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Hayley Atwell says MCU fans deserve more Captain Carter

During an interview on stage at this year's Awesome Con in Washington DC, Hayley Atwell talked about the possibility of more Captain Carter in the MCU

captain carter

Captain Carter was a fairly late addition to the MCU — but one that fans undoubtedly fell in love with. The character made her first appearance in Marvel’s What If…? season 1, with the animated series detailing an alternate timeline to Earth-616 and showing what would have happened if Peggy Carter (played by Hayley Attwell in the Marvel movies) took the super-soldier serum instead of Steve Rogers.

Captain Carter is set to return in What If…? season 2 but made her live-action debut recently in Doctor Strange 2, with the super-soldier being part of Earth-838’s Illuminati. Although her role in that universe, at least, was short-lived, the multiverse means there’s plenty of scope for the character to return further down the line in MCU Phase 4.

When Fandom Spotlite asked about a potential live-action return to the role during Washington DC’s Awesome Con, the Peggy Carter actor took the question to the audience, which led to raucous cheering. She then elaborated further on the potential future of her character. “Well… I have no news for you. Sorry. But I share your enthusiasm,” she said.

She continued,  “I would love to feel that if Marvel did find a home for her that it’s a home that feels worthy of her in terms of evolution as a character and development as a character. And the experience I’ve had in playing her has given me the most incredible opportunity to hone my particular craft in this franchise. And I want more to do and because I feel that fans deserve that.”

Atwell added that “in some ways. a lot of people [think] that she’s a minor player and it wouldn’t make sense if I would continue to be a minor player.” However, she argued that we are now in a “different time,” especially “with everything that’s happened” to women in the past few years.

“When she says, you know her tagline, ” know my value. Anyone else’s opinion doesn’t matter,’ that’s really good. But I want everyone to realize her value,” she said. “Esentially, her own self-esteem and dignity comes from that sense that she knows her worth. She just gets on with her job; she works for the sake of work with dignity and she loves it. She doesn’t need validation.”

“But there is one thing that she deserves, which is agency in the world. And that can’t come until certain people in positions of power — namely the men — seed their power and offer her that platform. I’d like her to have that opportunity because then I feel like I have something…much more interesting to offer you guys.”

What If…? season 1 is now available to stream on Disney Plus.