Peggy Carter, first lady of the MCU

Like most of the MCU’s female characters, Peggy Carter is a crucial but underrated player in the sprawling franchise. Introduced into quickly forgotten Captain America: The First Avenger played by the equally underrated Hayley Atwell, Peggy was Steve Rogers’ love interest in the film, doing little more than supporting the title character as he journeyed from skinny boy with a heart of gold to hulking super soldier and Avenger. However, something changed between the films; What remained was Peggy’s memory, a huge shadow that loomed over the Captain America trilogy and a constant reminder that Steve was out of place.

Over the years, Peggy has returned for brief cameo roles in everything from Captain America sequels to Ant man and Agents of SHIELD. Her appearances were just easter eggs meant to connect the larger MCU to the first Avenger, but had a secondary and possibly unintended effect. Slowly but surely, Peggy became a staple of the MCU, a pillar whose influence extended beyond the corners of Captain America and into the wider world of the Avengers. An impressive feat, considering Peggy didn’t even share scenes with any other non-Cap Avengers. Still, her place among the key figures of the MCU – the Tony Starks and Nick Furys of the world – was all but assured.

A strong female character

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Whenever someone wants to praise a fictional female creation, they probably use the term “strong female character”. It’s a suitably vague term to describe an equally vague figure who ticks every box on the list of female characters you should be. She is independent, capable, intelligent and excels at her job. A strong female character does not need a man, but usually finds one. Says names and kicks asses without breaking a nail. Strong female characters are a good way to avoid the responsibility of writing a three-dimensional woman. So what if the audience knows nothing about these women? They are great at what they do!

In the beginning, Peggy was just another strong but routine female character. The first avenger he presented her as the only army woman in power at the height of World War II. Everyone respects her because the movie says so. The audience sees Steve’s journey from an insecure boy to a confident man of action, but much of Peggy’s evolution occurs before the plot begins. Indeed, the film focuses on how she can help Steve cement the legacy of Captain America; her wants and needs become secondary to his. True, it’s his movie, but Peggy had the potential to be much more than a one-time love interest.

The MCU, with considerable help from the comics, also noticed this potential and turned Peggy into one of the key figures in the creation of SHIELD. Except it all happened off camera. The franchise told its fans that Peggy was important, but again overlooked show it. She was close to death when she next appeared, talking to Steve about old times Captain America: The Winter Soldier. Once again, Peggy was key to Steve, the only person who reminded him of his time and the person he once was. A year later, she returned during the opening Ant man to help establish Hank Pym’s MCU credentials and then during Cap’s dream sequence in the Avengers: Age of Ultronre-enacting the embodiment of all he had lost.

Until then, Peggy was one of the MCU’s secret weapons, a malleable character who could fit into WWII America just as easily as she could into modern London. Still, there was more to see about her, more to know about her life, which fans knew was groundbreaking enough to deserve its own movie. The MCU has been expanding rapidly, with previously B-level characters like Ant-Man and Guardian of the Galaxy headlining major motion pictures. Surely the MCU could find time to give Peggy some degree of attention, right? It did, but not in the way people expected.

A short-lived classic

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Agent Carter, a 15-minute short focusing on one of Peggy’s missions prior to the creation of SHIELD, opened the door for a television show focusing on the character. Marvel at the time was still far from its current shared television universe, with only Marvel’s Agents of SHIELD maintaining any continuity with the MCU. So, Agent Carter was something of an experiment for Marvel, testing the viability of translating the MCU to the small screen.

