Credit: Marvel StudiosAfter making a cameo appearance in the MCU’s Phase Four, this hero, whose story was thought to have reached its conclusion in Avengers: Endgame (2019), finally got her moment in the spotlight—emphasis on moment. Now, the actress is opening up about her blink-or-you’ll-miss-it scene in the film, where she expressed her disappointment over her short-lived role.
As Marvel continues to delve into the Multiverse, they’re making one thing clear: anything is possible—even the resurrection of characters thought to be long-dead.
These ideas formed the basis of Marvel Studios’ first animated show, What If…?, which premiered on Disney+ in summer 2021 to rave reviews from critics and fans. The series explored alternate realities such as an Earth where all of the Avengers were killed before their team-up, a dimension where Wakanda’s King T’Challa is Star-Lord instead of Peter Quill and even a reality where a zombie apocalypse wiped out civilization.
But the first episode, titled “What If… Captain Carter Were the First Avenger?” proved to be a highlight of Season 1, featuring a storyline where instead of Steve Rogers (Chris Evans), Agent Margaret “Peggy” Carter (Hayley Atwell) becomes the world’s first super soldier. Captain Carter, or Captain Britain, goes on to fight against HYDRA, and unlike the universe we all know, becomes trapped in a pocket dimension only to be freed decades later.
Atwell was one of many MCU veterans who reprised their superhero roles for What If…?, with the actress having portrayed Peggy Carter since 2011’s Captain America: The First Avenger. In the canon timeline we all know, Peggy dies in Captain America: Civil War (2016), though she’s reunited with Steve in an alternate dimension after he goes back in time to live out his life by her side by using the Time Stone.
After this and her What If…? episode, many assumed that this would be the end for Atwell’s Agent Carter. However, fans were proven sorely wrong when her Multiversal counterpart, Captain Carter, made a cameo in director Sam Rami’s Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (2022) alongside the members of Earth-838’s Illuminati.
Although she put up a fight against the Scarlet Witch (Elizabeth Olsen), who was under the influence of the Darkhold, Captain Carter was swiftly killed by her own shield within minutes—a decision Hayley Atwell still isn’ too pleased with.
Speaking on the Happy Sad Confused podcast with host Josh Horowitz, Atwell admitted that Captain Carter’s quick cameo and brutal death was a “frustrating moment,” explaining that fans joke about her “I can do this all day” line, which is ironically followed by Carter being “immediately cut in half by a frisbee:”
“…She’s like, ‘I could do this all day,’ and then followed by she’s immediately cut in half by a frisbee, and then the audience being like, ‘She can’t do it all day… Apparently, you can’t, so… Yeah, egg on your face.’ And, I’m like, ‘Oh, it doesn’t really serve Peggy very well.”
It seems like Atwell has some pretty strong opinions on what does and doesn’t seem in-character for Peggy, which makes sense considering she’s embodied the role for over 10 years. Still, Atwell claimed that she ultimately enjoyed having a prominent role in Disney+’s What If…? series, an experience she called ” great fun:”
I felt like I had much more to do in the ‘What If…?‘ animation series, which was… I mean, any actor will tell you, to be able to go into a booth, and effectively your pajamas, and do an animation is great fun, because you’re just focused on the voices, the instrument. That is your main sort of performative tool.
As for Peggy, who’s often treated as a side character in the Captain America franchise, Atwell said that she “loved” that showrunners were “able to give her just more to do as Captain Carter,” though her future in the franchise remains shrouded in mystery.
There are certainly ample opportunities for Captain Carter to make a comeback in the MCU’s Phases Five and Six, which wouldn’t be entirely out of line with the overarching premise of the Multiverse. Who knows? Maybe we could see her take on a whole new set of challenges and battles in upcoming live-action or animated projects, with the most plausible being What If…? Season 2.
Atwell has said before that her Doctor Strange scene wasn’t “the trajectory that I see for Peggy” and that she would “definitely like her to have more to do,” which implies that she’s all for revisiting the role somewhere down the line. But for now, we’ll just have to wait and see.
However, the recent smash success of Atwell’s new movie, Mission: Impossible — Dead Reckoning Part One (2023) from director Christopher McQuarrie may see her fully snatched up by the billion-dollar franchise. Starring as Grace alongside Tom Cruise (Ethan Hunt) and fellow Marvel alum Pom Klementieff (Paris), the seventh installment in the popular action series is on track to debut with a massive opening weekend.
Along with positive critic and audience reviews, the Mission Impossible franchise Atwell is now a part of is trending much higher than any recent Marvel or Disney movie. Maybe it’s goodbye superheroes and hello secret agents—of a different kind, at least.
What do you think of Hayley Atwell being less than impressed with her Doctor Strange 2 cameo? Do you want to see more of Captain Carter? Let us know in the comments below.