In the wake of "Empyre" and "X of Swords," the X-Men will reform SWORD, Earth's premier space defense. Marvel superhero comics have always been set in "the world outside our window," a world just like our own - but with the addition of gods and monsters, demons and mutants. What's more, of late it's increasingly seemed as though alien invasions are becoming something of a weekly occurrence. Last year, Earth was ravaged by the events of "War of the Realms," and more recently the Cotati attempted to kill all non-vegetable life in the universe in "Empyre."
Abigail Brand has traditionally stood at the forefront of Earth's space defense. Half-mutant, half-alien, she used to run an organization called SWORD who made SHIELD look like the Boy Scouts. But she's found herself increasingly sidelined, and in "Empyre" she had no idea the invasion was on its way. Brand was left bitterly frustrated with the Avengers, who really should have reported what they were dealing with to her, and so she resolved to create a new first line of defense. Empyre: Avengers Aftermath teased that Abigail Brand will be reforming SWORD, and she was shown sporting a logo that looked suspiciously like a combination of the traditional SWORD insignia and an X-Men symbol.
Now Marvel has confirmed that is no coincidence. This December, they'll be announcing a new SWORD ongoing series by writer Al Ewing and artist Valerio Schiti. This is considered part of the X-Men line, and it will see the mutants of Krakoa relaunch the Sentient World Observation & Response Directorate to deal with all things extra-terrestrial on behalf of Earth. Abigail Brand will be recruiting a number of key assets, including Magneto, Kid Cable, Frenzy, Wiz Kid, Fabian Cortez, and former Avenger Manifold.
Ewing is one of Marvel's most experienced writers, and he's well known for stories that explore the cosmic side of the Marvel Universe. "It's an absolute blast to be working with the X-team, and to bring Marvel's merry mutants into the new Age of Space," he observed in an official statement, "and introduce space to the new age of Krakoa! And it's not just X-readers and space explorers who get what they want—fans of my more cosmic Marvel work will have plenty to digest as well, as mutantkind thinks even bigger and takes it even further, into realms I'm almost surprised they let me get away with. After conquering death, what's next - and will we survive the experience?"
The cast suggests this will be SWORD in the traditional sense, an organization that protects Earth and is entirely comfortable with shades-of-grey. Brand never allowed herself to be bound by ethical constraints, and the cover suggests Magneto is also one of the key players in the new SWORD. The other members include two former Acolytes, most notably Fabian Cortez, a treacherous and self-serving mutants who has the power to amplify the abilities of others. His presence in SWORD is entirely understandable, given he's a trained astronaut, but no doubt Cortez will have an agenda all his own.
The timing of this announcement couldn't be better. SWORD is coming to the MCU as a SHIELD replacement, their existence teased in set photos from WandaVision and confirmed in the Disney+ TV show's first trailer. It's surely no coincidence the series will launch in December, the same month episodes of WandaVision will come out on Disney+. It's nice to see this kind of synergy between the comics and the MCU.