"There is no time for you to diminish yourcolleagues when you’re about to start a war you can’t win." "Maximoff was never gonna negotiate with us. We take her out, this whole nightmare ends."
Tyler Hayward is a former high-ranking S.W.O.R.D. operative who was promoted to acting director following the Snap and Maria Rambeau's death. In his tenure, Hayward focused S.W.O.R.D.'s efforts from their extraterrestrial operations onto artificial intelligence and sentient weapons. In 2023, Hayward intended to reconstruct Vision into a sentient weapon, to this end, Hayward led an operation into the investigation of an energy field surrounding the town of Westview, which was under the control of Wanda Maximoff. Having acquired several traces of Maximoff's magic to resurrect Vision, Hayward intended to have Maximoff and her family killed to cover up his activities. However, his plans were foiled by Jimmy Woo and Darcy Lewis, and he was subsequently arrested by the FBI for his crimes.
Tyler Hayward was an agent of S.W.O.R.D. for years, working with S.W.O.R.D. Director Maria Rambeau and her daughter Monica until she, alongside many others, disappeared due to the Snap. Hayward was among those that had survived, as was Maria, who provided guidelines on how to proceed if those taken in the Snap were to ever return.[1] Hayward struggled, along with many others, during this time, as it was hard to live with half of the population gone.[2] In 2020, Maria died of complications with cancer, leaving Hayward the acting director in her place. During his time as director, he shifted the focus of the organization from focusing on the extraterrestrial to instead developing robotics, nanotechnology, and artificial intelligence.[1]
"We're dismantling the most sophisticated, sentient weapon ever made." "But Vision's not a weapon. You can't do this." "In fact, it is our legal and ethical obligation."
In 2023, two weeks after the Blip, Hayward allowed Wanda Maximoff to meet with him in his office. After she had barged into his office, she demanded to see Vision's body. Hayward tried to tell her she could not have him back, as she wanted to have a funeral, and ended up taking her to the laboratory where his agents were dissecting Vision's corpse. Maximoff asked why they were doing that only for him to tell her that he was S.W.O.R.D.'s property. Enraged, Maximoff broke the glass wall separating them and flew down. After the agents drew their weapons, Hayward called off their fire and watched as Maximoff had her time with Vision, before leaving. After this, Hayward had the video footage edited making it appear that Maximoff stormed the facility and stole Vision's body.[3]
"Lost half my personnel in the Blip and half of those remaining have lost their nerve. The program hasn't been the same since you've been up there, Rambeau."
Hayward greeted Monica Rambeau when she returned to S.W.O.R.D. Headquarters to continue her work for the organization. He informed her that, as part of the guidelines Maria Rambeau devised on how to handle vanished personnel, her mother had ordered that she not participate in extraterrestrial missions. Hayward then sent Rambeau to investigate the anomaly in Westview, New Jersey after the FBI had asked for assistance.[1]
Following Monica Rambeau getting sucked inside of the Westview Anomaly, Hayward arrived at the S.W.O.R.D. Response Base to lead the investigation. Hayward led a manned expedition into Westview, selecting Agent Franklin to go through the sewer system and emerge in the town in search for Rambeau. Jimmy Woo voiced his concerns about the operation, but Hayward dismissed them.
Suddenly, they overheard laughter, which came from a television broadcast, originating from inside the energy field, and was being watched by Darcy Lewis. They noticed that the broadcast featured Wanda Maximoff and Vision in a 50's sitcom, much to their confusion, especially as Vision was dead. Hayward questioned Lewis about the nature of this sudden broadcast, to which she explained that she detected a high level of CMBR entwined with a broadcast frequency coming off the energy field. When Hayward realized this was the same radiation used in the Big Bang, he ordered his agents to analyze the broadcast.
Hayward would be present as Rambeau was cast out of Westview, with her explaining that it was Wanda Maximoff who was the cause of the anomaly.[1]
"We now have first-person intel from inside the Westview Anomaly. Our initial theory had Wanda Maximoff as one of many victims. We now know she is the principal victimizer."
Hayward escorted Monica Rambeau into the S.W.O.R.D. base, where Hayward would ask her what it was like being under Maximoff's control. Rambeau would describe it as excruciating and terrifying, and that it felt like drowning.
