WandaVision Theory: SWORD's Director Is A Skrull

SWORD’s acting director in WandaVision may actually be a Skrull. Introduced in episode 4, original character Tyler Hayward (Josh Stamberg) has been leading the charge to take down the barrier and save Westview from Scarlet Witch (Elizabeth Olsen).

In WandaVision, Marvel unveiled an organization that is sure to be key to the MCU’s future. Known as SWORD, the group has a reputation for battling alien threats in Marvel Comics. In the show, it was said that the MCU’s SWORD (Sentient Weapon Observation and Response Division) was founded by Captain Marvel’s Maria Rambeau (Lashana Lynch), who organized manned missions in outer space. Sometime after the events of Avengers: Infinity War, Maria passed away from cancer. Since SWORD lost a great deal of its personnel to the snap, choices for her replacement were limited. As a result, Tyler Hayward was chosen to take over as acting director.

In the Disney+ series, the character has been an obstacle to Monica Rambeau (Teyonah Parris), who is determined to find a way to save Wanda (Elizabeth Olsen). Hayward, on the other hand, is willing to do whatever it takes to beat her, and his use of a drone missile in episode 5 proved that he’s perfectly fine with lethal force. Now, his efforts have put him on opposite sides with Monica, Jimmy Woo (Randall Park), and Darcy (Kat Dennings). As Hayward’s mission to take down the Westview barrier continues, an ulterior motive could be revealed. It may be discovered that Hayward is connected with the MCU’s Skrulls, who are expected to make a return in Secret Invasion. Here’s why Tyler Hayward may be Skrull, and what this revelation would mean for SWORD and the future.

The Skrulls Are Planning An Invasion In MCU Phase 4

The Skrulls with lightning behind them in Marvel Comics

The Skrulls weren’t the villains in Captain Marvel, but it seems that they’ll be more like their comic counterparts in Phase 4. It’s been announced that the MCU will adapt a version of the Marvel Comics event, “Secret Invasion”, in a Disney+ series centered on Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) and the Skrull called Talos (Ben Mendelsohn). Their involvement was first teased in a post-credits scene in Spider-Man: Far From Home, which showed that the two were working together. Apparently, Talos - under Fury’s orders - was impersonating the former SHIELD director throughout the entire movie. Presumably, the two now have ties to SWORD.

Marvel’s Secret Invasion announcement suggests the two will either have to stop Talos’ people, or root out the spies that have already infiltrated their society. The comic book version of the story was all about Earth’s superheroes trying to combat the Skrulls, who had used their shapeshifting abilities to take the places of various powerful figures in both the government and the superhero community. It’s likely that the MCU’s Secret Invasion will see the Skrulls employ a similar scheme.

Signs SWORD’s Director May Be A Skrull In WandaVision

Josh Stamberg as Director Hayward in WandaVision

The Skrulls could have a mole inside SWORD in the form of its acting director. During Tyler Hayward’s debut, WandaVision gave the impression that he and Monica had a good relationship prior to her disappearance. She seemed to trust in his abilities as a director, but that changed when she saw how aggressive his approach was to Wanda. She quickly became disappointed in him, and reached the conclusion that Hayward was becoming a big problem. The reason Marvel has offered for Hayward acting this way is Avengers: Infinity War, as it was explained that Hayward started leading SWORD down a different direction after the snap. He may feel that Thanos has forced SWORD to change course.

While that does make sense, there’s an alternative explanation. It could be that Hayward was killed - or abducted - by a Skrull sometime after the snap. That could be the real reason for his change in behavior. A Skrull wanting Hayward’s job and influence feels logical for a number of reasons, beginning with SWORD’s role in the MCU. Their involvement in extraterrestrial affairs makes them a major threat to the Skrull Empire’s invasion plans. By having one of their own serve as its director, they can manipulate SWORD’s activities and divert their attention away from the Skrulls without the humans ever realizing it.

They can also use Hayward’s imposter to dispose of potential enemies, and an Avenger would certainly qualify as a target for them. If WandaVision’s Tyler Hayward really is a Skrull, it’s not surprising that he would have an anti-superhero agenda, and be so adamant on killing Scarlet Witch. She’s arguably Earth’s most powerful hero, and with all her abilities, she’s a wild card they can’t control or predict. Eliminating her would fit neatly into their agenda. Plus, what she’s doing in Westview gives Hayward the perfect excuse to get rid of her without causing too much trouble.

How A Skrull Plot In WandaVision Can Set Up Secret Invasion

Marvel can take a gigantic step toward Secret Invasion if Hayward does turn out to be a Skrull in disguise. Darcy did say that she believes Hayward is hiding something, and what she uncovers may be related to that in some way. If so, it’s possible one of these characters may find out that Hayward is a Skrull taking orders from their queen. A shocking reveal like this feels like something Marvel might make in WandaVision’s season finale. This plotline could be carried over to Secret Invasion, but how it plays out could depend on what ends up happening with Hayward. If he’s exposed and defeated by the end of the Disney+ series, other MCU characters may develop an understanding of what they’re dealing with. This could also help Nick Fury figure out just how deep the infiltration goes. In fact, if Darcy and possibly Jimmy Woo are involved in the discovery of the Skrull plot, the two characters could return in Secret Invasion as allies of Fury and Talos.

If Hayward is a Skrull and his MCU story isn’t wrapped up in WandaVision, he could return as a villain in the new series. It may be that he’ll somehow keep his identity a secret, and the characters suspicious of him will have to work toward uncovering the truth in Secret Invasion. Either way, the work that he’s done at SWORD could be detrimental to Fury’s plans in the show. In the time that he’s been director, he may have taken measures to inhibit any effort to stand in the way of the Skrull invasion, and make whatever challenge Fury has ahead of him even more difficult.

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