'WandaVision' Is Here, So Let's Talk About That Sword Logo Easter Egg

Phase Four of the Marvel Cinematic Universe is officially upon us. The first two episodes of Marvel Studios' first Disney+ television series, WandaVision, are out now. And although the new show is mind-bending and heavy on quirk, there seems to be a nod to two organizations that comic book readers might be familiar with, and they could potentially hold the key to what's actually going on in WandaVision's bizarre, sitcom-esque world.

This is your SPOILER ALERT! If you haven't watched WandaVision yet, we suggest you stop reading, check out the show, and then come back here.

We'll just be direct about it: The first episode of WandaVision is a great setup for this new world. As of now, it seems that Wanda and Vision are trapped in an old television sitcom about their lives as they try to fit into a new town.

However, not everything is as it seems. At the end of the first installment, viewers see someone watching the television show from an undisclosed location. Viewers in the real world might notice that, on one of the screens, there's a symbol of a sword inside of a circle.

We see it again on a toy helicopter in the show's second episode, as well as on the back of a mysterious beekeeper at the end of that same episode. (We'll have more on that person a little later.)

This symbol has roots in Marvel comic books and represents the organization known as "SWORD." Like SHIELD, SWORD is an acronym—it stands for Sentient World Observation and Response Department.

Created in 2010 in the pages of Astonishing X-Men by writer Joss Whedon and artist John Cassaday, SWORD was originally envisioned as an offshoot of SHIELD dealing with extraterrestrial affairs in the Marvel Universe. Simply put, if SHIELD dealt with threats on Earth, SWORD was created to handle threats from other planets.

And what about that beekeeper guy we mentioned earlier? The SWORD symbol is present on that person's back, but we can't think of any obvious connection between a beekeeper character and the Marvel Universe. However, comic book readers may be thinking of another group that has a "beekeeper" look, and that's AIM.

AIM, or Advanced Idea Mechanics, was created back in 1966 by the late, great Stan Lee and Jack Kirby. It's a criminal organization in the comics that's usually depicted as scientists. They create weapons to sell on the black market and do illegal scientific experiments. You know, typical villain stuff. In the comics, the organization was created by Baron Strucker as a branch of HYDRA.

If you recall, in the MCU, Strucker was the eye-patch-wearing goon who experimented on the people of Sokovia, where Wanda was born. Wanda and her brother, Pietro, were experimented on, and that's how they developed their respective superpowers. Strucker was killed in 2015's Avengers: Age of Ultron, but he's directly referenced in a parody commercial that appears in the second episode of WandaVision, along with HYDRA.

So... assuming that beekeeper figure is indeed an AIM scientist, why would they be wearing a SWORD logo on their back? Does this mean that we're going see to witness a fight between SWORD and AIM for the soul of Wanda? Who's to say, because this is all speculation at this point—we're just taking notes and trying to piece it all together like the fans. If it does turn out that AIM is involved in this new storyline, we wouldn't be opposed to seeing a live-action MODOK.

WandaVision is scheduled to have nine episodes this season, with a new episode debuting each week on Disney+.

What did you think of the first two episodes of WandaVision? Let us know your craziest theories in the comments section.