“Marvel’s Agent Carter” Eulogy

While rumors run rampant and hope swells in the hearts of fans that Marvel’s Agent Carter may return in some form, a eulogy might feel a little tactless. Let’s be realistic for a moment; the chances of Agent Carter moving to Netflix are slim, and even if she does, it more than likely won’t be until after The Defenders.

So let’s honor our best girl, because she deserves it.

Our first introduction to Peggy Carter in the Marvel Cinematic Universe came in Captain America: The First Avenger where she was one of the few who first saw the true Steve Rogers: the scrawny kid from Brooklyn who hated bullies and refused to back down from a fight. She had faith in our hero and supported him to his cold end.

But Peggy Carter’s journey didn’t end there. She starred in her very one Marvel One-Shot on the Iron Man 3 DVD release that had fans clamoring for more. Seeing Peggy in action sent a ripple of excitement through MCU fans, and Marvel decided to give Agent Carter her very own TV show.

Marvel’s Agent Carter was born, placed in the winter break for Marvel’s Agents of SHIELD. Within its eight-episode first season, we were given espionage at a deeper, more secret level:  a woman in the 1940s battling against her male superiors who barely give her the time of day, just their lunch orders.

She sided with Howard Stark, whom the SSR investigated, and handled covert missions with his butler, Edwin Jarvis. She took on a Russian supergroup of evil, known as Leviathan, who had framed Stark for their own misdeeds.

Peggy Carter came across as a badass. She took on Leviathan on her own. She took on the SSR, who didn’t believe in her. She took on Dottie Underwood, one of the first results of the Red Room, aka the Black Widow program. She did all of this while maintaining her composure at her actual job (up to a point).

Us fans waited with bated breath for news of a renewal. Hashtags sprouted. Back when Hayley Atwell still had social media accounts, she helped lead the charge. A second season was granted to the show, and fans received eight more episodes of our favorite spy, this time on the West Coast, taking on a celebrity who becomes superpowered thanks to some mysterious substance we may or may not see in Doctor Strange, and even finding her own Hollywood ending with Sousa.

A third season is not likely, as ABC has already passed and Atwell is heading up a new show on the network. But there is always hope. Atwell has brought such a distinction to the character. I know I’ve said this in pretty much every Agent Carter article I’ve written here, but she’s been so beloved that scenes have been written in movies so she can be included. That opening scene for Ant-Man? That dream sequence with Cap in Avengers: Age of Ultron? I’m just waiting for Agents of SHIELD to make a Peggy Life-Model Decoy next season and we’ll be all set (more on that in a later summer article).

And let’s be real: The entire events of Captain America: Civil War come down to Steve Rogers asking himself, “What would Peggy Carter do?”

It hurts me to say goodbye to a show I loved (and a show my entire family loved more than Agents of SHIELD) and a character I loved even more. My hope is that one day we will travel back in time in the MCU to return to Peggy’s roots once more. To see how she created SHIELD alongside Howard Stark. To watch as she keeps Cap’s spirit alive in all she does.

Farewell, Agent Carter.