Sharon Became Falcon & Winter Soldier's Power Broker Because of Civil War

Sharon Carter was revealed to be the Power Broker in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier finale, but why did she suddenly become a villain? Introduced in Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Agent 13 was a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent-turned-government operative. As the grand-niece of Peggy Carter, she's been on the side of good, but not anymore.

Returning to the MCU after five years, Sam and Bucky found Sharon hiding in Madripoor in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier. When they were reunited, she was still being hunted down after siding with Team Cap on the heels of the Sokovia Accords debacle. While she had settled into her new life selling valuable art underground, it's emphasized how unfairly she was treated in relation to what went down in Captain America: Civil War. As everyone seemed to have finally moved on from that incident, she remained negatively impacted, forcing her to live on her own. At the end of the series, it's revealed that she's become a villain as she was the real identity behind the mysterious Power Broker.

Speaking with Marvel.com on the heels of this revelation in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier finale, co-executive producer Zoie Nagelhout explained what led to Sharon's villainous turn. It all goes back to her feeling abandoned, while Steve Rogers rescued the imprisoned members of Team Cap. After the fight against Thanos, Sam and those like him who had been branded fugitives in Civil War were pardoned, but not Sharon.

“We knew if we were going to bring Sharon Carter back, we had to redefine her. She put her neck out to help our guys and she was literally just left in the darkness of the aftermath of Civil War. She essentially had her arc offscreen, and we’re now catching up on what she experienced [during that time]. You uncover the mystery of why she has changed and who she has become. There’s always that question of not losing the remnants of the character and keeping elements of her, but still fully exploring what happens to you when you’re forced to survive for years. Your key mode is survival; it does something to a person.”

Even after Sharon was pardoned by the U.S. government, she remains a villain. In the final shot of the post-credits scene of The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, she tells someone on the phone that selling super-soldiers may be on hold, but as she's reinstated in her old job, she's ready to supply weapons in the black market. It's uncertain who she was speaking at this point, but it sets her on a dark path moving forward in the MCU. Depending on the reach of her operations as the Power Broker, she can be a worthy opponent to Sam's Captain America moving forward. Perhaps she can even factor in Armor Wars.

At this point, the Power Broker's strength lies in her unknown identity. Sharon can operate quietly and considering how she supposedly helped Sam and Bucky during their mission, she wouldn't be on the list of suspected criminals. However, considering how poorly executed this The Falcon and the Winter Soldier twist was, it will be helpful for her future if Marvel Studios show how exactly she became this villain instead of simply glossing over it.

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Source: Marvel.com