MCU Theory: Sharon Carter Is The Power Broker

Sharon Carter has made her eagerly-anticipated return to the MCU in episode three of The Falcon & the Winter Soldier – but could she actually be the show's villain, the mysterious Power Broker? In the comics, Power Broker, Inc. was a shadowy organization dedicated to creating super-soldiers. The two main figures in the company, both of whom have gone by the alias "Power Broker" on occasion, were the ruthless businessman Curtiss Jackson and the brilliant but immoral scientist Karlin Malus.

Marvel Studios has always been willing to switch things up, and so while Falcon & Winter Soldier is introducing the MCU's version of the Power Broker, by now it's clear they are very different. Whoever the Power Broker really is, they are based in the nation of Madripoor, taking advantage of its relaxed laws and criminal underworld. They appear to have established a global network, using Madripoor as their base of operations, and they are already proving themselves a force to be reckoned with.

But if the MCU's Power Broker is different to the comics, that raises the intriguing possibility they are actually someone we have met before; that their identity has been switched, which would explain why Marvel is keeping them such a closely guarded secret.

Falcon & Winter Soldier Episode 3's Curious Title Is "The Power Broker"

Until episode 3, the episode titles of Falcon & Winter Soldier have been pretty descriptive. "New World Order" focused on catching viewers up on the post-Blip MCU, with War Machine presenting an essential infodump to outline the basics; "The Star-Spangled Man" was all about the new Captain America, John Walker, and even featured a remix of the titular tune from Captain America: The First Avenger. But episode 3 is titled "The Power Broker," when at first glance the character doesn't even appear but instead is only discussed and alluded to. Unless, of course, the title will take on deeper meaning with the benefit of hindsight, with viewers realizing they've been introduced to the Power Broker in secret – because this is the episode that brings Sharon Carter into the series.

Sharon Carter Has Changed A Lot Since The Captain America Films

Sharon Carter helping Steve Rogers in Captain America Civil War

Falcon & Winter Soldier showrunner Malcolm Spellman had promised Sharon Carter has changed a lot, suggesting her experience on the run after Captain America: Civil War has changed her. "She is flipped," he explained. "If the fans watch Civil War, they can fill in the blanks on what Sharon probably had to deal with. And so, when we meet Sharon, she has definitely evolved. She has definitely grown up." He certainly wasn't exaggerating, because Falcon & Winter Soldier episode 3 introduced viewers to a version of Sharon who is bitter and cynical, and who has adapted well for a life of crime as some sort of underworld art dealer. The idealistic woman who shared a kiss with Captain America seems to be nothing but a memory.

Of course, it's entirely possible she never really existed at all. It's worth remembering that Sharon was a fairly high-level SHIELD agent, meaning deception would have always been her stock in trade; what's more, her specialty seems to have been in undercover work, because Nick Fury assigned her to become Steve Rogers' neighbor in Captain America: The Winter Soldier in order to ensure he was kept safe. Sharon's propensity for espionage may well suggest she is a skilled actor, and that her SHIELD bosses, Steve Rogers, and viewers themselves had only ever seen the side of her she wanted them to see.

This observation is important because Baron Zemo's knowledge of the Power Broker suggests they have been active for years. But if Sharon is naturally deceitful, she could well have been playing the role of the Power Broker even back when she was working for SHIELD. Alternatively, the collapse of SHIELD in Captain America: The Winter Soldier could have created opportunities that she exploited, with more created when the Avengers fell apart two years later – with a little help from Sharon, who ensured Steve Rogers and his group were on fighting form for the airport battle.

The Power Broker May Have A CIA Connection

Dr. Nagel in Falcon and Winter Soldier Episode 3

Falcon & Winter Soldier saw Sam and Bucky discover a scientist named Wilfred Nagel, who had formerly worked for Hydra but was brought in by the CIA to recreate the super-soldier serum. Nagel was on the verge of a breakthrough when Thanos snapped his fingers in 2018, and he was one of the billions of people to be erased from existence; when he was restored five years later, he found the CIA had pulled all funding from its super-soldier programs. Frustrated and embittered, Nagel found his way to the Power Broker.

Curiously enough, Sharon Carter also briefly worked for the CIA after the collapse of SHIELD. If she is indeed the Power Broker, she would have been able to take this opportunity to scope out any particularly interesting projects and perhaps even hire hackers to ensure she had a permanent back-door into the CIA's computer systems. It's easy to imagine a situation where Sharon established a connection with Nagel, whether directly or through an agent, and reached out to him when she realized his program was being shut down.

The Power Broker Is Watching

All this is circumstantial evidence, of course, raising disturbing questions about Sharon Carter's character and establishing she may well have had the opportunity to become the Power Broker. But Falcon & Winter Soldier episode 3 also provided some particularly disturbing moments to support the theory, the most obvious being the assassination of Selby before she could tell Sam and Bucky anything about the Power Broker. It's notable that Selby was shot by a sniper's bullet, just a few minutes before Sharon stepped out of the shadows to "save" the superheroes from hit-men who'd been contracted to kill them too. And she took sniper shots before doing so.

The walls of Madripoor featured graffiti declaring "The Power Broker is watching." In this case, she could well have been watching directly – actually in the bar when Zemo took Sam and Bucky there, swiftly recognizing a potential threat and positioning herself to take out Selby and then manipulate the Avengers into telling her what they were doing in Madripoor.

Sharon Carter's Final Scene Is Ominous

The Falcon and the Winter Soldier Sharon Carter

Sharon Carter's final scene in Falcon & Winter Soldier is also quite ominous. She was picked up by in a chauffeur-driven car as soon as Sam and Bucky were going, pointing to the fact she had concealed many aspects of her lifestyle in Madripoor from them. "We've got a big problem," she told a mysterious figure who was waiting for her with the car. "Actually a couple of them, I'll tell you in the car, let's go." She was clearly referring to Sam and Bucky, which is curious given they were leaving Madripoor in order to focus on the Flag-Smashers. There's no conceivable reason Sharon should be concerned about their activities, unless their mission still meant they were in her way somehow.

The Power Broker has already targeted Karli Morgenthau and the Flag-Smashers, simply because they stole the Power Broker's super-soldier serum; that means Sam and Bucky's mission will naturally mean they continue to cross the Power Broker's forces. What's more, if Sharon is herself the Power Broker, it's quite possible she now needs Karli and her allies to be killed before the Avengers can find her; they may well be able to describe the Power Broker, giving away her secret.

All this evidence definitely supports the theory Sharon Carter is in fact the Power Broker. She has the opportunity, there are question marks about her character, she was the focus of an episode called "The Power Broker," and there have been two very suspicious scenes indeed. The only argument against this is a comment from Baron Zemo, who used the masculine pronoun "he" to describe the Power Broker; but Zemo admitted he'd never met the Madripoor crime boss, meaning he may well simply be mistaken. It's quite possible Sharon Carter is in fact Falcon & Winter Soldier's secret villain.

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