If you were holding out hope that Peggy Carter would return in Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. season 7, prepare to be disappointed. Longtime MCU star Hayley Atwell has now ruled out any possible comeback as the co-founder of the spy organization in the show’s final few episodes.
In her latest Instagram post, a couple of fans separately asked the actress if she was going to appear on AoS before it wraps up. In both cases, Atwell replied with a straightforward “no,” paired with a peace sign emoji. It’s a brief response, but it sounds like Atwell either wasn’t asked or elected not to return and she’s completely OK with that.
In the latest episode of season 7, her old Agent Carter co-star Enver Gjokaj reprised his role as Daniel Sousa, providing a neat crossover with the much-missed short-lived show. Sousa encountered the time-traveling S.H.I.E.L.D. team in the 1950s, a few years after we last saw him in AC season 2. The episode established that he and Peggy had broken up by this time, as he was described as her “former partner.”
Given that Gjokaj was invited back, you’d imagine that producers must’ve reached out to Atwell, too, so perhaps the actress couldn’t make it due to scheduling conflicts or wasn’t interested in turning up for another cameo. She has said in the past that it would take a bold new take on the character to get her to come back, after all.
The good news is that we’re getting one of these in the near future. Atwell is set to reprise Peggy in Marvel’s What If…? animated series, which will dip into alternate MCU timelines. The first episode will explore what would happen if Peggy got the Super-Soldier Serum instead of Steve Rogers, becoming Captain Britain in the process.
An appearance from Peggy would’ve sweetened the deal, but there’s still plenty to look forward to as Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. speeds towards its grand finale, with new episodes airing Wednesdays on ABC.
