Warning: There are spoilers ahead for Avengers: Endgame!
Avengers: Endgame’s closing scene finally granted Steve Rogers’ greatest wish: a dance with the love of his life. Steve’s slow dance with Peggy Carter delivered a satisfying denouement to Captain America’s time in the MCU. However, it looks like Peggy is about ready to retire as well. While speaking with The Hollywood Reporter, Hayley Atwell hinted that Endgame also marks the last time we’ll see Peggy Carter in live-action.
During the interview, Atwell revealed that both of her Endgame scenes (the dance and her brief appearance in 1970s New Jersey) were shot two years ago. She also noted that she was contacted to appear in the movie only a few weeks prior to filming. But when asked if she thinks she’s explored Peggy to her full potential, she gave a rather definitive answer.
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“Oh, yeah!” said Atwell. “I feel really fulfilled. It was a great time, and I think they ended it beautifully with Endgame. It feels like a fitting end to that narrative. I’m a classically trained theater actor so I want a stab at the challenging parts in the canon for theatrical actresses. That’s something that I’ve always aspired towards. So, I feel lucky to have played her, but she’s one aspect of my career. She’s one part that I’ve played.”
“With every job that I’ve done, I’ve taken the job because I’ve seen something within the character that I’d love to explore or try and be challenged by,” continued Atwell. “With a leading part, it requires a lot of my focus and passion, but it’s the same focus and passion whether it’s Peggy Carter or it’s Rebecca West in Rosmersholm on stage, which I just finished. It’s the same curiosity to see what each character’s world is.”
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Atwell’s response contradicts an earlier rumor suggesting that Peggy might appear in Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.’s final season, which will be at least partially set in 1920s New York. It also dashes the hopes of anyone hoping for an Agent Carter revival. Regardless, Atwell hasn’t completely turned her back on the Marvel Universe just yet. She’s one of more than two dozen MCU vets lending their voices to Marvel’s What If…? animated series on Disney+. That show won’t arrive until 2021, but it sounds like Atwell has already started recording her lines.
“It kind of slipped on,” Atwell said when asked how long she’d been keeping What If…? a secret. “What’s remarkable is that this is a couple of work days for me. I’ll do half an afternoon on Endgame, or then you’re in the studio for a couple of hours on What If…? Because so many fans love this franchise, it’s so much bigger than the time that affected my actual life, which is a remarkable thing. So, it just means that I can’t really remember the details of when exactly it was, but I want to say a few months, maybe.”
Are you sad to learn that Hayley Atwell is formally departing the MCU? What do you think Marvel Studios has planned for her character on What If…? Let us know in the comment section below!
Recommended Reading: Captain America Vol. 1: Winter In America
