With Secret Invasion, The MCU Leans On Yet Another Clandestine Organization With A Wacky Acronym

This post contains spoilers for the first episode of "Secret Invasion." 

If you're a fan of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, you are very familiar with S.H.I.E.L.D., aka Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement, and Logistics Division. We saw some of the good it did through the years, protecting the world from threats outside of the usual bad guys. We also saw the whole thing fall apart as Hydra compromised it. 

Then we learned about S.W.O.R.D., aka Sentient Weapon Observation and Response Division which was started by Maria Rambeau (Lashana Lynch) after the 1990s events of "Captain Marvel." That organization was supposed to deal with threats from outside our planet, like the Kree ... maybe even the Elementals (though no one really talks that much about the giant Elemental head that is rising from the ocean — seems like someone should). 

In the trailer for "The Marvels," which will hit theaters on November 10, 2023, we were introduced to S.A.B.E.R. in the form of the space station that Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) was on during the post-credits scene in "Spider-Man: Far From Home." We didn't get the name until now, so many fans assumed it was an outpost for S.W.O.R.D. before "The Marvels" trailer showed us the acronym. So, wait, there's another organization? Was it in the comics? What does it do? How is it different from S.W.O.R.D.? Let's take a look at what we know and how it might factor into the new Marvel Disney+ series "Secret Invasion." 

S.W.O.R.D. was supposed to be the organization dealing with space threats. We learned about it during the events of "WandaVision," and we know it from the comics. If S.W.O.R.D. is dealing with space threats, what is S.A.B.E.R.? 

The truth is, we don't know that much yet. We don't even know what it stands for. It's not in the comics, so we don't even have that to go on. We'll likely learn more as "Secret Invasion" goes on, but for now, let's speculate. 

First, it's possible that after everything with Wanda (Elizabeth Olsen) and Westview, S.W.O.R.D. could begin to focus more on magic. I mean, a wizard or witch with major powers could certainly be considered the "sentient weapon" part of the acronym. The organization certainly observed and responded to Wanda and the anomaly she caused. (Or mass mind assault, which I'm still trying to accept as something we were supposed to understand.)

What do we know so far about S.A.B.E.R.? In the post-credits scene in "Spider-Man: Far From Home," we see Talos (Ben Mendelsohn) and Soren (Sharon Blynn) pretending to be Nick Fury and Maria Hill (Cobie Smulders) in a car. They transform back into their Skrull forms and call the real Fury. He's on a space station (that we now know is S.A.B.E.R., and likely the same station we see in "The Marvels" trailer) and hanging out in front of a screen that makes his room look like he's relaxing on a beach. After the call, he gets up and turns around, and we get a glimpse of the station full of Skrulls while Fury tries to find the shoes he's discarded somewhere. 

Since "Far From Home" takes place in 2024, that means that Fury left in 2023. It must have been up and running for some time to be that huge and organized. Did it start as a relocation space for the Skrull? It has to be doing more than that with all that equipment. Fury could have had this project in the works since the events of "Captain Marvel" when he lost his eye. (Hi Goose!) Is it monitoring issues that are incoming from space? Looking for any Kree that may threaten us? 

Now that we know a splinter group is rebelling and trying to take over Earth for a new Skrull homeland, S.A.B.E.R. is likely to become more significant. Stay tuned to /Film as "Secret Invasion" continues to give us new info. 

"Secret Invasion" is currently streaming on Disney+.