Agent Carter still knows her value, so why doesn’t the MCU?

Fans have been reminded of Peggy Carter’s value in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, so why don’t we get more of Hayley Atwell as Agent Carter?

This column contains spoilers for Avengers: Endgame.

Avengers: Endgame featured many major returns, but one of the most important was Peggy Carter.

Peggy Carter made her first on-screen appearance in three years during Endgame, when Steve Rogers stumbled into now-Director Carter’s office while traveling back to 1970 to acquire the Pym Particles the Avengers needed to finish their mission.

Steve looked on longingly as Peggy left her office, only to be reunited with his lost love at the end of the film when he’d decided to live his life by returning there, marrying her and finally having that dance he’d promised her at the end of Captain America: The First Avenger.

It was a perfect ending for Steve Rogers, and to Chris Evans‘ tenure as Marvel’s most beloved and best-known superhero. But beyond that, those scenes in Endgame confirmed that we need more of Peggy Carter. In fact, we need her now more than ever.

While almost everything Marvel touches has turned to gold, the cancellation of Agent Carter by ABC in 2016 remains one of the most stupefying decisions. The series had storytelling as good as, if not better than, Agents of SHIELD, which is about to start its seventh season.

Atwell earned a Saturn Award nomination for her performance, and Agent Carter had as vocal a fan base as any Marvel property has ever had. Yet the series was kiboshed after two seasons, so all the Peggy Carter we’ve gotten has been these guest spots and hearing her voice in the Avengers Assemble cartoon.

But going back to her comic book origins, Peggy Carter has always been a badass. And bringing her to life, Hayley Atwell has always been pitch perfect. So why haven’t audiences seen more of her? Especially in today’s female-forward climate?

Entertainment not only wants strong women right now, it’s prioritizing them perhaps more than ever before. There’s both a desire for strong female characters and a movement to empower the women behind the camera, with initiatives like NBC’s Female Forward program that opens doors for female directors.

And that’s reflective of the way society is emboldening and recognizing women, whether it’s in the renewed discussion of topics like sexual harassment and workplace behavior, or having women in more positions of power such as Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. Women are being heard, they’re being encouraged, and they’re getting more opportunities.

Peggy Carter would fit perfectly into today’s creative climate. She wouldn’t only have a place; she would thrive.

That’s because Agent Carter is a hero everyone can support and admire—both women and men. There’s a universal appeal in someone who rose her way up the ranks strictly through hard work and tenacity. Someone who not only was a vital part of the Strategic Scientific Reserve, but who is one of the key figures in SHIELD history. She wasn’t just a crack field agent. As Avengers: Endgame reminded us, she was Director of SHIELD.

Peggy sets a sterling example for what heroes should be, without any superpowers or special gear or exceptional circumstances. She carries herself with class, poise and natural grace, not trying to be anything other than herself and not afraid to speak the truth—hers or otherwise. She conducts herself with the utmost integrity and never loses sight of the fact that she has the fate of others on her shoulders.

And she’s smart, incredibly smart and resourceful, able to come up with crafty battle plans and to think on her feet when things go south. She’s a beautiful woman, but that’s not something that defines her, or even seems to concern her. She’s a talented agent who happens to be beautiful, not the other way around.

Not to mention that audiences could learn a lot from Peggy Carter’s interactions with people, and how she navigated some of the very challenges women are still facing today.

One of the story points in the Agent Carter series was that Peggy was treated differently because of her gender; the SSR originally saw her as nothing more than an office assistant. But she was as good a field agent as they’d ever seen, and she proved it and earned the respect of her colleagues. That’s the exact story that viewers are talking about right now—women being short-changed and wanting to prove their worth.

Peggy Carter is a female empowerment success story. Not only did she succeed, but she did it in all the best ways, without sacrificing anything about who she is or needing to lean on her beauty to get ahead. She won on merit and nothing else, and that’s a message that would be even more powerful today.

Something else Agent Carter did beautifully was how Peggy interacted with other characters; the show didn’t put gender or sexism into every interaction. She worked with and against other strong women like Dottie Underwood and her friend Angie Martinelli, but never compared herself to them or felt better than them.

And while she dealt with her fair share of misogynistic men, Agent Carter didn’t paint them with the “all men are sexist or terrible” brush. One needs only to look toward Peggy’s relationship with Howard Stark (Dominic Cooper); Howard had a more frivolous attitude toward most women, but had a respect for and friendship with Peggy, who disapproved of his behavior in many ways while likewise respecting his talent and ultimately good heart.

The relationship reflected the times, and Howard Stark’s being a flawed person in general, but it was also something where the two were portrayed as equals who had a positive influence on each other. Likewise, Peggy’s interactions with Edwin Jarvis (James D’Arcy) and Daniel Souza (Enver Giokaj) are well fleshed-out dynamics that showed the value of their characters too—the show wasn’t promoting girl power at the expense of the guys.

Peggy Carter simply treated people based on their own merits, and asked to be regarded the same way. Agent Carter built a fully-developed, three-dimensional world, which is the storytelling that we should be doing if we want to continue moving women’s issues forward.

But even setting all that aside, even if you say that TV and movies are just here for entertainment, Peggy—and Hayley Atwell—have so much more to offer. There’s an awful lot of story still untold between where Agent Carter left off and Avengers: Endgame picked up.

Who wouldn’t want to see Peggy’s journey to becoming Director of SHIELD, and how her relationships with Howard and her other friends and enemies evolved, and how she adjusted to the changing times just like Steve did? Or how she and Steve continued their lives, and adventures, together? After all, marrying Steve didn’t mean Peggy stopped fighting the good fight.

Agent Carter (or Director Carter, if you will) has plenty of cases left to close. She has a voice that’s still worth hearing. And Hayley Atwell, for her part, was never better than she was in this role. So whether it’s the return of Agent Carter or in another format (perhaps Disney Plus?), Peggy Carter deserves a second coming. She’s more than earned it.

Avengers: Endgame is in movie theaters now. Find the latest Deeper Cut every Wednesday in the Entertainment category at FanSided.