Hayward then left to give the agents a debriefing on the situation, with Rambeau, Darcy Lewis, and Jimmy Woo arriving shortly after. Hayward explained the scenario, saying that while Wanda Maximoff was initially believed to be a victim of the anomaly, she was actually the cause. After Woo gave some backstory on Maximoff, Hayward would point out her involvement in the Lagos Catastrophe and the Clash of the Avengers in Germany, as well as the fact that she initially worked with HYDRA and Ultron against the Avengers. Rambeau would defend Maximoff, to which Hayward would recall her description of being under her control. Hayward would continue to argue with Rambeau over Maximoff's motives, until Hayward showed everyone footage he recently got permission to share of Maximoff visiting the S.W.O.R.D. Headquarters, manipulating it to look like she broke in and stole the Vision's corpse. Hayward then dismissed everyone, ordering them to work the problem.[4]
Confrontation with Wanda Maximoff[]
"You won't bother me. I won't bother you." "I wish it could be that simple. You've taken an entire town hostage." "Well, I'm not the one with the guns, Director."
Hayward ordered that a S.W.O.R.D. Drone be sent into Westview, with a missile embedded inside of it to kill Wanda Maximoff. While the Drone was being controlled by Monica Rambeau, she had used the drone's speaker to communicate with Maximoff, insisting that they only wanted to talk, unaware that the drone contained within it a missile. Hayward would watch a screen displaying the drone's camera's view as Maximoff's eyes glowed red, at which point Hayward ordered a nearby agent to take the shot, but before they could the drone would lose connection. The agent had then informed Hayward that the base had been breached.
Hayward, Rambeau, and a team of armed S.W.O.R.D. agents arrived at the edge of the Westview Anomaly, where they watched on as Maximoff emerged from the anomaly, holding the deactivated S.W.O.R.D. Drone in her hand.
Maximoff threw the Drone at the agents, angrily asking if it was theirs. Hayward explained that the missile in the drone was just a precaution, saying that she could not blame them for it given her recent actions. Maximoff told Hayward that this would be their only warning and to leave her alone. However, Hayward refused, saying she had taken an entire town hostage. While Rambeau failed to negotiate with her, Maximoff had then used her powers to make the S.W.O.R.D. agents aim their weapons at Hayward, before re-entering Westview, as Hayward desperately ordered his men to stand down. Upon her departure, the agents regained their senses and put their weapons down.[4]
Reprimanding Monica Rambeau[]
"Maybe it’s a good thing you weren't here when your mother died. Because clearly you don't have the stomach for this job. Get her off my base. Now. Allof them."
Returning to base having ordered a full analysis of the dismantled drone, Hayward's actions to send the drone were chastised by Monica Rambeau. Furthermore, Darcy Lewis snarkily mocked Hayward upon his arrival as a result of Wanda Maximoff controlling his men to aim at him. Annoyed with the both of them, Hayward began diminishing her and Rambeau, only to be countered by Jimmy Woo. Hayward attempted to justify his actions as necessary, believing Maximoff could not be reasoned with, and killing her would have been the most sufficient course of action.
Rambeau protested Hayward's logic, explaining that their limited knowledge of the Hex would lead to unpredictable consequences, and provoking her was only going to make the situation worse. Hayward dismissed Rambeau's optimism of a mutual agreement between S.W.O.R.D. and Maximoff, arguing her bias with super-powered peoples such as Captain Marvel, and her naïveté as a result of being a victim of the Snap had hindered mission progress. When Rambeau called out Hayward's actions as cowardly, Hayward reprimanded her, reminding her of Maria Rambeau's death, and ordered his agents to escort Rambeau, Woo and Lewis off base grounds.[2]
Expansion of the Hex[]
"Come in, anyone read me? Anyone hear my voice? Does anyone read me? Does anyone read me, over?"
Unbeknownst to Hayward, his private database, including confidential information on Project Cataract, was being searched through by Darcy Lewis. Hayward was alerted of another breach in the Hex, this time from Vision himself, who was curious as to what was beyond the Hex's boundaries. Hayward watched as Vision helplessly struggled to stand up, slowly beginning to disintegrate and being sucked back into the Hex.
When Billy Maximoff informed Wanda Maximoff that Vision was in danger, she slowly expanded the Hex to save him from death. Hayward could only watch as this phenomenon was occurring in front of his eyes, before realizing he was in imminent danger as well. Hayward signaled all of his agents to evacuate, and sped off in an SUV with Rodriguez. As S.W.O.R.D. agents were being enveloped into the Hex, Hayward barely managed to escape the expanding border, desperately reaching out for any active S.W.O.R.D. units.[2] Having gotten to safety, Hayward and his agents stationed themselves a few miles outside of the Hex at the S.W.O.R.D. Retreat Base.[5]
"We took this thing apart and put it back together again a million times. Tried every type of power supply under the sun, when all we needed was a little energy directly from the source."
