The king is dead; long live the king.
With all due respect to Josh Stamberg’s Tyler Haywood, the looming showdown between Wanda Maximoff and the Sentient Weapon Observation and Response Department might mean the newly introduced organization might be replacing its acting director by season’s end. With that in mind, here’s a look at 5 potential candidates to step into command of S.W.O.R.D.
Monica Rambeau
Already a Captain in the organization founded by her mother, Monica Rambeau stands out as a safe choice to step into the leadership role should Haywood find himself…unable to fill it. We’ve already seen enough to know that Monica is NOT going to have too much in common with her comic book counterpart and she really does make the most sense for the role. She’s spent her entire life holding secrets most people only dream of and if not for having been snapped, she might already be in the top spot. Being in charge of S.W.O.R.D. would also set her up nicely for a reunion with our next candidate.
Carol Danvers
In all likelihood, Carol is a bit too busy to hold down the role, but should Marvel Studios choose to merge work some of Carol’s recent Alpha Flight plot points into Captain Marvel 2, having her take command of S.W.O.R.D. would do the trick. She’s already had a hand in the Avengers Initiative and certainly on the creation of S.W.O.R.D. and no Terran hero will have more experience with extraterrestrial threats. However, with S.W.O.R.D. cutting back on its space program, taking Carol out of the skies might not be the best choice.
Abigail Brand
There’s no better choice than the Special Agent Abigail Brand but there are certainly some hold-ups to her ascendancy to the big chair. While the true nature of S.W.O.R.D.’s reworking isn’t entirely clear, the idea that they are focusing on sentient weapons could make them a prime candidate to be the MCU’s first mutant monitoring agency. Given the fact that Brand herself is a mutant, that might not work out too well just yet. Of course, the larger issue is that, for the moment we haven’t met Brand yet and so unless she’s coming in from outside the organization, it might be too early to see her.
Henry Peter Gyrich
Gyrich is one of a handful of characters whose continued absence from the MCU is both frustrating and confusing. One of Marvel biggest pricks, Gyrich has been a thorn in the side of Marvel’s comic book heroes for decades in many roles including, at one time, the co-director of S.W.O.R.D. Should the organization’s showdown with the Scarlet Witch turn into a bit of a shitshow, it’s possible that the government might install a guy like Gyrich in a position of power to keep an eye on things from the inside.
Adam Brashear
A surprise pick for sure, but Adam Brashear might be the right choice at the right time. It seems incredibly unlikely we’ll see Brashear’s comic book origin story retold on the big screen but Marvel Studios could certainly come up with a creative way to see the doctor and former Marine become the Blue Marvel after installing him as director of S.W.O.R.D. Brashear’s military background could serve as a great entry point into the organization. As director Brashear could open up Project Perseus and begin investigating the Negative Zone before one of those darned science accidents gifts him with his incredible powers. This would of course, also allow him to meet Monica Rambeau, with whom he’s shared a relationship in the past!
For all we know, Hayward may be the man going forward, but Marvel Studios has a great opportunity to make a change at the top and do so with style!
