Hayley Atwell recently spoke aboutCaptain Carter’s maltreatment inDoctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, but I’m hopeful that she will receive a second chance in theMCU. At this point, Atwell is almost as well-known for her Captain Carter as she is for her Peggy Carter. The positive response to Atwell’s Peggy Carter (including in theAgent CarterTV series) likely had a big part to play in bringing her back into the MCU fold on multiple occasions, allowing Atwell’s talents to shine in a more central role than her MCUdebut inCaptain America: The First Avenger.
All this has been made possible by the implications of the multiverse. Earth-616’s Peggy Carter died of old age inCaptain America: Civil War,decades afterliving a happy life with Steve Rogers. Her variants, meanwhile, have been popping up across the multiverse, mostly in universes where she underwent Project Rebirth to turn her into a super soldier in Steve Rogers' stead, adopting the mantle of Captain Carter and supplanting the American iconography of Captain America with British equivalents. Still, Captain Carter’s live-actiondebut inDoctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madnessleft much to be desired.
Hayley Atwell’s Recent Comments Claimed Captain Carter Was Undermined
Captain Carter Died Brutally After Proclaiming She Could Do This All Day
Hayley Atwell recently appeared onReign with Josh Smithwhere she discussed her time on the set ofDoctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. Before regaling a story about standing up for herself on-set,Atwell reflected on Captain Carter’s “blink-and-you-miss-me” role, where she andher fellow Illuminati memberswere swiftly and brutally dispatched by a rampaging Scarlet Witch. She points out how Captain Carter’s “brilliant” line, “I could do this all day,” wasswiftly followed by her being killed by her own shield - essentially undermining the character. Her full quote is as follows:
I was doing a cameo inDoctor Strange [In the Multiverse of Madness]…as Captain Carter, and it’s like blink, and you miss me, and I really sort of took umbrage on the fact that she has that brilliant line, “I could do this all day”, then she’s frisbeed[sic] to death with her own shield, and I’m like “She’s so undermined!”
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Although Atwell’s comments are good-natured, finding humor in the irony of her final words, she does have a point. Captain Carter is one of six remaining Illuminati members who are supposed to be Earth-838’s most powerful heroes. Although her super soldier abilities admittedly pale in comparison to the destructive force of Black Bolt and Captain Marvel (who was simply crushed to death, but that’s another matter), there is presumably a good reason she made it onto the team, andbeing cut in half by her own shield is a particularly ignoble end.
Atwell is also right to point out howher final words turn almost humorous in the wake of her death. Just a few short seconds after declaring the iconic phrase, she is proven wrong. I understand that the scene was expressly designed to conveyScarlet Witch’s power, and I loved it all the same, but it still undermines what Marvel has been attempting with Captain Carter up until and beyond that moment.
Marvel Has Already Made Captain Carter An Important Multiverse Character
She Is The De Facto Protagonist Of What If…?
Hayley Atwell’s appearance inDoctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madnesswas a reprisal of the Captain Carter role after debuting in the very first episode ofWhat If…?on August 07, 2025. Entitled “What If…Captain Carter Were the First Avenger?, the episode was an optimistic establishment of the series' main appeal - to explore universes where small changes lead to wildly different outcomes. Despite the potential forWhat If…?to delve into countless tales spotlighting new takes on beloved MCU characters,Captain Carter would go on to star in seven more episodes across three seasons.
Strange Supreme is also a recurring and core character inWhat If…?, appearing in seven total episodes.
This decision may have been met with mixed reactions, as Captain Carter became the de facto protagonist of the series, but it highlights how central Captain Carter is to the multiverse. In fact, she goes on to lead the Guardians of the Multiverse inWhat If…?season 3 before ascending to near-godhood and sacrificing herself to save Uatu the Watcher.What If…?establishes Captain Carter as one of the most integral figures of the multiverse, surpassed only by the likes of Uatu himself.
Hayley Atwell Will Reportedly Return In Avengers: Doomsday
While Captain Carter may have made a huge impact inWhat If…?, her contributions will likely have eluded a swathe of more casual MCU fans who missed out on the animated spinoff series.This leaves most of the fandom with the impression left by Earth-838’s Captain Carterand her unceremonious defeat. Nevertheless, recent reports suggest that Hayley Atwell will bereturning to the MCU inAvengers: Doomsdayand beyond.
It is difficult to imagine Peggy Carter’s return without Steve Rogers.
This was initially revealed byDeadlinein the same report that suggested Chris Evans would also be returning to the MCU. While Chris Evans' subsequent denial of this threw the validity of this report into question, it was recently revealed byThe Hollywood ReporterthatAtwell has finalized a deal to reappear in bothAvengers: DoomsdayandAvengers: Secret Wars. Although her role is to be confirmed, her centrality to the multiverse suggests that another Captain Carter variant is on the cards - though it is still possible that she’ll be reprising the non-superpowered Peggy Carter role instead.
Kevin Feige also confirmed that several superhero teams like the Avengers and X-Men will be teaming up to face Doctor Doom.
The glaring issue with this report, however, is that Hayley Atwell’s name did not appear on the long line of cast chairs in Marvel’s live stream confirming the stars ofAvengers: Doomsday. Thankfully, it was recently confirmed by Kevin Feige (after a big hint from Marvel Studios and Robert Downey Jr.) thatmoreAvengers: Doomsdaycast members are to be revealed. Not only does this leave the door wide open for Hayley Atwell’s name to join the gargantuan list ofMCU stars inAvengers: Doomsday, but it also implies that Chris Evans will be among them.
It is difficult to imagine Peggy Carter’s return without Steve Rogers. The MCU has already teed up an emotional story beat with Robert Downey Jr. returning as Doctor Doom, with his familiar face sure to be recognized by Earth-616’s Avengers, and it would be remiss to have a Peggy Carter variant return without some kind of interaction with Steve Rogers. Still, while Kevin Feige’s comments paint a positive picture,it is worth noting that Marvel hasn’t confirmed Peggy Carter’s returnat the time of writing.
Avengers: Doomsday Could Give Captain Carter What Multiverse Of Madness Didn’t
Whatever the case,Avengers: Doomsdaycould now stage the perfect redemption for Captain Carter’s death inDoctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.This could simply amount to her survival, flouting the precedent set in her live-action debut in which she was used as a device to illustrate Wanda’s powers.What If…?proves that Marvel has the capacity to turn Captain Carter into a valiant superhero worthy of living instead.
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Thankfully, if the aforementioned reports ring true, Atwell’s Captain Carter could not only surviveAvengers: Doomsday, but continue on to fight inAvengers: Secret Wars. What happens inAvengers: Secret Warsis anyone’s guess, but reports ofa soft reboot for the MCUafter the cataclysmic events of that movie suggest that there won’t be too many characters who survive. Captain Carter’s death in this context would be much easier to stomach than her fate inDoctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, at least.
