Margaret Elizabeth "Peggy" Carter, also known as Agent Carter, is a fictional character in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) media franchise portrayed by Hayley Atwell, based on the Marvel Comics character of the same name. Carter is depicted as a British MI6 agent and member of the Strategic Scientific Reserve who became Steve Rogers's love interest during World War II. Following the war, she became one of the founders of S.H.I.E.L.D., eventually serving as the Director. Atwell has received critical praise for her depiction of the character.

, the character has appeared in five films, as well as the short film Agent Carter (2013), the second season of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., and her own television series Agent Carter (2015–2016).

Alternate versions of the character, including Captain Carter, appear in the animated series What If...? (2021–2024) and the film Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (2022). What If...? Carter receives the Super Soldier Serum instead of Rogers. She is recruited by The Watcher to join the Guardians of the Multiverse. Multiverse of Madness Captain Carter, also a supersoldier, is a member of the Illuminati from a reality called Earth-838.

Concept and creation Peggy Carter debuted in a single panel (at the time the character was unnamed) as a wartime love interest of Captain America in Tales of Suspense #75 (March 1966), and then being named in #77 (May 1966). She was created by writer Stan Lee and artist Jack Kirby.

Hayley Atwell was cast in the role of Peggy Carter for Captain America: The First Avenger in April 2010. Atwell expressed interest in reprising the role for Agent Carter in October 2013; ABC Entertainment president Paul Lee confirmed her involvement in the project in January 2014.

Regarding her preparation for the role, Atwell said, "I'm training at the moment six days a week to make her a bit more military and make it convincing that I could kick butt." On taking up the role of Carter, Atwell said "the main reason I did Captain America was because I wanted to get out of my own head and stop taking my work so seriously". Captain America: The First Avenger screenwriter Christopher Markus said the film "takes place in the 40s, there weren't too many women in areas of authority at that point, and we wanted her to essentially be the most capable person on the screen at that time".

Appearances Hayley Atwell portrays Peggy Carter in the Marvel Cinematic Universe films Captain America: The First Avenger (2011), Agent Carter (2013), Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014), Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015), Ant-Man (2015), Avengers: Endgame Atwell appears in images in Captain America: Civil War (2016).

Atwell also appears in the television series Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.s episodes "Shadows" (2014) and "The Things We Bury" (2014), and in the television series Agent Carter (2015–2016).

Gabriella Graves portrays a young Carter in the Agent Carter episode "Smoke & Mirrors".

Atwell voices an alternate version in the What If...? season 2 episode "What If... Peter Quill Attacked Earth's Mightiest Heroes?". In an alternate 1988, she is responsible for bringing together the Avengers to face Peter Quill and Ego.

Fictional character biography Early life Margaret Elizabeth Carter was born in Hampstead, England, on April 9, 1919, to her parents Harrison and Amanda Carter. After the death of her brother Michael fighting in World War II, Carter decided to leave her then-fiancé Fred Wells and joined British Intelligence, and assigned as a code breaker in Bletchley Park. Rising quickly through the ranks, she was reassigned as a British Liaison to the American Forces fighting the Nazis, becoming a key member of the Strategic Scientific Reserve (SSR) under the command of Colonel Chester Phillips.

Project Rebirth

In 1943, Carter is tasked by the SSR to help oversee Project Rebirth, a program led by Howard Stark and Dr. Abraham Erskine to create an army of supersoldiers for the United States war effort. After a series of tests on different soldiers, the sickly Steve Rogers is chosen as their first test subject, due to his cunning and heroic character.

Carter escorts Rogers to a secret underground lab in Brooklyn, where Erskine injects Rogers with his Super Soldier Serum and doses him with vita-rays. Rogers emerges from the experiment as a super soldier, but an undercover Hydra agent, Heinz Kruger, kills Erskine and flees with the last vial of serum. Rogers and Carter pursue Kruger; Carter nearly kills him, but Rogers saves her from being hit by his vehicle. After the vial is destroyed and Kruger commits suicide upon capture, Carter and Rogers part ways when he is assigned to a research lab so that he could be studied, only for Rogers to be reassigned as a costumed mascot named "Captain America" to sell war bonds.

Helping Steve Rogers Carter and Rogers reunite in Italy during his USO tour. After Rogers' best friend Bucky Barnes is captured by Hydra, Rogers has Carter and Howard Stark fly him behind enemy lines to mount a solo rescue attempt for Barnes and hundreds of other POWs, which succeeds. Returning to SSR Headquarters in London, England, Carter and Rogers develop feelings for each other, but Carter catches him being kissed by another woman, prompting her to become jealous and angrily fire bullets at Rogers' new shield when he shows it to her.

Carter, Rogers and his Howling Commandos continue to work together on numerous missions to defeat Hydra. When Barnes falls to his death while capturing Arnim Zola, Carter comforts Rogers. Zola's interrogation reveals the final Hydra stronghold, where Rogers leads an attack to stop Johann Schmidt from using weapons of mass destruction on America's cities. Rogers and Carter kiss before he climbs aboard Schmidt's aircraft as it takes off.

