The breakout star of Marvel Studios' animated venture What If... ?, the super-soldier version of Captain Peggy Carter, makes a return to the medium that made her an icon. As the first season of What If...? kicks off an explosive start to an exciting series, Marvel has taken ample opportunity to reestablish Carter's fan-favorite Captain America adjunct into the ever-expanding comic continuity.
Inspired by the comic book series of the same name, Marvel Studios' latest Disney + television venture What If...? has taken several memorable events from the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) film series and launched them into some alternate new directions. One of the most drastic alterations for the series is the inclusion of Project Rebirth, a top-secret World War II experiment that gave way to Captain America. However, in this alternate timeline, it is not Steve Rogers but Rogers' confidante and partner Peggy Carter who is endowed with the powerful vita rays. Taking the moniker of Captain Carter, the hero becomes an instrumental asset for the allied forces and a major source of opposition against the malicious terrorist organization Hydra. Captain Carter's presence on What If...? has instantly catapulted the heroine to another echelon of fame amongst Marvel fans. Given this alternate version's popularity, Marvel Comics has reserved Captain Carter for an equally prominent role in their upcoming line of comics.
After reinventing The Avengers for a new age of readership, writer Jason Aaron is expanding his Earth Mightiest Heroes' trajectory with a spiritual reimagining of Kurt Busiek's 1998-1999 crossover epic Avengers Forever. Joined by artist Aaron Kuder, Aaron's modern Avengers Forever will include the return of Captain Carter amongst a host of alternate Avengers from across the extensive Marvel Multiverse, as shown in the comic's cover. Similar to the precedent established by MCU shows Loki and What If...?, this new Captain Carter seems to be a variant from another adjoining Marvel timeline. Up to this point, Captain Carter has yet to make an appearance in Marvel's main universe, as she has previously established as being from an alternate Earth. With a massive scale teased for Avengers Forever, there is no telling what story elements may wind up spilling out into the core continuity.
Though Peggy Carter was originally established as a key Captain America supporting character in the late 1960s, the character's superhero Captain Carter persona would not become a fixture until the next few decades. It was 2018's Exiles #3 from Saladin Ahmed and Javier Rodriguez which introduced fans to Captain Carter, who emerged as the Captain America representation of alternate Earth-86315. Following her memorable Exiles debut, the seeds for Captain Carter's epic Multiversal adventure were firmly planted in Free Comic Book Day Avengers / Hulk #1.
With Captain Carter's newfound resurgence, it's no wonder that several rumors have begun to swirl regarding the Captain Carter character making her transition from comic books and animation to live-action films. Marvel Comics has a history of announcing new projects to coincide with their MCU arrivals, which only strengthens the importance of the comic for fans. The potential success of Avengers Forever combined with What If...? may even see Peggy's Captain Carter persona became a key component within Marvel 616. As the MCU begins to embrace multiversal territory, Captain Carter is making quite the deserved comeback on the comic book page.