MCU: 15 Marvel characters who deserve more screen time

11. Sharon Carter/Agent 13

Sharon Carter showed up at a very interesting time for the MCU. Debuting early on in Phase Two (Captain America: The Winter Soldier), she was a victim of both what came before and what came after.

Being Peggy Carter’s niece, Sharon had rather large shoes to fill in both the “reliable agent” and “potential love interest to Captain America” department (given how wonderful her Aunt Peggy had been in both roles), while the fact that she showed up just as S.H.I.E.L.D. fell limited her future appearances. Thus, in spite of an engaging performance from Emily VanCamp, Agent 13 never got a significant chance to prove herself as a character.

In a way, there was just too much going on that it seemed like Marvel Studios just didn’t know which direction to take her after her identity as Peggy’s niece was revealed. Initially, it looked like they were still intent on taking her in the same direction as her comic book counterpart by having her become Steve Rogers’ modern-day love interest, but their eventual kiss was more of a parting farewell than a declaration of love.

In hindsight, this was the absolute right choice on the creative team’s part because there were just too many comparisons to Steve’s relationship with her aunt and it was pretty clear that Sharon was just never going to compete with the legend that was Peggy Carter.

Now that Avengers: Endgame has established the end of Captain America as we know him, it’s confirmed that Sharon and Steve aren’t destined to be together, which finally opens the former up to exciting new possibilities.

With it looking likely that she’s going to appear in Disney+’s Falcon & Winter Soldier TV series, Sharon Carter can show the world just how badass she is without being forced into the modern-day equivalent of her aunt’s position in the MCU.

The character is every bit like her aunt in that she’s badass, efficient and unafraid to do whatever it takes for the greater good, but she’s also her own (equally badass) person – and it’s only fair that, as the MCU moves into uncharted territory, it gives her (and VanCamp) an overdue chance to shine.