We are currently one month away from the release of Captain Marvel. This film is one of the most highly anticipated and most talked about Marvel films among fans, because Carol Danvers is going to be the new face of the Marvel Cinematic Universe as we move into the next phase. Captain Marvel hits theaters on March 8, which is also International Women’s Day.
And while this is the first film in the MCU to have a female lead, there have been many badass women in the Marvel Universe over the years. We will be highlighting just a few of them, over the next few weeks leading up to the premiere.
First on our list is Margaret “Peggy” Carter, portrayed by Hayley Atwell. We first met Peggy in Captain America: The First Avenger as the fiery Agent of Camp Lehigh helping to train the soldiers stationed there. Peggy would go on to be a valuable ally to Captain America, a skilled agent of the SSR, and a founding member of S.H.I.E.L.D. Fans were so taken with Peggy that she was given her own spin-off show, Agent Carter.
Here our some of our favorite moments featuring Agent Carter:
1. Breaking in the new candidates
In this scene from Captain America: The First Avenger, Peggy is overseeing the training of a group of young soldiers, when one of them decides to get fresh with her. He says that he has a “few moves” he knows she’ll like. Peggy shows him one of her own — a vicious right hook that knocks the young recruit instantly to the ground.
2. “I know my value.”
This moment gave us one of the most quoted lines from Agent Carter. In this scene, Peggy’s boss is receiving accolades for a job well done…on a mission she did. One of her fellow agents sees what is happening and wonders why Peggy isn’t upset. Peggy calmly tells him, “I know my value. Anyone else’s opinion doesn’t really matter.”
3. “Do as Peggy says.”
Another scene from Agent Carter occurs when she is on a mission with Captain America’s Howling Commandos. The group comes under fire, and everyone finds themselves pinned down. Peggy ends up in the firefight, but she tells the commandos to move. Dum Dum Dugan stays back, momentarily asking her, “What would Cap say if I left his best girl behind?” Peggy’s response effectively ends the discussion when she tells him, “He would say ‘do as Peggy says.'”
4. “Agent” Carter
Even Peggy Carter was not immune to sexism in the workplace. While investigating an explosion at Roxxon in season one of Agent Carter, the man she is speaking with says to her, “I didn’t know our government had such good taste in secretaries. What’s your name, darling?” Having stared down Nazis, Peggy doesn’t miss a beat when she replies: “Agent.”
5. “Goodbye, my darling.”
This may have been one of the most heartbreaking scenes I’ve ever seen. Peggy finally lets go of one of the last physical pieces of her beloved Steve Rogers. In the season one finale of Agent Carter, Edwin Jarvis entrusts Peggy with the final surviving vial containing Steve’s enhanced blood, knowing she would make the right decision with it. Steve’s blood held the serum that turned him into a super soldier. Peggy was all too aware that, in the wrong hands, there could be terrible consequences. This would seem like an impossible decision to many, but not to Peggy Carter. She takes the vial to the Brooklyn Bridge, and with a final goodbye to Steve, she pours the contents of the vial into the water below.
Stay tuned for the remainder of our series highlighting more of the amazing Marvel women as we countdown the arrival of Captain Marvel!