MCU: 15 most perfectly cast actors in the Marvel Cinematic Universe
MARVEL’S AGENT CARTER – “Valediction” – Peggy faces the full fury of Leviathan, as Howard Stark makes his return in the explosive season finale of “Marvel’s Agent Carter,” TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 24 (9:00-10:00 p.m., ET) on the ABC Television Network. (ABC/Kelsey McNeal)
HAYLEY ATWELL
2. Hayley Atwell
Character: Peggy Carter
Before 2011, Peggy Carter was just a great character that not enough people knew about. However, that all changed when Hayley Atwell portrayed her in Captain America: The First Avenger.
What made Atwell’s portrayal so memorable was how unapologetically determined she was throughout her entire Marvel Cinematic Universe run. In a time when women were overlooked and suppressed, Peggy was an outstanding example of what they were truly capable of and, through Atwell’s infectious performance, the character changed the way people saw her.
To highlight the strength of her turn as the character, all you have to do is look at her role in The First Avenger. In a film that was centred on World War II and focused on a young man’s transformation into a superhero, Peggy could have gotten lost in the background as nothing more than a love interest. That, however, was everything that she was not. Instead, she was smart, independent and portrayed a strength of character that would rival even the most formidable of Marvel Cinematic Universe heroes. She was never the damsel, she was every bit the hero that Steve Rogers was.
In recent years, the Marvel Cinematic Universe has been busy trying to create female icons with badass heroes like Black Widow and Captain Marvel, but it should never forget about the original one – the best one. Peggy Carter was an example of the excellence that women could bring to this supposed man’s world. As the character often reminded us, she knew her value and, after Atwell’s outstanding outing, so does everyone else – so it came as no surprise when she eventually headlined the beloved Agent Carter TV series.
Peggy Carter is no longer just that supporting character in an old Captain America comic. She’s no longer known as the long-lost love Steve Rogers or for being a relative of Sharon Carter. She is, without a doubt, the strongest, most formidable female character in the entirety of the Marvel Cinematic Universe – and that is thanks to Hayley Atwell’s wonderful performance.