While Marvel is currently doing some of their most impressive work to date over on Netflix, they’ve yet to really hit their stride on network television. Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. debuted on ABC back in 2013 and has struggled with ratings ever since, and Agent Carter, which starred fan-favorite character Peggy Carter (Hayley Atwell), only lasted two seasons before getting the axe.
Of course, there’s also Damage Control and Most Wanted. The former, which is a sitcom following a “Marvel cleaning crew who specializes in dealing with the aftermath of the unique fallout from superhero conflicts,” has unfortunately still not come to fruition. Most Wanted, meanwhile, was set to be a S.H.I.E.L.D. spinoff but at the last minute, ABC chose not to move forward with it.
While Marvel is looking to land a home run this September with Inhumans – which may be tough to do given how fans are responding to it so far – it’s still a shame that some of their past efforts have struggled so much and that’s particularly true when it comes to Agent Carter. Not only did the show have a small, but very dedicated fanbase, but it was also quite good and displayed a lot of promise throughout its first two seasons. Unfortunately, though, the ratings just didn’t pull through and at the end of the day, it had to be cancelled.
Are we to assume then that we’ve seen the last of Peggy? Probably, but never say never. After all, Atwell is still game for a return to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, either in an already planned film or possibly even in her own standalone outing. Speaking to IGN, here’s what the actress had to say about reprising the role.
I’d love to see [Peggy] more in films. I’d love to see her in her own film. And if we can keep evolving it so that she does new things so that I can surprise myself and she can keep surprising me then I’d love to do it. And I feel very privileged to be part of something that people really love and that entertains them. But also, you’re going to these conventions and meeting people who’ve named their son Carter and people who have a tattoo of “I Know My Value,” the tagline.
She’s a force of good and there are a lot of social media sites where girls and guys have come together and become good friends on an international scale because of their belief in some of the values that Peggy talks about. And that provides them with a different connection that a family situation or school situation that they don’t really feel they have a place in. That’s really cool to me. So I’m very happy to be a part of that world and keep that going.
While it’s great to see Atwell’s enthusiasm for the character, it doesn’t seem too likely that Agent Carter will ever find herself with her own movie. She’s got a fanbase, to be sure, but it’s rather small compared to a lot of the other MCU heroes and we don’t imagine that she’s a very big priority for the studio right now. Not when they’ve got projects like Avengers 4, Spider-Man: Homecoming 2, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 and others to attend to over the next few years.
Still, you never know. Perhaps they’ll find a way to work her into one of those aforementioned movies? Time will tell, but we wouldn’t hold our breath.