Peggy Carter (Marvel Cinematic Universe)

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Peggy Carter
Marvel Cinematic Universe character
Hayley Atwell as Peggy Carter in Captain America: The First Avenger
First appearance
Based on
Adapted byChristopher Markus
Stephen McFeely
Portrayed by
In-universe information
Full nameMargaret Carter
NicknamePeggy
TitleAgent Carter
Occupation
Affiliation
  • S.H.I.E.L.D.
  • Strategic Scientific Reserve
  • MI6
Family
  • Harrison Carter (Father)
  • Amanda Carter
    (mother)
  • Michael Carter
    (brother)
SpouseSteve Rogers[a]
Significant others
RelativesSharon Carter (niece)
NationalityBritish

Margaret "Peggy" Carter, also known as Agent Carter, is a

S.H.I.E.L.D.
, eventually serving as the Director. Atwell has received critical praise for her depiction of the character.

As of 2022, the character has appeared in five films, as well as the short film Agent Carter (2013), the second season of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., and her own television series Agent Carter (2015–2016).

Earth-838.[3]

Concept and creation

Peggy Carter debuted in a single panel (at the time the character was unnamed) as a wartime love interest of Captain America in Tales of Suspense #75 (March 1966), and then being named in #77 (May 1966). She was created by writer Stan Lee and artist Jack Kirby.[4][5]

Hayley Atwell was cast in the role of Peggy Carter for

ABC Entertainment president Paul Lee confirmed her involvement in the project in January 2014.[8]

Regarding her preparation for the role, Atwell said, "I'm training at the moment six days a week to make her a bit more military and make it convincing that I could kick butt."

Christopher Markus said the film "takes place in the 40s, there weren't too many women in areas of authority at that point, and we wanted her to essentially be the most capable person on the screen at that time".[10]

Appearances

Hayley Atwell portrays Peggy Carter in the Marvel Cinematic Universe films Captain America: The First Avenger (2011), Agent Carter (2013),[11] , Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014),[12] Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015),[13] Ant-Man (2015),[citation needed] Avengers: Endgame[14] Atwell appears in images in Captain America: Civil War (2016).[15]

Atwell also appears in the television series Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s episodes "Shadows" (2014)[16] and "The Things We Bury" (2014),[citation needed] and in the television series Agent Carter (2015–2016).[17]

Gabriella Graves portrays a young Carter in the Agent Carter episode "Smoke & Mirrors".[18]

Atwell voices an alternate version in the

What If... Peter Quill Attacked Earth's Mightiest Heroes?". In an alternate 1988, she is responsible for bringing together the Avengers to face Peter Quill and Ego.[citation needed
]

Fictional character biography

Early life

Margaret Carter was born in

Project Rebirth

In 1943, Carter is tasked by the SSR to help oversee

Super Soldier Serum
and dosing him with vita-rays.

After Rogers emerges from the experiment as a super soldier, an undercover

Heinz Kruger, kills Erskine and flees with a vial of the serum. Rogers and Carter pursue Kruger; Carter nearly kills him but Rogers saves her from being hit by his vehicle. The assassin avoids interrogation by committing suicide with a cyanide
capsule.

Helping Steve Rogers

After Rogers' best friend

Tesseract,[c] Rogers, seeing no way to land the plane without the risk of detonating its weapons, radios the tearful Carter and says goodbye to her before crashing in the Arctic
. Stark later recovers the Tesseract from the ocean floor but is unable to locate Rogers or the aircraft, presuming him dead.

Post–World War II

In 1945, Carter and the SSR raid the last known Hydra base led by

a blue body
.

One year later, Carter faces

S.H.I.E.L.D.

Later in 1946, Carter has to balance the routine office work she does for the SSR in

Edwin Jarvis
, to find those responsible and dispose of the weapons.

In 1947, Carter moves from New York City to

Council of Nine in the aftermath of World War II, gaining new friends, a new home, and starting a romance with Daniel Sousa
.

Director of S.H.I.E.L.D. and later life

Sometime later, Carter marries a man whom Steve Rogers saved from a Hydra base in World War II, and has two children with him. Carter's American niece Sharon Carter later becomes a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent. Meanwhile, Peggy Carter also conducts S.H.I.E.L.D. operations in collaboration with a man named "Braddock".[d]

By 1970, Carter serves as the Director of S.H.I.E.L.D.

