The Marvel Cinematic Universe has often overlooked the smaller, more grounded stories to focus on grandeur. Yet, that’s precisely where ‘Agent Carter’ found its strength. She changed the world without the help of a hammer, a shield, or a gamma-powered alter ego.
And somehow, heartbreakingly, Marvel seems to want us to forget she ever existed. Marvel’s ‘Agent Carter’ was not just another superhero spinoff; it was a statement. It dared to tell the story of Peggy Carter, not as a footnote in Captain America’s biography, but as a fully fleshed-out character in her own right.
MCU Treated ‘Agent Carter’ Very Unfairly
‘Agent Carter’ explored Peggy’s post-WWII life, following the loss of Steve Rogers, as she worked within the male-dominated Strategic Scientific Reserve. Through sheer wit, skill, and steely resilience, Peggy battled both criminal syndicates and systemic sexism. Yet, despite its rich storytelling, dynamic characters, and period-perfect aesthetics, the show only lasted two seasons.
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And worse than cancellation, it has since been subjected to a slow and painful erasure from MCU canon. The final blow came in ‘Avengers: Endgame’, when Steve Rogers travels back in time and settles into a life with Peggy. This reduces Peggy’s triumphs, losses, and legacy to background noise for Steve’s happy ending. It was as if everything Peggy had fought for, every ounce of agency she had gained, was simply wiped clean from history.
MCU’s Recent Take On Agent Carter Is Horrifying
The MCU’s current stance on ‘Agent Carter’ feels like a betrayal, not just to Peggy but to fans who embraced her story during a time when female heroes were few and far between. When the show aired in 2015, Natasha Romanoff was still the lone female Avenger, with no solo film in sight. Wanda Maximoff hadn’t yet evolved into the Scarlet Witch. So, options for women-centered Marvel stories were virtually nonexistent. That’s why Peggy Carter mattered so deeply.
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But Marvel’s later moves send a clear message: they don’t know what to do with her anymore. Sure, Hayley Atwell returned to voice an alternate version of Peggy in ‘What If…?’, where she becomes a super-soldier known as Captain Carter. It was a fun twist, but that wasn’t our Peggy. That wasn’t the woman who, without powers, without fanfare, stood her ground and saved the world in heels and red lipstick.
Even more telling was the Marvel Legends episode, a recap series meant to prepare viewers for major character returns, released ahead of ‘What If…?’ which completely ignored Agent Carter. No clips. No acknowledgment. Nothing. It was as though her journey, and everything she had stood for, never happened. That erasure cuts deeper than a cancellation. It says, “She didn’t matter.”
Watching Peggy outsmart her peers, form genuine friendships, fall in love again, and rise through the ranks wasn’t just entertaining; it was empowering. She was a woman who navigated trauma, grief, and sexism with unflinching dignity. To see all that reduced to a silent background role in ‘Endgame’ was devastating. It killed all her growth and put her on square one. She earned her place as one of the MCU’s foundational characters, not by saving the universe, but by refusing to let it crush her spirit.
