Marvel Comics and its respective film studio have been generous when it comes to creating compelling characters rich in personality. The intricacies and depth in character development are supported throughout a variety of media across the traditional comic format, from television series, video games, and extending more notably in films. Each character that is created usually serves a strategic or significant role across the seemingly-infinite transmedia universe. The latest character garnering buzz from fans is Captain Carter, whose cameo in Doctor Strange 2 has been seemingly confirmed by Disney.
Captain Carter made her MCU debut in the first episode of Marvel Studios’ Disney+ animated series What If…? along with an appearance in the episode’s companion comic. Shifting from the small screen, to print, and now back to the big screen almost certainly guarantees the character a future within the MCU. What’s helped her journey to becoming a beloved character in such a short amount of time is the fact that she is both familiar and fresh. Indeed, the superheroine’s backstory was elevated through What If…?’s exploration of the multiverse. Since Marvel Studios is determined to bring Captain Carter into the MCU fold, many are left wondering: who is Captain Carter, really?
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What Universe is Captain Carter In?
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Captain Carter’s episode was responsible for introducing Marvel Studios’ What If…? series to Disney+, and, in consequence, toyed with the ideas of alternative storylines for previously known leading and supporting characters. Because of this, she belongs to the What If…? universe that has been proclaimed as canon within the ceaselessly-growing Marvel Universe. What If…? head writer AC Bradley shared with IGN that despite the animated form that the anthology presents itself in, the events of What If…? “are canon. It’s part of the MCU multiverse. The multiverse is here. It is real, and it is absolutely fantastic, people.”
What If…? laid out similar events and significant plot points that have been scattered throughout the MCU from a secondary point of view. The series was guided by the all-seeing Uatu the Watcher as he walks audiences through timelines that have been shaken up outside their well-known canonization. In the first episode, Peggy Carter (voiced by Hayley Atwell) receives the Super-Soldier Serum previously given to Steve Rogers (as seen in Captain America: The First Avenger), and her transformation rewards her with the alias of Captain Carter. The episode hit similar beats in comparison to the Captain America film, but ultimately explores a different outcome of events.
The Captain Carter episode served as the first of a full-length season of bite-sized stories that contextualized the multiverse beyond the roadmap already laid out by the MCU films. Moreover, the overlap between original Marvel television programs on Disney+, specifically What If…? and Loki, have expounded on what dangers the multiverse hold. Spider-Man: No Way Home and Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness have assured that these cross-timeline adventures promise to diversify the future of the Marvel Universe as it marches forward.
Does Hayley Atwell Play Captain Carter?
Atwell made her first MCU appearance as Peggy Carter in Captain America: The First Avenger and became synonymous with the British agent since. The popularity around Agent Carter became so overwhelming that ABC designed a solo spin-off series that followed her through the year 1946 as she defended Howard Stark (Dominic Cooper) against treasonous allegations. The 18-episode show ran from 2015 to 2016, though Atwell returned to the MCU prior to her television stint in Captain America: The Winter Soldier. Though Peggy died in Captain America: Civil War, Atwell’s Peggy was seen again in the time-travel sequence and concluding moments of Avengers: Endgame.
What If…?, once again, brought Atwell back to voice Captain Carter, even though it had seemed certain that the end of the Infinity Saga marked the end of Peggy Carter. Series director Bryan Andrews previously expressed excitement over revisiting the character in the future and said to Den of Geek that “a lot of the season one episodes are riffing off certain points in the cinematic universe and maybe even delving in a certain phase, but we need to expand and explore more things, so we had to come up with other ideas that were a little further down the timeline. Peggy Carter is pretty awesome; Captain Carter is pretty awesome, we’d love to see more of her.” From Andrews’ comment of wanting to see more of Captain Carter, it could inadvertently allude to more Marvel in Atwell’s future.
Why Captain Carter is Rumored to Appear in Doctor Strange 2
Hawk-eyed Marvel fans were quick to dig into promotional material released for Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness and refused to take any detail, even the most insignificant ones, lightly. As more details unfold about the truly enigmatic sequel to Doctor Strange, eager Marvel fans have drowned the internet with their own theories. A wealth of characters are rumored to make their appearance in the exciting, albeit overstuffed, addition to the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Indeed, scrutinous measures have been taken to tear into marketing material provided by Marvel Studios in the effort to beat them to their own onscreen reveals. Captain Carter’s name has been tossed into the ongoing conversation surrounding who may find themselves joining in on the madness of the multiverse. In fact, splinter of Captain Carter’s shield has allegedly been spotted on the poster for Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, spurring on the belief that she’ll exist in the MCU beyond the confines of What If…?
Captain Carter isn’t the only character from What If…? to have seemingly jumped to the big screen. In addition to Doctor Strange’s dark variant — also known as Supreme Strange — there’s the notable appearance of Shuma-Gorath, the tentacled menace that Captain Carter fought in her premiere episode. Not only did she stop the monster from wreaking havoc, she also followed it into its own dimension. The monster’s consequent appearance in Doctor Strange 2’s trailer, coupled with the rumors of Captain Carter’s cameo, seem to suggest that she might be of some aid to Strange and his team, who can be seen battling Shuma-Gorath. At best, her rumored appearance points to Hayley Atwell’s long-awaited return to a fully-fledged hero-version of her beloved character. And at the very least, the rumors are an indication of just how popular Captain Carter is.