Hank Pym and Howard Stark over Stark's use of Pym Particles without Pym's knowledge, causing Pym to quit S.H.I.E.L.D.[f]

In 2014, Carter, who is now elderly, has developed

Washington D.C.. Rogers visits her, having come out of suspended animation
a few years prior. Carter notes to Rogers that the world has changed and is surprised to see him.

In 2016, Carter passed away in her sleep, and Sharon, Rogers, and Sam Wilson attend her funeral.[g]. Leaving two children, who she is survived by.

Alternate versions

Working at S.H.I.E.L.D.

In an alternate identical-history 1970s, Director Carter is seen working at S.H.I.E.L.D.'s base at

Camp Lehigh, New Jersey
.

Reunited with Steve Rogers

In an alternate identical-history 1949, Carter was met by Earth 616-Steve Rogers. They got married and lived a happy life together.

Captain Carter

Atwell portrays Captain Carter in the first episode of the

What If... Strange Supreme Intervened?
".

Another version of Captain Carter appears in

Illuminati and is killed when Wanda Maximoff throws Carter's shield at her, cutting her in half.[22]

What If...?

Becoming a Super Soldier

In an alternate 1943, when Carter chooses to stay in the main theater instead of watching from a safe distance, Kruger attacks Project Rebirth before it starts and shoots Rogers, leading Carter to take the Super Soldier Serum herself. Carter, after attacking a Hydra convoy and successfully retrieving the Tesseract from Hydra leader Johann Schmidt, becomes the superhero Captain Carter, equipped with a vibranium shield that has a

Hydra Stomper armor made by Howard Stark and powered by the Tesseract. Carter fights alongside Rogers to help the Allied Forces
win World War II. In 1945, Rogers goes missing during an attack on a Hydra train, prompting Carter to interrogate Arnim Zola to learn the location of Schmidt's castle. They find him using the Tesseract to summon an interdimensional creature from a portal which kills him. Carter sacrifices herself by entering the portal while pushing the creature back into it.

Carter lands in S.H.I.E.L.D.'s warehouse, meeting

Battle of New York
.

Joining the Guardians of the Multiverse

By 2014, Carter, who works for S.H.I.E.L.D., goes on a mission with Romanoff to rescue the hijacked S.H.I.E.L.D. vessel Lemurian Star from

Ultron, who plans to take control and destroy the entire multiverse. She and the Guardians meet Stephen Strange
in a pub-like setting before being sent out to stop Ultron. The Guardians and an apocalyptic version of Romanoff fight Ultron in his and Romanoff's home universe, and Carter exposes Ultron's eye by removing part of his helmet. This allows Romanoff to inject an Arnim Zola virus, wiping out Ultron's consciousness, destroying him. Carter is then returned to her universe by the Watcher although she briefly hesitates while staring at a picture of her Steve Rogers.

Facing the Hydra Stomper

Back in her universe, Carter and Romanoff subdue Batroc, and then Romanoff informs her that the Hydra Stomper has been found with someone inside. This proves to be a still alive and barely aged Steve Rogers who was believed to have perished fighting Hydra in 1953. However, Rogers attacks the two women and escapes. Fury and Romanoff admit that there have been rumors of the Hydra Stomper still being around since the 1960s, but as the world's most deadly killer and a terrorist, Rogers having been captured and brainwashed by the

Sokovia
used the Red Room and reconnects with Carter. However, the Red Room attacks and reactivates Rogers' brainwashing, revealing that his true mission had always been to capture Carter. During the battle that follows, Carter manages to help Rogers break through the brainwashing and he seemingly sacrifices himself to destroy the Red Room.

Sometime later, Carter leaves

chaos magic portal into another universe. She is then met by Fury and Scarlet Witch
who state that she is the person who can save their queen and their world. Carter begins calling for the Watcher.

Stranded on Earth-1602

Stranded on Earth-1602, in the year 1602, Carter agrees to help Fury and the Scarlet Witch upon learning about an impending incursion. Sometime later, as a tear opens up, she arrives at the courtyard and saves

Destroyer, who Carter fights off. She willingly gets taken into custody and speaks again with the Watcher, before freeing herself and frees Bruce Banner
, bringing out the Hulk. They meet with Stark who reveals his device and are met by Rogers, Lang, and Barnes. The group disguise themselves and enter Thor's courtroom and wait for the Hulk's signal. After he arrives, Carter confronts Thor over the Scepter and he engages in a fight with her. Once the Scarlet Witch intervenes, Carter takes the Scepter and uses the Time Stone inside on Stark's device, exposing the time-displaced person to be Rogers. She is forced to say goodbye to him and sends him back to his universe, which ends the impending incursion and returns everyone else too to their universes.

