Steve Rogers crashes the Valkyrie into the ice in 1945 and is presumed to be dead. Peggy Carter eventually goes on to become the director of S.H.I.E.L.D. Howard Stark helps Peggy found S.H.I.E.L.D., and is the father of Tony Stark. These are basic facts that fans of the Marvel Cinematic Universe would know. But what happens in those years after Steve’s presumed death? What happens before Peggy and Howard founded the spy agency? When does the S.S.R. even become S.H.I.E.L.D.?
Agent Carter doesn’t answer all of those questions, but it helps fill in some of those gaps.
Not to be confused with the Marvel One-Shot of the same name, the Agent Carter television series premiered on ABC in January 2015. The two-season show is initially set in 1946 New York City, after Steve Rogers’s presumed death and the end of the war. It follows Peggy’s life at the S.S.R. and how the agency operates now the war is over. Even though Peggy proved her value helping Colonel Phillips and Captain America during the war, she is still underestimated in an office full of men — some of whom also served in the war.
From the adventures Peggy embarks on to the (old and new) characters who surround her, Agent Carter still proves to be a worthwhile watch full of action, emotion, and intriguing narratives that expand the Marvel universe.
Agent Carter is Peggy Carter’s chance to shine
Captain America: The First Avenger wasted no time establishing who Peggy Carter is. In her first scene, she’s faced with the toxic masculinity of Gilmore Hodge and uses that encounter to show she’s a no-nonsense woman who knows her worth, fights for what’s right, and isn’t deterred by misogynistic men. Peggy wasn’t the focal point of that story, though. The film showed glimpses of her potential and how she operates as an agent. Her titular series, however, shows Peggy as a complete character with depth.
Agent Carter shows how Peggy works in action. She doesn’t just shoot a gun or talk strategy like in her debut MCU appearance. She battles bad guys, showing her combat skills and fighting style. The series shows how Peggy acts and speaks, and it highlights the differences in her behavior with her colleagues versus civilians she knows or is acquainted with outside the S.S.R. She is quick-witted and isn’t afraid to make quips even amongst her male colleagues who don’t respect her. She can quickly adapt to situations even when at a disadvantage, and she can handle undercover work with ease.
The show also explores who Peggy is just as a person. What does she excel at, and where is she flawed? What was her upbringing, and how does she approach others and her life differently than she did before joining the S.S.R.?
Peggy Carter’s life is full of compelling characters
Seeing Peggy in action, taking risks and fighting bad guys, is always fun. But one of the best parts of Agent Carter is the cast of characters in her life. In Captain America: The First Avenger, Peggy is an agent. She’s working to help defeat Hydra and the Nazis in the war. She’s also a love interest. But, beyond being interesting figures to know, the other characters in Agent Carter help show Peggy in roles and dynamics she hadn’t been featured in before.
Peggy gets to be the leader (even though she’s never formally in charge), calling the shots during missions with help from her coworkers Daniel Sousa and Jack Thompson.
Sousa, who eventually gets a new life (literally) in Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. season 7, is the lone S.S.R. agent who legitimately respects Peggy. He lost his leg in the war, uses a crutch, but doesn’t let his disability stop him from being a successful agent. He’s characterized by his more kindhearted personality and softer demeanor, and his role as her love interest is obvious from the start. Even though Peggy ultimately ends up with Steve, seeing her be more active in a romantic storyline is interesting.
Meanwhile, Thompson is a stereotypical alpha male at the office. He’s sexist, thinks he’s entitled, and has no issue demeaning Peggy. But what makes his role in Agent Carter intriguing is how he comes to respect and recognize her. He doesn’t necessarily change, but he ultimately can’t deny Peggy’s value.
Seeing Dominic Cooper’s young Howard Stark in Agent Carter is a treat, because it’s his only other live-action appearance. His charisma and unmatched intelligence are a delight, and seeing him actually work and be friends with Peggy is great. He recruits her to be his confidante, and the trust he places in her is an important contrast to the typical dismissal and lack of faith she receives at the S.S.R.
Even more important than Howard is his butler, Edwin Jarvis, Howard’s butler. Jarvis becomes her sidekick, and his dynamic with Peggy makes the duo a fan favorite. Their partnership begins essentially just as a request from Howard, but their relationship evolves. They become legitimate friends who take care of each other, grow because of each other, but also bicker and, at times, share the same chaotic energy.
Angie Martinelli is an aspiring actress who works as a waitress at the L&L Automat that Peggy frequently visits. The two women become friends, and it’s heartwarming to see how this relationship lets Peggy be this everyday woman. Angie is just a civilian. Peggy has no preexisting connection to Angie. Work didn’t bring them together like it did with Howard, Jarvis, Sousa, or Thompson. Peggy and Angie are friends because they enjoy each other’s company, see value in being friends, and work to develop and maintain a friendship. It’s nice how Agent Carter uses Angie to frame how Peggy is not just her work but also deserves to be a normal person.
Agent Carter showcases women as complex and powerful
With Peggy Carter as the protagonist, there’s no doubt Agent Carter is a show about powerful women. But Peggy is just the start. In both seasons of the Marvel Television show, the primary antagonists are also powerful women. Season 1 features (spoiler alert) Dottie Underwood, a Black Widow assassin who trained at the Red Room. Besides obviously having elite combat skills, Dottie is cunning and manages to even outsmart Peggy. She’s vengeful and charming, and it all contributes to what makes her one of the most interesting characters from the show.
In season 2, the main antagonist is Whitney Frost. She is introduced as an acclaimed actress, the current Hollywood starlet. But acting turns out to be a secondary talent. Her real skill lies in science. The power and prestige she gains from being an actress is all just part of her plan to pursue intricate scientific endeavors. She is ambitious and driven —so much so that she doesn’t care who’s in her way. Her intelligence is so noteworthy that even Howard is enamored by her.
They, along with Peggy, all play crucial parts in what makes Agent Carter a standout show. It showcases how women can (and deserve to) be more than the one-dimensional characters they are often relegated to — especially in the superhero/comic genre.