There Is Still One Spy x Family Character That Is A Total Mystery, And They're Key To The Series

The cast of the world-famous Spy x Familymanga is full of endearing and relatable characters whom fans have grown to love dearly. From the energetic Anya to the serious Professor Henderson, the series has done excellent work developing their personalities and backstories. While there are many secrets left to explore, fans already know the most important details about several characters.

Yet, there is a woman, among the strongest and most vital characters in Spy x Family, whose past is still a mystery: Sylvia Sherwood. Loid’s superior is shrouded in mystery, despite how crucial to the story her motives could end up being. The series has continuously teased the revelation of her tragic past, making fans’ interest in her backstory grow.

Sylvia Has One of the Most Tragic Pasts

The War Took Everything From Her

Sylvia Sherwood, also known as the Handler, is one of W.I.S.E.’s most important agents, as well as Loid’s direct superior. She is a stern and intelligent woman who has kept the peace between Ostania and Westalis for many years. Although she can be quite intimidating, she has a big heart, one that has suffered greatly due to the horrible war that occurred years before the start of the series. Almost nothing is known about Sylvia’s past during this tragic era, as the manga has kept her backstory a secret from fans for more than 100 chapters.

Nonetheless, thanks to several clues left by Tatsuya Endo, the series’ author, readers are aware that she used to have a family. This concept was first introduced in chapter #22, at the end of the Doggy Crisis arc, one of the best Spy x Family arcs according to fans. Once the day was saved, Sylvia told Twilight that Anya reminded her of her daughter, implying that she was no longer alive. Her family would not be brought up again for several years until a brief image of her husband and child was seen in chapter #78.

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Despite having been officially introduced, the series has not revealed much about these unnamed characters, only that they likely died during the war. Sylvia lives alone and is noticeably depressed in several of her appearances, possibly because of the loss of her family. Fans have been wondering about Sylvia's tragic backstory and what exactly happened to her family for several months, to no avail. Endo keeps hinting at her backstory being resolved soon, as implied by the cover of volume #12, where a photo of the three family members together can be seen, but any further reveal has yet to occur.

Sylvia’s Motivation Could Help Explain the Series

She Is the Mastermind Behind Operation Strix

Spy x Family Sylvia Sherwood smiling slightly

One of the main reasons why fans are so eager to learn more about Sylvia’s character is because of her importance to the main plot. As the overseer of Operation Strix and Agent Twilight’s direct superior, her motives and experience are what ultimately move the plot of the manga. Even though she does not directly influence the series, her advice, orders, and help have changed the course of the mission on several occasions, like when she aided Loid to continue working on Operation Strix during the Code: White movie.

Knowing more about her tragic backstory could greatly help fans understand the scope of Twilight’s quest. Knowing the reasons why she became a spy, all of them almost certainly tied to the death of her family, and why she chose to personally train Loid would help expand the mysterious lore of the manga. It could also serve as an opportunity to explain several of the recurring plot points in Spy x Family like Project Apple, a topic Sylvia seems to know a lot about.

Spy x Family Has Already Revealed Many Interesting Backstories

Fans Plead for Sylvia To Be Next

Henderson and Martha dancing while the former claims that she is just a friend.

As the Spy x Family manga has progressed, fans have noticed Endo tends to reveal the backstories of important side characters as a device to move the plot or expand the lore. This has been the case with Loid, whose time as a war orphan was seen during chapter #62, which gave fans a better understanding of the war and the protagonist’s mindset. The tragic but hopeful love story between Martha and Henderson helped explain Ostania and Westalis’ conflict better. By explaining Sylvia’s backstory, Endo could give fans insight into W.I.S.E. and why they chose Desmond as a target.

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Spy x Family still has many secrets left to unveil, and fans are excited to see what the author has in mind for the story moving forward. Learning about Sylvia’s past and her family’s tragic ending is only one of the topics thatSpy x Family would greatly benefit from exploring further.