Marvel Studios has redefined Agent Carter's canon in the MCU ahead of their upcoming What If..? series on Disney+ - and the impact is worse than even with Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. To outsiders, the concern fan communities have over a franchise's canon often seems odd. But it's because "canon" is basically a shorthand for "feeling that something matters." In a shared universe like the MCU, non-canon stories can never have an impact on the overarching narrative, and that feels like something of a slight to those who love the stories being ignored.

By now it's become clear Marvel Television's flagship TV series, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., is non-canon as far as Marvel Studios is concerned. The new Disney+ chronological order for the MCU subtly breaks Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s continuity all the way back to its first season, props like the Darkhold have been redesigned, and Loki carefully avoided even a hint of Phil Coulson's resurrection. Sadly, now it's becoming Agent Carter's turn to be erased from MCU continuity, and it's been done in an even worse manner.

Related: Every What If Episode Marvel Has Revealed (& Teased) So Far

Marvel released a Marvel Legends feature outlining Agent Carter's MCU story ahead of What If..?, reminding viewers of all the main story beats they need to remember - and none of the shots came from the Agent Carter TV series. This is particularly surprising given Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely were involved in the pilot, and went on to work with Marvel Studios on Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Captain America: Civil War, Avengers: Infinity War, and Avengers: Endgame. They even subtly wove Agent Carter's adventures into Avengers: Endgame, bringing back James D'Arcy for a cameo as Jarvis. But it seems Marvel Studios is completely determined never to reference Marvel Television's shows, so that cameo doesn't mean quite as much as many hoped.

Howard Stark and Jarvis in Endgame

This is especially frustrating because there's no reason to ignore the Agent Carter show. Peggy Carter's story in the main MCU timeline is clearly over. Marvel's What If..? introduces a variant from a branched timeline where Peggy became a Super-Soldier rather than Steve Rogers. What's more, because Agent Carter is also on Disney+, including that content in the Marvel Legends feature could potentially have led viewers to check it out - thus spending more time engaging with the streaming service, to Disney's benefit. The erasure of Agent Carter is both unnecessary and self-defeating from a purely business point of view.

This also leaves viewers with a curious question about the inclusion of James D'Arcy's Jarvis in Avengers: Endgame. The most likely explanation is that he is the main timeline's version of the same character, just as J.K. Simmons' returning J. Jonah Jameson was the MCU iteration of a man from another timeline. This does, at least, establish a precedent for the potential return of other actors from Marvel Television properties - but presumably rebooted to fit into the Marvel Studios MCU timeline, meaning their old stories are rendered non-canon. Unfortunately for Agent Carter, much of her established story – including from Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. – has been erased (at least, as related to the MCU) prior to the premiere of What If...?

More: Every Phase 1 Character Returning In Marvel's What If...?

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