MCU Phase 4 Has The Next Evolution Of Civil War’s Sokovia Accords – Screen Rant

Phase 4 of the MCU introduces SWORD, SHIELD's replacement - and it will be the next evolution of Captain America: Civil War's Sokovia Accords.

TheMCU's Phase 4 has the next evolution of the Sokovia Accords in WandaVisionafter the Acccordsplayed such a major role inCaptain America: Civil War.From the outset, the MCU has wrestled with the question of how ordinary men and women would react to finding themselves plunged into a world of superheroes. As early as 2010'sIron Man 2, Tony Stark was called before the U.S. Senate to testify about the Iron Man armor, and he was pressured to hand his technology over to the government.

All that came to a climax in the aftermath ofAvengers: Age of Ultron, as the amount of damage wroughtby Avengers missions began to build.Captain America: Civil War saw one final tragedy push the United Nations to the point of passing the Sokovia Accords, which attempted to police superhumans. The Sokovia Accords caused the Avengers to schism, with Captain America leading one group opposed to the Accords, while Iron Man led another who attempted to enforce them. This division arguably left the Earth particularly vulnerable to Thanos' attack when he invaded Earth inAvengers: Infinity War, seeking to acquire the Infinity Stones. In the aftermath ofAvengers: Endgame, most viewers assumed the Sokovia Accords had been repealed.

Related:MCU Phase 4: Every Hint Marvel's Civil War Is Still Raging

The MCU's Phase 4 slate will, however, introduce the next evolution of the Sokovia Accords.WandaVision introduces an organization named SWORD, but they have been significantly modified from the comics. In the comics, SWORD is concerned with protecting Earth from extraterrestrial threats, but in the MCU they are the "Sentient Weapon Observation Response Division." In other words, they are responsible for monitoring and policing superhumans. That perfectly explains why SWORD is appearing inWandaVision, when there appears to be no extraterrestrial involvement.

The meaning of SWORD's acronym is an important clue to the organization's mindset when it comes to superhumans; they are "Sentient Weapons," not viewed as people. This is the same attitude General Ross displayed inCaptain America: Civil War, when he complained about Captain America not knowing where Thor and the Hulk were. "If I misplaced a couple of 30 megaton nukes," Ross snarled, "you can bet there'd be consequences." Leaving aside Ross' hypocrisy - that Hulk was created in one of his super-soldier programs, and Ross "misplaced" him for years - notice the view that superhumans are simply weapons. Indeed, this raises the possibility that Ross is the one in charge of SWORD in the MCU, not Nick Fury, as had been assumed afterSpider-Man: Far From Home's post-credits scene.

No doubt Scarlet Witch is considered an important asset for monitoring by SWORD; not only is she one of the most powerful "Sentient Weapons," her actions inCaptain America: Civil War were seen by the public as the final accident proving the need for the Sokovia Accords in the first place. What's more, Vision also suggested something about Wanda Maximoff triggers an "involuntary response in [the human] amygdala," making people particularly afraid of her. That fear would surely make her the subject of excessive monitoring by SWORD - and it wouldn't be a surprise to find that had backfired inWandaVision. The Sokovia Accords haven't gone away - they've merely evolved into SWORD in the wake of Thanos.

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Tom Bacon is one of Screen Rant's staff writers, and he's frankly amused that his childhood is back - and this time it's cool. Tom's focus tends to be on the various superhero franchises, as well as Star Wars, Doctor Who, and Star Trek; he's also an avid comic book reader. Over the years, Tom has built a strong relationship with aspects of the various fan communities, and is a Moderator on some of Facebook's largest MCU and X-Men groups. Previously, he's written entertainment news and articles for Movie Pilot.A graduate of Edge Hill University in the United Kingdom, Tom is still strongly connected with his alma mater; in fact, in his spare time he's a voluntary chaplain there. He's heavily involved with his local church, and anyone who checks him out on Twitter will quickly learn that he's interested in British politics as well.

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MCU Phase 4 Has The Next Evolution Of Civil War's Sokovia Accords - Screen Rant