Hayward and his team discovered the energy from the Westview Anomaly was compatible with Vision's body, and repurposed the S.W.O.R.D. Drone that went in the Anomaly for Vision, successfully reactivating him after numerous failed attempts, as Hayward looked at the White Vision as he awoke.[6]
"No one's gonna care once I've eliminated Wanda Maximoff. They'll believe that the Vision who emerges from the Westview rubble is the same one she illegally tried to bring back to life. They'll thank me for recovering such a valuable asset."
After Hayward's agents found Jimmy Woo, they brought him to the S.W.O.R.D. Retreat Base where he met with Hayward. Hayward told him about his plan to get rid of Maximoff by using Vision. After Woo threatened him by calling the FBI, Hayward had his agents tie Woo up. Hayward then waited for his plan to carry out.
After the Hex had opened up, Hayward and his agents drove their Humvees into Westview to the town square. There they surrounded Wanda Maximoff, Vision, Billy Maximoff, and Tommy Maximoff. Hayward witnessed Maximoff leaving to fight Agatha Harkness, leaving her boys to tend to his agents, but became angry after his agents got outsmarted by the boys.
Hayward got out of his Humvee and aimed his gun at the two boys, firing at them. However, the shots were stopped by Monica Rambeau who stepped out in front of Billy and Tommy, except one bullet went past her, but was thrown to the ground by Billy.
Hayward jumped into another Humvee and prepared to drive into them, but his Humvee got rammed into by a food truck driven by Darcy Lewis. Hayward glared at Lewis, realizing that he was going to be arrested.[7]
Hayward is arrested
After the Hex was officially down, the FBI and the Eastview police came into Westview and arrested Hayward, while Woo and his FBI allies took over the Westview investigation.[8]
Personality[]
"I try not to speak ill of people..." "Then allow me. Hayward's a dick."
Hayward is an immoral and corrupt individual. Although in his mind he seeks to do the right thing and to protect humanity, he often uses unforgivable methods to achieve his goal; for example, he had Vision's body dissected in order to learn everything about the synthezoid, as he doesn't see the synthezoid as a living being, but as a weapon to be exploited. This is exhibited when he sent an armed drone to kill Wanda Maximoff in order to use the fact that she created a new Vision to hide his own illegal activity. He is also accusatory and hasty, immediately blaming Maximoff for the catastrophes at Lagos and Germany and explicitly pointing out her past as an enemy of the Avengers despite Jimmy Woo's explanation that she was misguided and now an official member of the Avengers.
Hayward is shown to twist events to fit his own agenda, such as falsely painting Maximoff as a terrorist, and calling her and her brother, Pietro Maximoff radical, oversimplifying their motives to join HYDRA. While playing security footage of Wanda storming S.W.O.R.D. Headquarters to see the Vision's remains, he claimed that she stole his body, when in actuality the grief-stricken Maximoff departed the base without resorting to violence and leaving Vision's body at the base. When Vision was being disintegrated after leaving the Hex, Hayward stood and watched without providing any help as he was dying.
Hayward exhibited heightened aggression towards super-powered individuals and anyone who would defend them. When planning to resurrect Vision and turn him into a living weapon, Hayward was inexorable and was ready to fire three of his agents; including long-time friend and colleague Monica Rambeau, just for objecting to their order to kill Maximoff. During the confrontation in Westview, Hayward did not hesitate to shoot at Billy and Tommy Maximoff who had disarmed his troops, despite them being children.
Abilities[]
Master Tactician: As the head of S.W.O.R.D., Hayward was very intelligent in forming plans. During the Westview Anomaly, Hayward planned on sending a drone through the Hex. Despite everyone's plans to stop Wanda Maximoff. Hayward wanted her killed and secretly planted weapons in the drones. When this didn't work, he waited until the Hex opened to send his men in and kill her. He also masked the truth of wanting to recreate Vision as a weapon.
Marksman: Hayward is capable on wielding and shooting firearms with sufficient accuracy, for he would have killed Tommy and Billy Maximoff if Monica Rambeau had not intervened.
S.W.O.R.D. Drone: Hayward used a Stark Industries drone to fly into Westview and fire at Wanda Maximoff. After Wanda disarmed it, she brought it out of Westview and threw it back at Hayward. Afterwards, his agents used the drone to power White Vision.
Vehicles[]
Humvee: Hayward drove a Humvee into Westview and to the town square. His Humvee was later damaged by Darcy Lewis driving a food truck.
Hayward bears some similarities to Cameron Brock, a director of a government organization who led an effort to dismantle Vision, which ended up rendering him white.
Behind the Scenes[]
Upon signing on to play Tyler Hayward in WandaVision, Josh Stamberg requested Marvel Studios to not kill off his character, having interest in reprising his role in the future.[9]
