Nick Fury finds himself in far too many government organizations with acronym names. Most of them turn out to be infested with evil, so his occasional jumping ship makes sense. S.H.I.E.L.D. presided over the first phase or two of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but its downfall left a tremendous power vacuum. S.W.O.R.D. could have filled its place, but its terrestrial nature limited its capabilities. Nick Fury needs eyes everywhere, including the depths of space, leading him to construct S.A.B.E.R.
Marvel has steadily expanded its scope since its first few stories. Thor was the only member of the initial Avengers roster from anywhere other than Earth. No other hero on the team had ever left Earth. Now, MCU stories explore the furthest reaches of the stars and alternate worlds of mysticism. After Loki opened the multiverse, the possibilities became endless. This has been a blessing and a curse.
What is S.A.B.E.R. in the MCU?
The Strategic Aerospace Biophysics and Exolinguistic Response or S.A.B.E.R. team is an active aerospace organization concerned with cosmic threats. Where S.H.I.E.L.D. once operated on Earth, S.A.B.E.R. stays in space. Its headquarters is a massive orbiting space station. S.A.B.E.R. is an astounding co-production between humanity and the Skrulls. Nick Fury oversaw the creation and operation of S.A.B.E.R. Nick Fury sought to safeguard humankind and its allies from deep space threats after the loss and return of half of all life in the universe. Though his absence went unnoticed by most, he spent years in orbit trying to perfect the space station. Fury let the Skrull General Talos impersonate him while he worked tirelessly to construct the impossibly complicated location. It didn’t last long, as S.A.B.E.R. was partially destroyed in The Marvels. Fury led the escape pods, landing him and his staff on Earth for a while. Fans haven’t seen Fury since then, leaving the future of the team and its headquarters vague. President Ritson described Fury’s efforts like this:
Agent Fury is building up the most complex aerospace defense system in the history of mankind.
Why did S.A.B.E.R. replace S.H.I.E.L.D.?
S.A.B.E.R. didn’t replace S.H.I.E.L.D. because S.H.I.E.L.D. is still active. Marvel fans may remember S.H.I.E.L.D.’s downfall in Captain America: The Winter Soldier. S.H.I.E.L.D. partially defeated the evil Nazi organization HYDRA in the 40s. Like the historical Operation Paperclip, they recruited several sinister scientists to further American domination. HYDRA infiltrated S.H.I.E.L.D. and gradually ruined the world. Captain America wisely destroyed S.H.I.E.L.D. with HYDRA. However, Agent Phil Coulson and Nick Fury reassembled S.H.I.E.L.D. with a handful of dedicated former employees. S.A.B.E.R. is never referred to as a part of S.H.I.E.L.D. They seem unrelated, and though S.H.I.E.L.D. has gone unmentioned for a while, both seem to function simultaneously. S.H.I.E.L.D. works in secret on Earth, while S.A.B.E.R. works in space. Fury worked with S.A.B.E.R. while Talos managed S.H.I.E.L.D. The post-credits scene of Spider-Man: Far From Home depicts Talos fumbling the Mysterio situation while Fury chills in space. The two organizations work simultaneously.
S.A.B.E.R. in Marvel Comics
S.A.B.E.R. doesn’t exist in Marvel Comics. S.H.I.E.L.D. has a spacefaring spin-off branch that handles faraway issues. The comic book version of S.A.B.E.R. is called S.W.O.R.D. The Sentient World Observation and Response Department operates under Nick Fury to monitor interstellar threats, just as S.A.B.E.R. does in the MCU. Their space station is called Peak, and it appears frequently. Why did the MCU change its name? Because they’d already used S.W.O.R.D. elsewhere. S.W.O.R.D. appears in WandaVision, shifting quickly from a decent influence to a mid-level villain. The MCU changes its name to the Sentient Weapon Observation and Response Division. Air Force Captain and Carol Danvers’ best friend, Maria Rambeau, founded the organization, running it as director until she passed away in 2020. After her death, acting director Tyler Hayward took over and ran S.W.O.R.D. into the ground.
On Hayward’s orders, S.W.O.R.D. stole Vision’s body from Wakanda. Wanda Maximoff became enraged and cast her hex over Westview, New Jersey. S.W.O.R.D. investigated the event, sending Monica Rambeau into the cursed town. She picked up superpowers through the experience. Wanda’s power let S.W.O.R.D. reanimate Vision, but their version of the advanced artificial intelligence fled after the hex fell. Monica and astrophysicist Dr. Darcy Lewis phoned the FBI and had Hayward arrested. The organization hasn’t appeared since. The MCU invented S.A.B.E.R. to fill the void.
S.A.B.E.R. is a renamed version of a classic idea from the comics. The fact that they can’t use the existing name because a different entry used it for something else is a fascinating semi-negative side effect of the adaptation. S.A.B.E.R. has only enjoyed around an hour of screentime between Secret Invasion and The Marvels. It could be a going concern in future outings, but it also only seems to appear prominently in poorly received entries. S.A.B.E.R. is Earth’s last line of defense against interstellar threats, whether they continue to matter or not.
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