Marvel won SDCC 2022. Sure, there were offerings from other studios, but none like those from The MCU. I mean, two Avengers movies in a year? I haven’t seen that much of a gamble since The Avengers: Infinity War ended on a downer! Marvel’s hooked me again!
I could discuss the different announcements from Marvel, but it’s best to zone in on one that caught my attention: What If…?’s getting another season, and its first episode’s on Captain Carter. Considering that the pilot episode in the first season was also about Captain Carter, I’m excited. Perhaps I’m alone here, but Peggy Carter getting the super-soldier serum has plenty of potential, and it makes up for her character getting the shaft for so long. What’s not to love?
Well, there’s the issue of Sam Wilson being given the mantle at the end of The Avengers: Endgame, and there was a Disney+ series dedicated to him accepting it. Essentially, Sam Wilson’s Captain America, not Peggy Carter. And given how Sam hasn’t had a movie in the spotlight yet, that’s, supposedly, cause for annoyance. Why push Peggy to the forefront instead?
I’d talk about sharing, especially in The MCU, but that’s not the point. There’s a Captain America movie in production right now, and it stars Sam Wilson. This feels like grasping for straws. Sam’s still Captain America! Be patient!
The bigger complaint arose from a quote from when Captain Carter’s episode was announced. Initially, there were concerns that this was the same Captain Carter from Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. You know, the one who was impaled with her own shield? Rest assured, she’s not. As was stated:
The bigger complaint arose from a quote from when Captain Carter’s episode was announced. Initially, there were concerns that this was the same Captain Carter from Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. You know, the one who was impaled with her own shield? Rest assured, she’s not. As was stated:
“Our Captain Carter would have kicked Wanda's ass.”
Far be it from me to dispute that. I’m not a Marvel screenwriter, and the inhabitants of Earth-838, which is where Captain Carter met her demise, are far weaker than those of Earth-199999, where most of The MCU thus far takes place; after all, why else would Earth-838’s Doctor Strange rely on The Darkhold to defeat Thanos? If you subscribe to Marvel’s Multiverse, then there’s clearly more than one Captain Carter. And it’s possible for her to overpower Wanda.
I wish this was more widely-accepted, but alas. Between people claiming it wasn’t possible, and Wanda fans being mad that their Lady and Saviour was done dirty, Captain Carter’s existence was a no-win situation. She was detracting from a black man’s inheriting of the mantle, and she was detracting from a witch’s moment of glory. If we’re being honest here, I think Marvel fans need to get outside more.
Captain Carter’s fairly-recent to The MCU. She was introduced last year, and she hasn’t had much time to warm up to people. Sure, she had a live-action cameo this year, but she didn’t last long. Either way, people need to give her a chance. How do I know this?
Because Captain America had to warm up to people too. Steve Rogers is now one of Marvel’s best, but back in 2011 people were skeptical: a skinny guy with a pure heart becomes a super-soldier? And he never stops being pure? I dug it from the get-go personally, but until Captain America: The Winter Soldier many people considered him one-note and boring. The same could be said of Carol Danvers as Captain Marvel, except with added sexism.
Captain Carter’s fairly-recent to The MCU. She was introduced last year, and she hasn’t had much time to warm up to people. Sure, she had a live-action cameo this year, but she didn’t last long. Either way, people need to give her a chance. How do I know this?
Because Captain America had to warm up to people too. Steve Rogers is now one of Marvel’s best, but back in 2011 people were skeptical: a skinny guy with a pure heart becomes a super-soldier? And he never stops being pure? I dug it from the get-go personally, but until Captain America: The Winter Soldier many people considered him one-note and boring. The same could be said of Carol Danvers as Captain Marvel, except with added sexism.
People should be more open-minded about unestablished characters in fiction. Captain Carter’s no different. Yes, Sam Wilson’s the new Captain America. And yes, I don’t want to detract from that. But it doesn’t automatically negate Captain Carter, especially with The Multiverse. That goes without saying.
Then there’s Captain Carter “winning” against Wanda Maximoff. To that, I defer to the late-Stan Lee:
Then there’s Captain Carter “winning” against Wanda Maximoff. To that, I defer to the late-Stan Lee:
“So one Question I'm always asked. Who would win in a fight? Who would win in a fight if Galactus fought The Hulk, or if Thor fought Iron Man? And there's one answer to all of that. It's so simple, anyone should know this. The person who'd win in a fight is the person that the scriptwriter wants to win! If I'm writing a story, about The Thing, from the Fantastic Four, and he gets into a big fight with Spider-Man, and millions of people out there say Who Would Win? Well, it depends on who I want to win if I'm writing the script. If I want Spider-Man to win, he'll win. If I want the Thing to win, he'll win. These are fictitious characters, the writer can do whatever he wants with them! So stop asking those questions, 'cause I've had it with that.”
Superheroes aren’t real people, and they lack agency. It’s up to the writers determine the winner. We saw that when Wanda fought The Illuminati in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness: Black Bolt could’ve wiped the floor with Wanda with one whisper from his mouth. Remember, he killed Doctor Strange with “I’m sorry”! But because the movie needed Wanda to survive, the writers had her remove his mouth, making his skull implode.
If Marvel wanted Captain Carter to win against Wanda, then it could’ve easily happened. Is it likely? I don’t know, but it’s not up to me! I wish more people remembered that. I also wish people would stop being overly-possessive of a fictional character…
So that’s what I think of this dilemma. Will Captain Carter disappoint? It’s not impossible, but I don’t have a crystal ball. Regardless, everyone needs to touch grass. If we’re accepting that The MCU has a multiverse, one where variants of characters exist, then we have to also accept that not all of them will be equal in strength. It’s a double-edged sword.
So that’s what I think of this dilemma. Will Captain Carter disappoint? It’s not impossible, but I don’t have a crystal ball. Regardless, everyone needs to touch grass. If we’re accepting that The MCU has a multiverse, one where variants of characters exist, then we have to also accept that not all of them will be equal in strength. It’s a double-edged sword.
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