However, Carter remains left behind in the universe and returns to the pub alone, but is met suddenly by Strange.

Facing Strange Supreme

Using his magic to provide shot glasses for them, Strange then takes her to his dimension, Sanctum Infintium. He shows her the captured "universe-killers" and asks her to help him catch one that got away. He sends her to a universe where HYDRA had won and destroyed everything. The Watcher arrives and asks her what she is doing there. After he leaves, Carter is attacked by

Xu Wenwu
, another Hulk, and another Thor throw their weapons to them. Carter fights off Strange as he falls into the Forge and is rescued by the Watcher.

She is taken to the Nexus of All Realities and then to Strange's restored universe where they see

Christine Palmer alive. Carter tells the Watcher she wants to see the Multiverse before going home and he takes her to the end of time to see Loki and assembly of the Multiversal Tree, that resembles Yggdrasil
.

Earth-838

In an alternate 2021, in the universe designated

America Chavez when they arrive on Earth-838. When their headquarters is attacked by 616-Wanda Maximoff, who has possessed the body of her Earth-838 counterpart, Carter is killed when she is bisected by her own shield.[23]

1988 Avengers vs. Ego

In an alternate 1988, now-Director of S.H.I.E.L.D. Carter learns of destruction caused by a young

Ego
. They are joined by Thor and witness the defeat of Ego's physical form at Quill's hands. Afterwards, Carter attends a victory party at Pym's house.

Maid Margaret

In an alternate universe set in 1602, Rogers Hood mentioned Captain Carter's counterpart Maid Margaret (a spoof of Maid Marian) and how she died at some point.

Characterization

Hayley Atwell at San Diego Comic-Con in 2015

About the character's debut in Captain America: The First Avenger, Atwell stated, "I likened her character to that famous

Nazis, but she's obviously gone to the loo beforehand and applied a bit of lipstick. She doesn't need to be rescued. That's exciting to me – her strength."[24] She added, "I think she's quite stubborn, a slightly frustrated woman who struggles with being a woman in that time. But more importantly she's a modern woman and she sees something in Captain America that she relates to, and becomes kindred spirits. He treats her very differently to how she's been treated by lots of men, in this kind of dominated world she lives in. So she's very much a fighter."[24]

Carter is the first female character to headline a standalone story as part of the MCU, ahead of popular comic characters such as Black Widow and Captain Marvel. Unlike other major Marvel heroes, Carter does not have any superpowers, instead the writers "always said her superpower is the fact that other people underestimate her. And she often uses that to her advantage".[25] Atwell said it was "thrilling" to explore "the backdrop of this male-dominated world, where women are still in the workforce, unspoken for and struggling to find a place outside the home" and how it affects Carter, who must deal with this along with the missions she receives.[26]

On the character starring in her own short film, the director of the Agent Carter short film

Louis D'Esposito said that Marvel always wanted to do a Peggy Carter short since the character "was a fan-favorite and a Marvel Studios favorite". D'Esposito enjoyed the moment when Carter uses her compact to view the bad guy, which was ad libbed during filming, because "that's the essence of what she's about and what the film's about. Not only is she—especially in that time—a woman in a man's world, she still maintains her femininity".[27]

Speaking about the influence that the apparent death of Steve Rogers has on Carter, Atwell explained that "It's only been a year and she's grieving him and I think what keeps her going is he was the greatest person she ever knew ... she's also determined to make sure that his work wasn't in vain."

Jack Thompson taking credit for her actions, for example, but "she knows her value so she doesn't need that praise".[citation needed] For the second season, executive producer Michele Fazekas explained that after Carter "put a lot of things emotionally to bed", such as letting go of Captain America, she is now "more open to looking at her life and figuring out, does she want a relationship?" Fazekas added that Carter would start to realize that "not everybody has her ideals", even in the SSR.[29]

Appearance

Hayley Atwell before and after being digitally aged as Peggy Carter in Captain America: The Winter Soldier.

