It Still Stings: Agent Carter Is More Relevant Today than It Was 10 Years Ago
Margaret “Peggy” Carter (Hayley Atwell) has become something of a constant in the Marvel Cinematic Universe since her live-action debut in Captain America: The First Avenger (2011). She has made multiple appearances throughout additional projects, including the Captain America sequels and two Avengers films. Most recently, we’ve watched an alternate version of Peggy take up the shield as super soldier Captain Carter in Marvel’s animated What If…? series and a special live-action cameo in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.
However, as enjoyable as it has been to see Captain Carter, Peggy’s most important appearance remains her short-lived series Marvel’s Agent Carter, depicting Peggy’s adventures in the late 1940s after losing Steve Rogers (Chris Evans) and returning home from war to find her role within the Strategic Scientific Reserve greatly diminished simply because she’s not a man. Though the series was unceremoniously canceled after a two-season run from 2015-16, it is arguably even more timely and poignant now, given what’s currently happening in the world and specifically in the United States. As such, it is the perfect time to bring Peggy Carter back to the small screen and continue to see how she defied the odds and made a name for herself outside of being Captain America’s girlfriend.
First and foremost, Marvel’s Agent Carter is a story of women taking ownership of and exerting control over their own lives, despite society telling them they don’t matter unless they are mothers, wives, and homemakers. As a certain political party and percentage of the populace attempt to turn back time and return the world to the darkness of the past, making their prejudices, bigotry, and “traditionalist” values the norm again, Peggy’s fight against the system and many of those same ignorant, outdated beliefs is sadly more relevant now than when the series originally premiered.
Peggy is the only female field agent in the SSR, though she’s no longer allowed to do much (or any) fieldwork. Her colleagues belittle, demean, and altogether dismiss her skills, talents, and history, making disgusting and misogynistic comments about her and the other women in their lives—excluding Daniel Sousa (Enver Gjokaj), the only man in that office worthy of respect. They task Peggy with things they don’t want to do, like answering the phones and filing papers, ignoring that her espionage and investigatory abilities far surpass their own. In short, they believe she is incapable of handling herself and that her intelligence is far inferior to their own; after all, how could Peggy Carter be a decent spy when she’s a weak, small-minded woman?
However, Peggy doesn’t waver in her determination to prove her worth. She is well aware of the value she offers to the agency and country, and is well prepared to fight her own battles, becoming angry on occasion when a man attempts to do so for her. And, as we see repeatedly, Peggy can hold her own against foes that are far stronger, bigger, and/or more skilled than herself. She doesn’t give in to the expectations thrust upon her, and she uses the ignorance and misogyny of those around her to her advantage—actually working in the shadows, as a spy should, and using their lack of belief and interest in her to achieve her goals. As she says herself, she’s practically invisible, but in some situations that’s her greatest strength.
While Peggy wages her war against sexism and misogyny in the SSR, other characters are dealing with similar issues in their own ways. Like Peggy, her nemesis Dottie Underwood (Bridget Regan), one of the many assassins to emerge from Russia’s Black Widow program, uses society’s antiquated view of women to her advantage. She’s particularly effective because those she targets cannot fathom that a woman would be capable of such brutality and deception. Whitney Frost (Wynn Everett), the antagonist in Season 2, is a movie starlet on the verge of being pushed out of the business because she’s considered too old. She’s also one of the most intelligent people on the planet but has been overlooked and ignored because, again, she’s a woman. This drives her mission to seize power—primarily from a council of rich men who use their wealth and status, such as being the owner of every newspaper on the West Coast, to influence elections and commit other atrocities, which sounds awfully familiar—and an unending lust for more. She isn’t content with the limits the world has given her.
Agent Carter wasn’t perfect; it was far from it. The series seriously lacks intersectionality, particularly as only straight, white women are featured in regular roles. As such, the series only touches upon racism briefly with Dr. Jason Wilkes (Reggie Austin), who joined the second season as a scientist involved in the overarching story and Peggy’s new love interest. Should the series ever be revived, this must be addressed and rectified. Plus, as the series eventually made its way into the ‘50s, it would have been interesting to see if and how the Lavender Scare would have impacted the SSR and Peggy’s approach to that situation, offering another opportunity for the series to be more inclusive and provide a similar challenge of today’s rising anti-LGBTQ+ sentiment and legislation.
Additionally, given the current assault on women’s rights (specifically surrounding proper healthcare and the reemergence of abortion bans around the country) and the fact that we’ve had two election cycles since the series ended in which a too-large portion of the populace has questioned whether women could carry out the duties of being the President of the United States, Peggy’s fight to shatter the glass ceiling for all women and disband the boys’ club that was (and still is) federal government feels necessary to see once again.
Furthermore, another reason to revive this short-lived, but much-loved series is that the Marvel Cinematic Universe provenly shines brightest when scaling back to (relatively) grounded and character-driven stories. After years of becoming more fantastical and, honestly, pushing things a bit over the top, the recent success and widespread adoration of Agatha All Along is the perfect example of this. Though Agatha follows a group of (mostly) centuries-old witches traveling down a mystical road rife with deadly tricks and trials, practical effects and incredibly human themes, paired with an excellent cast, allow the series to stay relatable and grounded. Likewise, Agent Carter worked so well because of its focus on exploring the depths of Peggy’s character, messaging, messy and realistic fight scenes, and clever uses of old technology to achieve results and advancements that would only be possible in a property based on comics.
Not to mention that the series concluded with a few major cliffhangers that need to be explored. In the final moments of Agent Carter Season 2, a man shoots Chief Jack Thompson (Chad Michael Murray), taking from him a mysterious folder that had been floating around which suggests that Peggy (as M. Carter) had committed a few serious war crimes. Having no idea what Jack was talking about when he showed her the file, Peggy assumed he made it up to discredit her, suggesting to the audience that “M. Carter” was actually her brother Michael (Max Brown), whose supposed death during the war inspired Peggy to become a spy. Plus, Peggy and Jack also discovered what they thought was a pin for an elite club was a key, teasing another major adversary for Peggy to face and giving new meaning to Dottie’s actions and escape throughout the season.
As Peggy continues to appear in other Marvel properties, and is confirmed for the upcoming Avengers: Doomsday, interest in the character has clearly not diminished; if anything, it has only increased in the years following the end of Marvel’s Agent Carter. While the idea of seeing Atwell return as a live-action Captain Carter more extensively certainly is enticing (and will hopefully come to fruition), the time is nigh to return to this story. Peggy’s fight in the ‘40s provides interesting insight into and unique commentary on our political climate in the present day, illuminating how far we’ve come and how far we’ve yet to go. More importantly, it shines a light on how, in many ways, we are fighting the battles of the past once more. As such, there’s never been a better time to go on another adventure with Peggy.
Jay Snow is a freelance writer. He has published many places on the internet. For more of his thoughts on television and to see his other work, follow him @snowyjay.
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