Atwell's Disappointment
Hayley Atwell has expressed disappointment with how her character Captain Carter was written out of 2022's Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, describing the brief cameo and death as a "complete disservice" to Peggy Carter.
Speaking at the For the Love of Fantasy & Sci-Fi convention in London, Atwell told attendees: "If I'm really brutally honest, I was so disappointed with how they positioned her and what happened to her in that scene. It's so small, and she gets frisbeed to death."
She added, "I felt like that was a bum steer, and a complete disservice to the character."
The actress also revealed that she tried to influence the scene while filming. "I tried on set to kind of go, 'Can I just add? Can I just suggest?' And they were like, 'Sure, but no,'" she said.
This is not the first time Atwell has discussed her misgivings. In 2023, she told the Happy Sad Confused podcast: "When she was like, 'I could do this all day' and then followed by she's immediately cut in half by a frisbee. And the audience being like, 'She can't do it all day. Apparently you can't, so, egg on your face.' That doesn't really serve Peggy very well."
The Scene and Its Context
In Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, Captain Carter is an alternate version of Peggy Carter, who took the Super Soldier Serum instead of Steve Rogers and dons a Union Jack print suit. She appears as that universe's Captain America and engages in a fight with the Scarlet Witch (Elizabeth Olsen). Carter throws her vibranium shield, but Wanda catches it and throws it back, slicing Carter in half.
The scene comes directly after Carter mimics Steve Rogers' iconic line from Captain America: The First Avenger — "I can do this all day." Some have noted the callback highlights a stark contrast between the two characters.
Peggy Carter has been part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe since her first appearance in 2011's Captain America: The First Avenger, where she was introduced as a founder of S.H.I.E.L.D. and played a role in developing the Super Soldier Serum. The Earth-616 version of the character, killed off in Captain America: Civil War, died of old age.
What's Next for Carter
Atwell is expected to return as Carter in Avengers: Doomsday, though it remains unclear which version of the character will appear. The actress has previously said she would love to return as Captain Carter in either Doomsday or Avengers: Secret Wars.
Despite her criticism, Atwell expressed affection for the Captain Carter persona, saying the character was having "fun" in that guise. "I hope maybe one day in the future they'll give her more in that capacity," she teased.