Carter later receives a radio transmission from Rogers, who reports Schmidt's death and that the plane is too damaged to land without the risk of detonating its weapons. The pair say their goodbyes, promising to dance with each other, before Rogers crashes the aircraft into the Arctic. With Rogers and the wreck unable to be recovered, Rogers is presumed dead, and Carter keeps an old photo of Rogers before his transformation as a loving keepsake.

Post–World War II

In 1945, Carter and the SSR raid the last known Hydra base led by Werner Reinhardt. They confiscate many items including the Obelisk and a blue body.

One year later, Carter faces sexism from her boss, Agent John Flynn, who treats her condescendingly and keeps her compiling data and code breaking while assigning field cases to the male agents. The SSR's main concern is the mysterious Zodiac, which they have been unable to recover for some time. One night alone in the office while the men are out together, Carter answers the case line to hear of the location of the Zodiac. Though three to five agents are recommended, Carter decides to go to the location herself. Fighting off multiple guards, Carter is able to retrieve the Zodiac, a mysterious serum, herself. The next day, Flynn reprimands her for not going through the proper procedures to complete the mission, and dismisses the indignant Carter as just an "old flame" of Captain America's who was given her current job out of pity for her bereavement. However, before he can officially punish her, the case line rings again, this time with Howard Stark on the other end, who informs Flynn that Carter will co-head the newly created S.H.I.E.L.D.

Later in 1946, Carter has to balance the routine office work she does for the SSR in New York City with secretly assisting Howard Stark, who finds himself framed for supplying deadly weapons to enemies of the United States. Carter is assisted by Stark's butler, Edwin Jarvis, to find those responsible and dispose of the weapons.

In 1947, Carter moves from New York City to Los Angeles to deal with the threats of the new Atomic Age by the Council of Nine in the aftermath of World War II, gaining new friends, a new home, and starting a romance with Daniel Sousa.

Director of S.H.I.E.L.D. and later life

Sometime later, Carter marries a man whom Steve Rogers saved from a Hydra base in World War II, and has two children with him. Carter's American niece Sharon Carter later becomes a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent. Meanwhile, Peggy Carter also conducts S.H.I.E.L.D. operations in collaboration with a man named "Braddock".

By 1970, Carter serves as the Director of S.H.I.E.L.D. In 1989, Carter witnesses a confrontation between Hank Pym and Howard Stark over Stark's use of Pym Particles without Pym's knowledge, causing Pym to quit S.H.I.E.L.D.

In 2014, Carter, who is now elderly, has developed Alzheimer's disease, and is living in a retirement home in Washington D.C.. Rogers visits her, having come out of suspended animation a few years prior. Carter notes to Rogers that the world has changed and is surprised to see him.

In 2016, Carter passes away in her sleep, and Sharon, Rogers, and Sam Wilson attend her funeral.

Alternate versions Working at S.H.I.E.L.D.

In an alternate identical-history 1970s, Director Carter is observed working at S.H.I.E.L.D.'s base at Camp Lehigh, New Jersey by a time-travelling Steve Rogers.

Reunited with Steve Rogers

In an alternate identical-history 1949, Carter was met by Earth 616-Steve Rogers. They got married and lived a happy life together. This claim was supported by directors Joe and Anthony Russo but has been contested by writers Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely, who claim that Steve managed to break the film's time travel rules and live on Earth-616 with Peggy, possibly even being present at her funeral alongside his younger self.

1988 Avengers vs. Ego

In an alternate 1988, Carter, now-Director of S.H.I.E.L.D., together with Howard Stark, assembles a team composed of Bill Foster / Goliath, King T'Chaka of Wakanda, Wendy Lawson / Mar-Vell, Bucky Barnes / Winter Soldier and Hank Pym / Ant-Man to stop a young Peter Quill who returned to Earth after being reunited with his father, Ego. Carter and Stark aid the team in capturing Quill before Pym's daughter, Hope van Dyne, frees Quill. Carter later leads the attack on Ego and witness the defeat of his physical form at Quill's hands. Afterwards, Carter attends a victory party at Pym's house and joins the rest of the team in going after Ego's planetary form.

Captain Carter Atwell portrays Captain Carter in the Disney+ animated series What If...? in an alternate universe. In this timeline, she receives the Super Soldier Serum and becomes a superhero named Captain Carter. In the episode "What If... the Watcher Broke His Oath?", she is recruited by the Watcher to join the Guardians of the Multiverse to stop an alternate Ultron. She returns in the season 2 episodes "What If... Captain Carter Fought the Hydra Stomper?", "What If... the Avengers Assembled in 1602?", "What If... Strange Supreme Intervened?", and the season 3 episodes "What If... The Watcher Disappeared?" and "What If... What If?".

Another version of Captain Carter appears in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. In Earth-838, Carter serves as a member of the Illuminati and is killed when Wanda Maximoff throws Carter's shield at her, cutting her in half.

What If...?

Becoming a Super Soldier