Ever since the character’s first appearance in Captain America: The First Avenger almost a decade ago, Hayley Atwell’s fan-favorite Peggy Carter has been all over the Marvel Cinematic Universe. As well as appearing in the Captain America franchise, Atwell would also reprise the role in a Marvel One-Shot, two Avengers movies, an episode of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., the upcoming Disney Plus animated series Marvel’s What If…? and even her own spinoff show Agent Carter that lasted for two seasons before being cancelled due to poor ratings, despite solid reviews from critics.
Atwell’s most recent appearance in the MCU came at the conclusion of Avengers: Endgame, as Peggy finally got to share a dance with Steve Rogers, which ended the biggest movie of all-time on an incredibly character-driven note. The scene appeared to draw a line under the narrative arcs of both heroes, and in a recent interview, the actress seemingly admitted that her time playing Peggy Carter is over.
“I feel really fulfilled. It was a great time, and I think they ended it beautifully with Endgame. It feels like a fitting end to that narrative… So, I feel lucky to have played her, but she’s one aspect of my career. She’s one part that I’ve played… What’s remarkable is that this is a couple of work days for me. I’ll do half an afternoon on Endgame, or then you’re in the studio for a couple of hours on What…If?. Because so many fans love this franchise, it’s so much bigger than the time that affected my actual life, which is a remarkable thing.”
That certainly sounds as if Atwell is done with the MCU, which makes complete sense. Although fans have been campaigning for Agent Carter to be revived as a Disney Plus series, and there were already ideas in place for a third season before the show was cancelled, there doesn’t seem to be much interest in the property from either Marvel Studios or the actress herself.
A return to the franchise would also spoil the final moments of Avengers: Endgame, which served as a perfectly fitting farewell to both Peggy Carter and Steve Rogers, two characters whose individual journeys in the MCU were always driven by the other in some way finally getting a happy ending. And besides, it’s much more fun to speculate about what Cap got up to in his alternate timeline than seeing it play out on screen.