The series puts Carter at the fore, depicting the difficulties of juggling her career and personal life in the sexist culture of post-World War II America. Agent Carter it had a unique angle, a rich period setting, and the potential to feature some of the most important events in the MCU. Above all, he had a compelling character that was sidelined for far too long despite one of the most intriguing storylines in the Marvel Universe.

ouch Agent Carter he couldn’t connect with the mainstream audience. At a time when MCU fans were enjoying the ambition of connecting the franchises together, the series was a nostalgia trip that didn’t significantly advance the overall story. Two seasons didn’t even feature Carter’s creation of THE SHIELD, arguably the show’s biggest selling point. One of the greatest strengths of the MCU is its ability to present a single story over many chapters. This is the main reason fans see every Marvel movie in theaters; the fear of missing out is too intense. Focusing 100% on the central character might seem like the way to go for most shows, but those shows don’t take place within the confines of the MCU. The neglect of the wider world was ultimately Agent Carterdeath.

New beginning

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Tracking Agent Cartercancellation, Peggy disappeared. She died during the event in Captain America: Civil War, putting a rather anticlimactic end to the life of this pioneer. Three years later, Peggy returned to finally give Steve his long-awaited dance. Avengers: Endgame reunites the star-crossed lovers in one final twist that remains divided among fans. Seeing Cap with Peggy was more of a triumph for him than for her as she once again only existed to serve Steve’s interests. After all, it was his dream to dance with her; fans saw her move on during the event Agent Carter, and even movies showed how he gets married and starts a family. Yet here she was with Steve, living the life she apparently always wanted, despite many events that suggested otherwise.

Avengers: Endgame put a nice arc on Peggy’s story, and fans expected her journey to finally come to an end. So when Marvel announced their animated series, What if…?, many fans raised their eyebrows in disbelief. Peggy Carter would return to the MCU, this time in animation and as a superhero. Captain Carter was instrumental in the What if…?promotional campaign, which probably acts as the most prominent “hook” of the show. Expectations from the show were high, especially after its great success WandaVision and Lokiand the show did not disappoint.

Reviews for What if…? were positive, with critics and fans appreciating this new angle of exploring different angles of the MCU. The Captain Carter episode received significant praise for Atwell’s performance and Peggy’s new characterization, with many feeling that the plot was too similar The first avenger, almost everyone agreed that it was a pleasure to finally see Peggy in the spotlight. It’s a shame that Marvel had to turn her into a superhero in order to give her any attention, especially when Peggy was one of the MCU’s most significant and interesting non-powerful characters. Still, the character finally got the focus it always deserved.

Captain Carter introduced another female lead to the MCU, one without Wanda’s instability, Black Widow’s questionable morals, or Captain Marvel’s attitude issues. Captain Carter is a born leader, forged in the hardships of war and sent across the multiverse thanks to the Tesseract’s mischief. Like Captain America before her, Captain Carter is the ultimate soldier: incorruptible, steadfast, uncompromising, and moral to a fault. Then again, she’s not a Captain America impostor. Peggy is less stoic, more determined and used to the constant battle that comes with heroism. Finally, fans got to see a new side of Peggy, the one that’s always been there but only recently got a chance to shine.

What the future holds

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Coming up Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness will present a live action version of Captain Carter, and not a moment too soon. Seeing the character in animation was a treat, but witnessing her in all her glory on the big screen will be the redemption her fans needed. Season 2 already announced What if…? suggests that Captain Carter isn’t going anywhere, and a positive reception could mean a rebirth for the character. Since everyone is getting Disney+ spin-offs, there could be one centered around Captain Carter on the horizon. And with the multiverse playing an increasingly prominent role in the MCU, who’s to say that Captain Carter can’t appear in the Captain America 4?

It’s been a long and winding road for Peggy Carter, but she’s proven her importance to the MCU as a whole, in more ways than one. She may still be a strong female character, at least on paper, but the character development of Wanda Maximoff and Natasha Romanoff showed that Marvel is no longer neglecting its female characters. The possibilities are endless for Peggy. She was many things—love, human, superhero, common denominator—often all at once, making her unique in Marvel’s catalog of largely static characters.

The MCU has an incredible advantage in Peggy and has always known it, but chose to ignore her for whatever reason. No more. There couldn’t be a better time for Peggy Carter to rise from obscurity and find the spotlight she has always deserved.

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Categories: GAMING
Source: newstars.edu.vn

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