowly becoming less of a novelty and more of a welcome expectation when one of the media giant's properties stars someone other than a white man in its main role.
This, of course, doesn't imply that there's anything wrong with white men leading movies, but there's something big to be said for representation. At this point, that particular crowd has been seen plenty over the years, and it's guaranteed that there will always be more. So, with that covered, the more people who get to see people like themselves take top billing in any form of media, the better for everyone. Here's hoping this trend stays its course as Marvel's Phase 4 of its universe continues, not to mention the possibility of a second season of WandaVision.
WandaVision is now available on Disney Plus.
Source: CinemaBlend