Captain America Got The Chance To Go Back to his Lover, Peggy Carter. I Wish He Hadn’t Taken It.
Agent Carter gave Peggy Carter an in-depth story. Avengers Endgame took it away. (Major spoilers for Avengers: Endgame)
Avengers: Endgame signaled the bitter end of Phase 3, we got to see our favorite heroes retire. In particular, after Captain America returns the Infinity stones to their rightful places in the time stream, he realizes that he can go back to his lover, Peggy Carter. In the post-credits scene, we see Peggy and Steve share a long requited dance.
Yet, upon further inspection, Captain America’s happily ever after was a little…
Disappointing. Confusing. Odd.
Here’s why:
Time Travel Gone Wonky
If Captain America lived in both the present and the past, did he create a branch reality?
The canon answer: Maybe?
As of right now, not even the directors and writers can agree on the logistics. Director Joe Russo confirms in the podcast “Lights Camera Barstool:”
“One thing that’s clear that Anthony and I have discussed — I don’t know that we’ve discussed this publicly at all — Cap would have had to have traveled back to the main timeline. That’s something that, yes, he would have been in a branch reality, but he would have to travel back to the main timeline to give that shield to Sam Wilson.”
In retrospect, the writers Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely have publically contradicted the theory in their Q and A with Fandango.
That is our theory. We are not experts on time travel, but the Ancient One specifically states that when you take an Infinity Stone out of a timeline it creates a new timeline. So Steve going back and just being there would not create a new timeline. So I reject the “Steve is in an alternate reality” theory.
I do believe that there is simply a period in world history from about ’48 to now where there are two Steve Rogers. And anyway, for a large chunk of that one of them is frozen in ice. So it’s not like they’d be running into each other.
Marvel is generally notable for explaining magic in-depth. However, a plot-hole of this magnitude is concerning.
As a Different Queen Said “Another One Bites The Dust:” The Undoing of Peggy Carter’s Life Story
Even if we brush aside the storytelling disputes, Marvel completely undos Peggy Carter’s incredible spin-off series, Agent Carter, in favor of making her Captain America’s trophy.
Agent Carter is one the best Marvel series. In Agent Carter, Peggy Carter is forced to move on after Captain America’s perceived death. In the post-WWII Marvel world, she works in the SSR (Strategic Scientific Reserve) as the only woman officer. As Howard Stark struggles to prove his innocence to Congress, he secretly recruits Carter to prove his innocence by finding his most dangerous technology in the black market.
I could gush on for hours about the incredible acting of Hayley Atwell, James D’Arcy, Enver Gjoka, Chad Michael Murray, Bridget Regan, and so many others. I could let out a endless flood of chatter about the prudent portrayal of women and misogyny throughout the show. I could write analysis after analysis about the fast paced episodes that keep you on your toes.
Alas, the show was cancelled on a cliffhanger after ABC wanted to put the actress behind Peggy Carter in something more “mainstream.”
Perhaps, now knowing the ending of Avengers: Endgame, Marvel studios did not want to establish a separate universe where Peggy Carter falls in love with someone else and forms an individualized reputation. Regardless, it is a loss for Peggy Carter’s endearing personality and wit that starts and ends with Captain America.
