Marvel is finally bringing one of its best characters back "from the dead"

It's clear to see that Avengers: Doomsday is one of the most anticipated movies of the coming years. On the surface, it's an Avengers movie; of course it's going to be a big one. But for fans who have been keeping up with the Marvel Cinematic Universe as regularly as possible, it's so much more than that.

Avengers: Doomsday is the opening act of the Multiverse Saga's grand finale. Much like 2018's Avengers: Infinity War, it will kickstart the battle to end all battles and hopefully save the universe (or, in this case, the multiverse) from imminent danger. That danger comes in the form of Doctor Doom, who will be portrayed by franchise veteran Robert Downey Jr.

Marvel is going big with this one in a bid to both revive the MCU saga and send the multiversal chapter out on a high. Accompanying RDJ will be fellow MCU stars Benedict Cumberbatch, Anthony Mackie, Tom Holland, Chris Evans, and multiple cast members of the upcoming Fantastic Four movie. But now, it has been revealed that another MCU veteran will be joining the fray, and it's one of the franchise's most beloved stars.

Hayley Atwell joins Avengers: Doomsday as Agent Peggy Carter

Deadline has confirmed that Hayley Atwell will reprise her role as Agent Peggy Carter in Avengers: Doomsday. It doesn't go into detail about how prominent her role might be, but this is particularly interesting as it comes just days after it was also confirmed that Chris Evans would return to the franchise for an appearance in the movie, too (Evans portrayed Captain America throughout the Infinity Saga, one of the MCU's primary heroes and Carter's love interest).

The report states that Marvel had plans to bring both Evans and Carter back for a standalone Captain America movie but that they couldn't get the story right, so both actors will be incorporated into Doomsday instead, it seems.

Atwell first played the role of Peggy Carter in 2011's Captain America: The First Avenger and reprised the role in a cameo appearance in sequel The Winter Soldier. She also appeared in the films Avengers: Age of Ultron, Ant-Man, and Avengers: Endgame but she most notably headlined her own Agent Carter series on ABC, which ran for two seasons. She also made guest appearances in ABC's other Marvel series Marvel's Agents of SHIELD.

Peggy died in 2016's Captain America: Civil War so in the franchise's main timeline, the character is no longer alive. However, Captain America himself, Steve Rogers, went back in time to be with her in Avengers: Endgame, where they seemingly lived a long and happy life together. That was supposed to serve as a fitting ending to both of their arcs, but if both actors do appear in Avengers: Doomsday will it add another layer to that story?

Even with the character's arc wrapping up in Endgame, Atwell has remained in Marvel Studios' projects, voicing a variation of the character known as Captain Carter in animated series What If...?. She then played a (different) live-action version of Captain Carter in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. There have been reports that she might appear as the What If...? version of the character in either Avengers: Doomsday or Avengers: Secret Wars so there is always the chance that her return here may not be linked to Evans' return.

We'll have to wait and see. Either way, seeing Hayley Atwell back as any version of Peggy Carter is always a good thing.