For Carter's costumes, though some vintage pieces were used, most of her outfits were custom made to accommodate the scripted action scenes.[30] Costume designer Giovanna Ottobre-Melton gave the outfits an "hourglass style with strength in the tailoring and defined shoulders, but not overly exaggerated." For the character's tactical gear, World War II underground military looks were referenced.[31] On receiving the script for Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Atwell realized the character "would be 96, and I would be up to the eyeballs in prosthetics." The visual effects team was not satisfied with the initial make-up used to make Atwell look older, and eventually resorted to aging her through CGI methods.[32]

Reception

Critical response

Reviewing Captain America: The First Avenger, Christy Lemire of the Associated Press said, "Atwell's gorgeous looks make her a great fit for the part, but her character is better developed than you might imagine; she's no damsel in distress, waiting for Captain America to save her, but rather a trained fighter who is very much his equal."[33] Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times felt that she resembled "a classic military pin-up of the period" with her depicted "full red lips" of the film.[34]

Rosie Fletcher of

CraveOnline said the short "gives its title character the send-off she deserves", and hoped that it would lead to further female-focused properties from Marvel.[36] IGN's Scott Collura called Atwell "the big-screen female superhero we've all been waiting for. She kicks so much ass in this short story with such aplomb, using not just brawn but also brains, and it's all very clever and fun." He felt the short seemed more of a proof-of-concept that female-based superhero projects could work, but that "Atwell never loses touch with her feminine side" either.[37]

Brian Lowry, reviewing the two-part premiere of the TV series Agent Carter for Variety, felt that giving Atwell her own television series was "a pretty smart bet" by Marvel, and he called the episodes "considerable fun".[38]

The A.V. Club named Atwell's performance as one of the "Best Individual Performances" of 2015.[39]

Accolades

Year Award Category Work Result Ref.
2011 Scream Award Breakthrough Performance – Female Captain America: The First Avenger Nominated [40]
Best Science Fiction Actress Nominated
2014 Saturn Award Best Actress on Television Agent Carter Nominated [41]

See also

Notes

  1. ^ In an alternate reality through time travel,[1] that becomes the past in the main timeline.[2]
  2. ^ As seen in Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Season 3 Episode 20 "Emancipation" (01:07), in the newspaper article that Agent Phil Coulson is reading. [19]
  3. Vormir
    .
  4. ^ Noted in media as a possible reference to Brian Braddock.[20]
  5. ^ As depicted in Avengers: Endgame (2019).
  6. ^ As depicted in a flashback in Ant-Man (film) (2015).
  7. ^ As depicted in Captain America: Civil War (2016).

