WandaVision Reveals More of SWORD's True Plan For Vision

By Liam Crowley Posted:
Vision with SWORD Director Tyler Hayward, WandaVision

Warning — This article contains spoilers for WandaVision.

Seven episodes into WandaVision and there are still more questions than answers.

Since its two-part premiere on January 15WandaVision has grown exponentially. Like all great television, this sinister sitcom has branched off numerous subplots for its various supporting characters.

Acting S.W.O.R.D. Director Tyler Hayward established himself as a shady character from the jump, and his classified files only emphasize his cryptic motivations. Darcy Lewis has played detective when it comes to uncovering Hayward's mysterious schemes, and while the answers are still a bit blurry, WandaVision's latest episode offered more insight into the director's business.

S.W.O.R.D. SCHEMES GET MORE CONTEXT

Hayward's obsession with Wanda's husband only gets weirder as the weeks go on. 

In the latest episode of WandaVisionDarcy Lewis revealed in an email to FBI Agent Jimmy Woo that Hayward has been working on a project called Cataract and has had secret communication with Vision inside Westview.

The full transcript of the email can be read below:

Hey Jimmy,

I made it through the firewall. There are dozens of R&D reports all on the same project. Code name Cataract.

I found schematics of Vision's body. Hayward wasn't decommissioning Vision. He was trying to bring him back online, and he was using S.W.O.R.D. resources to do it. He tried over and over but nothing worked until Wanda stole Vision's body. This is a decoy communique he sent to Vision's office.

Darcy

Jimmy Woo reads Darcy Lewis's email in WandaVision's seventh episode.
Marvel Studios' WandaVision

This leads to a confused reaction from Monica Rambeau, who appears unsure of what the codename could mean.

Marvel Studios' WandaVision

 

HAYWARD'S BIZ WITH VIZ

It's clear that Hayward has suspect intentions with Vision's corpse, but this message only emphasizes the bad guy vibes.

If the acting director has good intentions with bringing Vision back to life, why is he being so secretive about it? Beyond that, why pretend to be Darcy in an effort to communicate with Vision inside Westview?

In the communique Hayward sent to Vision's office, it mentions “high levels of radiation at the perimeter” and how the effects on those within Westview were “unknown.” Knowing now that that email was sent by Hayward and not Darcy, it adds a completely new layer to Hayward's single line of dialogue towards Vision in episode 6: “He really does want out, doesn't he?”

The way Hayward speaks that line makes it seem like he already had a suspicion that Vision wanted to leave the Hex. It is entirely possible that Vision got cat-fished by Darcy's communique and engaged in an email conversation off-screen. If Vision trusted his new pen-pal, it would make sense that he would at least hint at his desire to escape.

Using Darcy's name for the email further hints at an already tense relationship between Vision and Hayward. Hayward didn't use his name for a reason, and that could be because he knows Vision wouldn't trust him. It remains to be seen how far along S.W.O.R.D. got in resurrecting the Vibranium-woven superbot, but if Hayward felt concealing his identity was necessary, there's a chance that's because Vision already knows who he is.

Remember, S.W.O.R.D. didn't get involved in the Westview situation until Wanda was confirmed to be there. Hayward initially sent Monica to investigate because he didn't see it being worth pursuing. Once he knew the thief of his cyborg corpse was perpetrating the anomaly, he got his fingerprints all over it.

Similar to how Hammer Industries were making unsuccessful efforts to replicate the Iron Man suit in 2010's Iron Man 2, S.W.O.R.D. seems to be failing to power on Vision. Seeing his failed experiment now sentient inside Westview, Hayward is now obsessed with extracting Vision from the Hex unscathed.

Code name Cataract was seen last week, but this episode emphasized the title. By definition, a cataract is a medical condition in which the lens of the eye becomes progressively opaque, resulting in blurred vision. That last part is no coincidence. “Blurred vision” could prove to be a double-meaning metaphor for Hayward's intentions to control Tony Stark's second artificial intelligence.

Why Hayward needs a fully-functioning Vision remains to be seen, although some theories have begun to piece together a possible motivation.

WandaVision's seventh episode is now streaming exclusively on Disney+.

- In This Article: WandaVision
Release Date
January 15, 2021
Platform
- About The Author: Liam Crowley

MCU Writer, Editor, Podcaster