Since Captain Marvel will be set in the '90s, it represents an excellent opportunity for Marvel Studios to bring back fan-favorite character Agent Peggy Carter (Hayley Atwell). Peggy was first introduced to the Marvel Cinematic Universe in Captain America: The First Avenger, helping the Strategic Scientific Reserve and Dr. Abraham Erskine (Stanley Tucci) with the super soldier experiment that turned Steve Rogers (Chris Evans) into Captain America. She quickly became a fan-favorite character and starred in her own Marvel One-Shot titled Agent Carter, in which Peggy faces sexism from her SSR boss and completes an entire mission on her own.
The Peggy Carter-starring One-Shot was popular enough that Marvel TV adapted the premise into Marvel's Agent Carter, a TV series that ran for two seasons on ABC before being canceled in 2016. Unfortunately, Agent Carter was canceled before answering a number of questions posed by both the show and the larger MCU - the most obvious of which being who exactly Peggy married. The season 2 finale of Agent Carter also ended on a big cliffhanger with Jack Thompson (Chad Michael Murray) being shot and left for dead. Fans of Agent Carter have hoped that the show will be revived somewhere other than ABC (though Netflix has stated unequivocally that they won't pick up the series), or for the cast to be reunited for a one-off concluding movie/extended episode.
Beyond Agent Carter, Atwell has reprised her MCU role as Peggy Carter a handful of times, including Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Avengers: Age of Ultron, and Ant-Man. Though Peggy Carter didn't appear in Captain America: Civil War, she did pass away and Steve was shown attending her funeral - where he learned Sharon Carter (Emily VanCamp) was Peggy's niece. Peggy Carter is an important historical figure in the MCU, not because of her involvement in creating Captain America, but because she and Howard Stark founded the Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement and Logistics Division, or S.H.I.E.L.D.
As such, she's been involved in all the strange goings on of the MCU's world even before Tony Stark revealed himself to be Iron Man or The Avengers joined forces for the first time. Although Peggy is now dead in the current MCU timeline, her importance to the history of S.H.I.E.L.D. means Marvel Studios could bring the character back for flashbacks within the universe - or for an entire movie set before the modern MCU timeline. With the annoucement at Comic-Con International in San Diego that Captain Marvel will take place in the '90s, the Phase 3 movie is a perfect opportunity to bring Peggy Carter back for another appearance.
What We Know About Captain Marvel
As one of the later Phase 3 entries in the MCU, we know little about the actual plot of Captain Marvel. The film tapped co-screenwriters Nicole Perlman and Meg LeFauve in 2015, and Marvel Studios announced Brie Larson will play Carol Danvers/Captain Marvel at Comic-Con last summer. Since then, Marvel hired co-directors Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck to helm the film. At this year's Comic-Con, Marvel unveiled new concept art of Larson as Carol Danvers, offering fans their first real idea of how the Captain Marvel suit will look in her standalone entry.
However, the more interesting tidbits to come out of Marvel's SDCC presentation in terms of Captain Marvel were that the film will be set in the '90s and will feature Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) before he lost his eye - and, presumably, before he became the director of S.H.I.E.L.D. Rumors about Fury's involvement in Captain Marvel first surfaced earlier in July, with it reported that Jackson will co-star in the movie. However, while Jackson is confirmed to be in Captain Marvel, it's unclear exactly how large a role he will have in the film. It was also confirmed during Comic-Con that Captain Marvel will deal with the Kree-Skrull War. Although it was waged between two intergalactic species, the Kree have ties to Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., Inhumans, and Guardians of the Galaxy.
So, with one prominent member in S.H.I.E.L.D.'s history appearing in Captain Marvel, and the film set to deal with a species of aliens already tied to S.H.I.E.L.D., it seems like the perfect opportunity to bring back another fan-favorite character to appear in the '90s-set Marvel movie.
Page 2: [valnet-url-page page=2 paginated=0 text='How%20Peggy%20Carter%20Can%20Appear%20in%20Captain%20Marvel']
How Peggy Carter Can Appear In Captain Marvel
Peggy Carter's history in the MCU is extensive, spanning multiple movies and television series; in addition to those mentioned previously, she appeared in flashbacks on Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. during the show's second season. However, much of Peggy's storyline in the MCU is dedicated to the time immediately following World War II when she worked with the SSR and prior to her becoming involved in establishing S.H.I.E.L.D. When The Winter Soldier sees Steve Rogers reunited with Peggy, she's already retired from S.H.I.E.L.D.
