Marking the return of Captain Marvel, The Marvels is set to release on November 10, 2023. In the trailer, Captain Monica Rambeau is seen in outer space while Nick Fury is at the S.A.B.E.R space station, wait, wasn’t it S.W.O.R.D., though? We saw it in WandaVision, didn’t we? I asked myself the same question when I first saw it in The Marvels trailer and the first episode of Secret Invasion. I surely got confused, and you all might have too. So, to clear the air about this confusion, I am writing this article to answer the question – What is Marvel’s SABER in Secret Invasion and what is the difference between SABER and SWORD? Let’s find out.
What is SABER in MCU?
SABER is a space battle station, whose full form is still unknown to us. It is designed exclusively to look after extraterrestrial threats and stand as a first line of defense against any such adversary of alien nature. SABER is a branch of SHIELD, Marvel’s counter-terrorism and intelligence agency. As shown in Secret Invasion Episode 1, Nick Fury is in charge of the SABER space station, where human SHIELD agents and Skrulls who work for the organization, stay together to operate the battle station.
SABER appeared for the first time in MCU in Spiderman: Far From Home. After the events of Avengers: Endgame, Fury came to SABER to deal with his trauma. There, we also get to know that Nick Fury has been on SABER all this time and the Nick Fury present on Earth is actually Talos, a Skrull friend of Fury who was impersonating him. You can read all about where Nick Fury was before Secret Invasion via our dedicated article.
In the currently running Disney Plus series Marvel’s Secret Invasion, we see that Nick Fury was called back to Earth from SABER to stop the infiltration of the rogue Skrulls taking place on the planet. This tells us that Nick Fury has been on the SABER battle station from the time when Avengers: Endgame took place, followed by the events of Spiderman: Far From Home. Fury will probably return back there after the finale of Marvel’s Secret Invasion for the events of The Marvels movie.
Difference Between SWORD and SABER
S.W.O.R.D. stands for Sentient Weapon Observation Response Divison. The grammar of this complete form makes me feel some high-ranking SHIELD operative really really wanted the acronym to spell out Sword. Anyways, according to Marvel Comics, this is the division of SHIELD that looked after threats that were interdimensional in nature.
This space station was the first line of defense against any threat from another dimension, a different universe, or even a different timeline. It was founded by Maria Rambeau, the mother of Monica Rambeau, in the year 1995. In light of the events of Captain Marvel (one of the most powerful Avengers), this division was created to protect Earth from any other such intergalactic threats.
Meanwhile, SABER, also mentioned in Marvel’s Secret Invasion, is the division of SHIELD that looks after threats that are extraterrestrial in nature. These threats belong to our universe only, from different planets, galaxies, or some distant solar system but in the reality where Earth-199999 exists, i.e. the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Does SABER Exist in Marvel Comics?
As of now, SABER does not exist in the Marvel Comics Universe. The reason we haven’t seen S.A.B.E.R. in Marvel Comics is simply that, it just doesn’t exist in that reality. Marvel Comic Universe is set on Earth-616 whereas Marvel Cinematic Universe exists on Earth-199999, hence, explaining its absence in Marvel Comics.
Now you may ask if they don’t exist in the same universe, how is the mention of S.W.O.R.D. seen in the Marvel Cinematic Universe? Well, do you think S.H.I.E.L.D. is unaware of other realities? The simple answer is S.H.I.E.L.D. knows. They are protecting our Earth no matter which reality it is. Dedication you see.
Frequently Asked Question
Nick Fury is the head of S.A.B.E.R., he went there before the events of Spiderman: Far from Home and returned to S.A.B.E.R. after his revival from the blip to deal with his trauma.
S.W.O.R.D. is the division of S.H.I.E.L.D. that looks after interdimensional threats in the Marvel Comics Universe.
Maria Rambeau was the founder of S.W.O.R.D. She founded it in the year 1995 after the events of Captain Marvel.
As of now, the full form of S.A.B.E.R. has not been revealed.
Ajith Kumar
