Captain America's brief romance with Sharon Carter (Emily VanCamp) in Captain America: Civil War hurt what would have been a perfect ending for the character in Avengers: Endgame. When Steve Rogers (Chris Evans) went back in time to return the six Infinity Stones to their rightful places, he made the fateful decision to remain in the past so that he could finally have what time had denied him, which was a relationship with his Captain America: The First Avenger love interest, Peggy Carter (Hayley Atwell).

The Avengers and Avengers: Age of Ultron showed Steve struggling with being a man out of time and dealing the fact that he couldn't be with Peggy, who was now an old woman. Captain America: The Winter Soldier began to explore the idea that Steve could move on and begin a new relationship. A romance with his primary love interest from the comic books and Peggy's niece, Sharon Cater, was teased. Captain America: Civil War took it a step further by having the two kiss, much to the disgust of Peggy Carter actress Hayley Atwell, who felt it was "disrespectful" to Peggy. Sharon Carter hasn't been seen since, and it's not clear if she ever met Captain America again.

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Steve's relationship with Sharon is the fundamental problem with how his story ends in Avengers: Endgame. The idea that Peggy Carter is Steve's true love and a person that he can't forget about is what drives his big decision to go back in time and leads to his MCU ending. However, Steve briefly pursuing a relationship with Sharon unfortunately negates this idea, as Civil War moved Steve in a different direction and proved that the character could in fact move on with his life. Had Steve remained loyal to Peggy throughout his time in the MCU, going back in time and becoming Peggy's unnamed husband from Winter Soldier truly would have been an ending that felt right for the character.

Steve Rogers and Sharon Carter
CBR.com

Moving on is a theme that persists throughout Avengers: Endgame and poses a challenge for multiple characters, some in more ways than one. Everyone, including Steve, is of course trying to recover from the snap that wiped out half the universe, but it's indicated in the movie that this isn't the only thing that haunts him. Cap's inability to let go of the past is illustrated when he and Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.) travel back to the 1970s to steal Hank Pym's Pym Particles. So it's that near-encounter with Peggy that reminds Steve of what he lost.

Due to the importance of Captain America's legacy and his story in the MCU, Marvel Studios could potentially address the issue when Sharon Carter returns in the Disney+ series, The Falcon and the Winter Soldier. The series could find a way to downplay Steve's relationship with Sharon and reinforce the notion that Captain America's Endgame ending was exactly what Steve needed.

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