The only instance in which we see Peggy working for S.H.I.E.L.D. are the flashbacks in Ant-Man, when she began working with Hank Pym (Michael Douglas), who had created Pym Particles and Ant-Man suit. Pym resigned from S.H.I.E.L.D. in 1989 after the death of his wife, Janet van Dyne (to be played by Michelle Pfeiffer in Ant-Man and the Wasp). So, Peggy's life from 1989 through to her retirement from S.H.I.E.L.D. is still a mystery in the MCU.
Of course, since we know Peggy was still working for S.H.I.E.L.D. in 1989, and was a major player in the organization, she could potentially be involved in whatever Captain Marvel storyline that sees Carol Danvers cross paths with Nick Fury. It's unclear what exactly that storyline will be, and fans know that modern Fury regularly kept secrets, so it's possible however he becomes involved with Captain Marvel - and the Kree-Skrull War - he'll keep it secret from his superiors, which would include Peggy. (It's also possible Fury's storyline reveals the origins of Project T.A.H.I.T.I., the S.H.I.E.L.D. project in which a Kree corpse was harvested for medical purposes that eventually helped bring Phil Coulson back to life.)
As for where Peggy will be in the '90s, depending on when exactly Captain Marvel takes place, it will likely be set following the death of Howard Stark, which occurred in 1991 - a hit that was carried out by Bucky Barnes a.k.a. The Winter Soldier (Sebastian Stan) on the orders of Hydra. As such, Peggy will likely be the last remaining founder of S.H.I.E.L.D. when Captain Marvel picks up. It's unclear if she'll be the director of S.H.I.E.L.D. - though fans would undoubtedly enjoy seeing the beloved character in such an important role within the organization.
Based on what we know about the director position from The Winter Soldier, Nick Fury was appointed by Alexander Pierce, who presumably stepped down from S.H.I.E.L.D. director when he took a role on the World Security Council. The history of who led S.H.I.E.L.D. in the late '80s and '90s is a little unclear, pieced together from information gleaned from various Marvel properties, but Pierce may have been director of S.H.I.E.L.D. through the '90s before appointing Fury as his successor. That said, it's unclear who was director before Pierce - it may have even been Peggy Carter. There is some precedent in the comics for Peggy Carter being director of S.H.I.E.L.D., as she is on Earth-65 of the comic universe.
Of course, all that said, the story of Captain Marvel is still very much unknown. Although the '90s setting and inclusion of Nick Fury makes it seem as though the movie could include more characters from the MCU, especially those with ties to S.H.I.E.L.D., it's unclear whether that will be the case. Perhaps Nick Fury has only a small role to play in Captain Marvel, and whatever he does, he does against S.H.I.E.L.D.'s orders. Still, considering Captain Marvel will be a period piece, it would seem like a missed opportunity to not include Peggy Carter.
Why Captain Marvel Should Include Peggy Carter
Arguably, Peggy Carter is the most popular female character in the MCU. Aside from Jessica Jones (Krysten Ritter), Peggy is the only live-action female character to headline her own property, and the heroine rivals even Robert Downey Jr's Tony Stark for the most appearances in MCU properties. Captain Marvel, meanwhile, will be Marvel Studios' first film property in the MCU to focus on a solo female character (Evangeline Lilly's Wasp is the first female character to co-headline a movie in Ant-Man and the Wasp). So, fans of both Peggy Carter and Captain Marvel would undoubtedly love to see the two prominent female Marvel characters share a scene in the upcoming movie - and since the film will take place in the '90s, it also gives fans a chance to see Peggy as not only an important member of S.H.I.E.L.D., but potentially its director.
Additionally, a brief appearance in Captain Marvel could offer fans some semblance of closure after Agent Carter was abruptly canceled. Although it's unlikely Marvel Studios would offer a direct connection to Marvel TV's show - as the two branches of Marvel don't always gel together very well - the mystery of Peggy's husband was established in the movies, so it wouldn't be out of the realm of possibility that a Marvel film finally reveals his identity. And, if it's a character introduced on ABC's Agent Carter, viewers would finally see the movie side of the MCU reference the TV side - something fans have been calling for Marvel to do for many years.
Still, we don't yet know whether Peggy Carter will appear in Captain Marvel at all. While the Marvel movie seems to be an opportune chance for the studio to bring back a beloved character, it's unclear if the story will allow for it. With Captain Marvel set to start filming in January 2018, though, we may learn soon enough whether Atwell will reprise the role of Peggy Carter for the movie. If she doesn't, there's always the chance Peggy will return for Ant-Man and the Wasp in another flashback sequence.