References

  1. ^ Breznican, Anthony (April 30, 2019). "Avengers: Endgame directors answer Captain America mystery". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved May 11, 2021.
  2. ^ Cardona, Ian (August 21, 2019). "Peggy Carter's Husband in Captain America: Winter Soldier Was Steve Rogers". Comic Book Resources. Retrieved May 11, 2021.
  3. ^ Hood, Cooper (April 28, 2022). "Doctor Strange 2 Trailer Confirms Two More Multiverse Characters". Screen Rant. Retrieved May 2, 2022.
  4. ^ "Peggy Carter". IGN. Archived from the original on November 7, 2012. Retrieved December 21, 2013.
  5. ^ "Tales of Suspense #77". Grand Comics Database. Archived from the original on January 6, 2018.
  6. ^ Goldberg, Matt (April 14, 2010). "Hayley Atwell to Play the Love Interest in CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE FIRST AVENGER". Collider. Retrieved April 28, 2021.
  7. ^ Nissim, Mayer (October 2, 2013). "Hayley Atwell wants Agent Carter show". Digital Spy. Retrieved April 28, 2021.
  8. ^ Goldberg, Lesley (January 17, 2014). "Marvel's 'Agent Carter': Hayley Atwell, Writers, Showrunners Confirmed for ABC Drama". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved May 6, 2022.
  9. ^ Bentley, David (July 23, 2011). "Hayley Atwell talks Captain America, confirms Tommy Lee Jones in cast". Coventry Telegraph. Archived from the original on July 23, 2011. Retrieved April 28, 2021.
  10. ^ a b Saner, Emine (November 10, 2017). "Hayley Atwell: driven and dangerous new queen of period drama". The Guardian. Retrieved March 2, 2020.
  11. ^ Breznican, Anthony (July 11, 2013). "'Marvel One-Shot: Agent Carter' -- First Look at poster and three photos from the new short!". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved May 6, 2022.
  12. Marvel.com. Archived from the original
    on April 10, 2013. Retrieved May 9, 2021.
  13. ^ Keyes, Rob (July 22, 2014). "Hayley Atwell Has A Role In 'The Avengers: Age of Ultron'". Screen Rant. Retrieved August 13, 2021.
  14. ^ Robinson, Joanna (April 25, 2019). "Avengers: The Hidden Meaning Behind That Final Endgame Song". Vanity Fair. Retrieved May 22, 2019.
  15. CinemaBlend. Archived from the original
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  16. Marvel.com. September 8, 2014. Archived from the original
    on June 23, 2018. Retrieved September 8, 2014.
  17. ^ Goldberg, Lesley (January 17, 2014). "Marvel's 'Agent Carter': Hayley Atwell, Writers, Showrunners Confirmed for ABC Drama". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on April 12, 2022. Retrieved May 6, 2022.
  18. ^ Daniels, Omari (February 4, 2016). "A Look at Agent Carter- Season 2, Episode 4: "Smoke and Mirrors"". What Else is on Now?. Retrieved December 30, 2021.
  19. ^ https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Marvel%27s_Agents_of_S.H.I.E.L.D._-_Agent_Peggy_Carter%27s_Newspaper_Obituary.jpg
  20. ^ Mannusco, Vinnie (May 6, 2019). "'Avengers: Endgame' May Have Introduced Yet Another Obscure Marvel Hero". Collider. Retrieved May 10, 2021.
  21. ^ Chitwood, Adam (April 12, 2019). "Marvel's What If? Disney+ Series Will Launch with Peggy Carter Episode". Collider. Retrieved June 24, 2019.
  22. ^ Burlingame, Russ (February 13, 2022). "Doctor Strange 2 Poster Includes Captain Carter Easter Egg". ComicBook. Retrieved February 13, 2022.
  23. ^ Codega, Linda (April 28, 2022). "New Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness Footage Teases Some Major Cameos". Gizmodo. Archived from the original on April 28, 2022. Retrieved April 28, 2022.
  24. ^
    ISSN 0307-1235
    . Retrieved April 28, 2021.
  25. ^ Abrams, Natalie (January 2, 2015). "Agent Carter crashes the boys' club". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved April 28, 2021.
  26. ^ "Atwell and Producers Release Intel on "Agent Carter"". Comic Book Resources. August 29, 2014. Retrieved April 28, 2021.
  27. Marvel.com. Archived from the original
    on July 2, 2015. Retrieved January 14, 2014.
  28. ^ "Hayley Atwell Talks Marvel's Agent Carter and Peggy Carrying on Captain America's Work", IGN, January 2, 2015, retrieved April 28, 2021
  29. ^ Ratcliffe, Amy (January 12, 2016). ""Agent Carter" Showrunners Explain Peggy's Friendship with Jarvis, Madame Masque's Role". Comic Book Resources. Retrieved April 28, 2021.
  30. Abc.com
    . Retrieved April 28, 2021.
  31. ^ Kucharski, Joe (January 5, 2015). "Sneak Peek at The Costumes of Marvel's Agent Carter!". Tyranny of Style. Archived from the original on May 26, 2019. Retrieved May 6, 2022.
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  33. ^ Lemire, Christy (July 27, 2011). "Movie review: "Captain America" is solid, fun". Associated Press. Archived from the original on December 24, 2013. Retrieved December 21, 2013 – via ggjournal.com.
  34. ^ Ebert, Roger (July 20, 2011). "Captain America: The First Avenger". RogerEbert.com. Retrieved December 21, 2013.
  35. ^ Fletcher, Rosie (July 19, 2013). "Marvel's Agent Carter reaction: Comic-Con 2013". GamesRadar+. Archived from the original on April 23, 2022. Retrieved May 6, 2022.
  36. ^ Hunsaker, Andy (July 20, 2013). "Comic-Con 2013: Marvel's 'Agent Carter': Happy Ending or a New Beginning?". Mandatory. Archived from the original on January 23, 2022. Retrieved May 6, 2022.
  37. ^ Collura, Scott (July 19, 2013). "Comic-Con: We Have Seen Agent Carter, the New Marvel One-Shot – and It Rules". IGN. Archived from the original on April 23, 2022. Retrieved May 6, 2022.
  38. ^ Lowry, Brian (January 4, 2015). "TV Review: 'Marvel's Agent Carter'". Variety. Archived from the original on March 2, 2022. Retrieved May 6, 2022.
  39. ^ "The best TV performances of 2015". The A.V. Club. December 21, 2015. Retrieved December 30, 2021.
  40. Spike TV. Archived from the original
    on September 23, 2011. Retrieved February 3, 2024.
  41. ^ Blake, Emily (March 4, 2015). "2015 Saturn Awards: Captain America: Winter Soldier, Walking Dead lead nominees". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on November 11, 2019. Retrieved February 3, 2024.

External links