It seems that these days, anything to do with superheroes or comic book adaptations is always ‘highly anticipated.’ With built-in, deeply loyal fanbases, DC and Marvel in particular tend to have audiences in the palms of their mighty corporate hands when it comes to new projects. While DC has staged a multi-pronged assault on TV viewers – with Gotham, Constantine and The Flash all launching this year, Marvel has been teasing its ace-in-the-hole, Agent Carter.
Heading to the small screen in early 2015, Agent Carter is the spinoff TV show for the supporting character from Captain America: The First Avenger. It will see fan favourite Hayley Atwell reprise her role, and Marvel recently released a teaser for the series, reminding us that when it comes to protecting the world, the best man for the job is actually a woman:
#AgentCarter is coming to ABC Tuesdays this January. https://t.co/SjrLrVABgM
— Agent Carter (@AgentCarterTV) October 29, 2014
Marvel also released a detailed synopsis of this hitherto mysterious series:
“Years before Agent Coulson and his S.H.I.E.L.D team swore to protect those who cannot protect themselves from threats they cannot conceive, there was Peggy Carter (Hayley Atwell – Marvel’s Captain America: The First Avenger, Marvel’s Captain America: The Winter Soldier), who pledged the same oath but lived in a different time, when women weren’t recognised as being smart or as tough as their male counterparts.
“But no one should ever underestimate Peggy.
“It’s 1946 and peace has dealt Peggy a serious blow as she finds herself marginalised when the men return home from fighting abroad. Working for the covert SSR (Strategic Scientific Reserve), Peggy finds herself stuck doing administrative work when she would rather be back out in the field; putting her vast skills into play and taking down the bad guys. But she is also trying to navigate life as a single woman in America, in the wake of losing the love of her life, Steve Rogers – aka Captain America.
“When old acquaintance Howard Stark (Dominic Cooper, Marvel’s Captain America: The First Avenger) finds himself being framed for unleashing his deadliest weapons to anyone willing to pony up the cash, he contacts Peggy – the only person he can trust – to track down those responsible, dispose of the weapons and clear his name. He empowers his butler, Edwin Jarvis (James D’Arcy, Master And Commander: The Far Side Of The World), to be at her beck and call when needed to help assist her, as she investigates and tracks down those responsible for releasing the weapons of mass destruction. But Jarvis, who is a creature of habit and sticks to a rigid daily routine, is going to be have to make some major life changes if he is going to be able to keep up with Peggy.
“If caught going on the secret missions for Stark, Peggy could be targeted as a traitor and spend the rest of her days in prison – or worse. And, as she delves deeper into her investigation, she may find that those she works for are not who they seem, and she might even begin to question whether Stark is as innocent as he claims.”
Written by Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely (Captain America: The First Avenger), Agent Carter also stars Chad Michael Murray (Fruitvale Station) and Lyndsy Fonseca (Kick-Ass), and has the potential to be hugely successful. Apart from being the first Marvel project of the modern age to be led by a female character, Agent Carter is also in a position to be able to go some way to avoid the pitfalls of cohesion that often cause problems for the studio’s other TV production, Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D.
That show, being set in the current time period, is required to tie in with the events of Marvel’s feature films. But, while Agent Carter works within that same cohesive universe, being set in the past should allow for greater flexibility for development of plot and character. At a time when Marvel’s grand plans are transitioning from ‘phase two’ to ‘phase three,’ Agent Carter might well be the studio’s next triumphant achievement.
