What Is SABER? Nick Fury’s Space Station Explained

SABER, the MCU’s new space organization referenced in The Marvels and Secret Invasion, is not the same thing as the previously established SWORD. The Marvel Universe features several fictional organizations, many of which have served as the foundation for that universe for decades. The biggest example is SHIELD, which was brought into the Marvel Cinematic Universe as the connective thread tying all the Phase 1 Avengers together. Since then, the MCU timeline has introduced other organizations from Marvel Comics, but it has also created new ones.

It is curious that the first few hints of what SABER is in the MCU have come from Nick Fury, as Fury has always been one of the most realistic and ground Marvel characters. However, since the events of Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Nick Fury’s MCU timeline has been a mystery. Spider-Man: Far From Home revealed that its Nick Fury was actually Talos in disguise, and that the real Nick Fury was working on a mysterious space station. The Marvels and Secret Invasion have confirmed that Fury was actually at the SABER base during Far From Home’s post-credits scene, and setup the faction to potentially play a key role in upcoming MCU releases.

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SABER Is A Space Station Run By Nick Fury

Secret Invasion season 1, episode 1 confirmed that Nick Fury had been off-planet since after humanity came back from Thanos’ snap. More precisely, Nick Fury likely left Earth after Tony Stark’s funeral in Avengers: Endgame. From Stark’s funeral to Secret Invasion, Fury was running the space station known as SABER. It must be noted that there is no organization known as SABER in Marvel Comics, meaning that Fury’s MCU space station is something created for the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

Recent history has shed more light on SABER, confirming its name is an acronym for Strategic Aerospace Biophysics and Exolinguistic Response. While it’s made clear that SABER is primarily concerned with extraterrestrial dealings, it seems this may be more a priority than a sole occupation, as Monica Rambeau also explains to Kamala Khan in The Marvels that they have a file on the young superhero herself – though this may have more to do with her history with the Quantum Bands, which appear to not originate from Earth.

SABER May Be A SWORD Space Station In The MCU

In Marvel Comics, SWORD is responsible for protecting Earth from everything that comes from outside of the planet – that is, extraterrestrial and interdimensional threats. Whereas SHIELD is designed to protect Earth from itself, SWORD works as a first line of defense against unknown threats from outer space who often come to Earth looking for a fight. There is at least one SABER space station in the MCU, the one Fury had been in before Secret Invasion. In addition, The Marvels suggests that it is SABER’s job to search for anomalies outside of Earth, which should be SWORD’s job. As such, SABER may be a SWORD space station after all.

It would not make sense for the MCU to introduce SABER as Earth’s first line of defense against extraterrestrial threats shortly after it introduced SWORD in WandaVision. Not only would that confuse audiences, but it would also make the creation of an original organization not from Marvel Comics quite pointless. The most likely scenario is that SABER is an extension of SWORD, perhaps a special space station with specific purposes. The similar style of acronyms, which also tie into SHIELD, adds to that idea. That said, it is curious that WandaVision’s SWORD was dealing with a terrestrial threat – Wanda – whereas SABER is doing the “space work.”

Nick Fury And Monica Rambeau Are Both In SABER

Nick Fury and Monica Rambeau, the latter of which is the daughter of SABER’s creator Maria Rambeau, are both involved in SABER in The Marvels. Notably, they’re also shown as having worked together for some time by the point the movie takes place, which helps contextualize the movie’s ending and what it means for the future of the MCU.

With The Marvels ending seeing Monica be transported through a dimensional rift into another world, it seems likely that SABER will become involved in the attempt to rescue her that will surely take place – in part because she’s a SABER operative who seemingly had a relatively high ranking, and in part because this is already in line with SABER’s objectives anyhow, given they’re searching for energy anomalies in space at the start of the movie.

What Is SWORD In The MCU

The MCU’s SWORD, which stands for Sentient Weapon Observation and Response Division, was created by Maria Rambeau shortly after the events of Captain Marvel. Rambeau was one of the first humans to learn of the existence of alien threats after interacting with both Skrulls and Kree in Captain Marvel almost 20 years before Loki invaded Earth. While Fury was focused on developing his Avengers Initiative, Rambeau put together an organization that would prepare Earth for alien threats. Although SWORD existed in the MCU’s timeline since the late 1990s, its origin story and logo were only revealed in Phase 4’s WandaVision.

Interestingly, SWORD was mentioned in a Thor (2011) deleted scene. In this deleted Thor scene, Erik Selvig suggested combining data from “SHIELD’s astrophysical records” with the “SWORD database.” Most of SWORD’s backstory in the MCU had not been laid out during Phase 1. However, from an in-universe perspective, it would have made sense for Erik Selvig to mention SWORD in 2011, as it existed since the 1990s.

How Nick Fury Became Involved In SABER

Nick Fury was director of SHIELD during the MCU’s Phase 1. However, Captain America: The Winter Soldier revealed that HYDRA had infiltrated SHIELD since its inception, leading to SHIELD imploding by the end of the movie. Nick Fury faked his death in The Winter Soldier, thus changing the course of Samuel L. Jackson’s MCU character drastically. For example, Fury was not directly involved in the events of Avengers: Age of Ultron, although he did assist the Avengers by bringing SHIELD’s Halicarriers to Sokovia. Where Nick Fury was during most of the MCU’s Phase 3, including Captain America: Civil War, is a mystery.

Nick Fury was on Earth with Maria Hill when Thanos’ snap happened. Apart from Tony Stark’s funeral in Avengers: Endgame, audiences would only see the real Nick Fury again in Far From Home’s post-credits scene. While Fury may have joined SABER somewhere between Stark’s funeral and Far From Home, he most likely became associated with it during the MCU‘s Phase 3. Nick Fury knew Maria Rambeau and was aware of the circumstances that led to the creation of SWORD. As such, Fury may have been tied to SWORD since its creation and eventually joined the SABER station after Avengers: Age of Ultron.