Back in Phase 1 of the MCU, anyone joining the franchise didn’t really have any idea of exactly what they were getting into and how their characters would live on over a decade later. For Hayley Atwell, her relatively small role as Peggy Carter in 2011’s Captain America: The First Avenger has not only seen her reprise her role a number of times but also reimagine it in Marvel’s What If…? and Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. During a recent appearance at Awesome Con, the actress explained that she still finds it hard to believe how much has come from a role she had no expectations for.
Hayley Atwell has appeared in several MCU movies over the last decade, making what seemed to be her last appearance in Avengers: Endgame, when Steve Rogers made the decision to go back in time and live out his life with Peggy Carter after returning the Infinity Stones to their rightful place. However, Atwell was one of a handful of regular MCU stars who provided a voiceover for the animated What If…? series, but this time around she played Captain Carter, an alternative universe's version of Captain America. Now in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, Atwell has been seen as a live-action version of the superhero and that is something she would never have believed possible back in 2011. She said:
"I imagine my younger self hearing that and fainting. There was no expectation because, of course, this was before a time when Marvel is what it is now. And Captain America: The First Avenger started to build up this new phase of Marvel, so there was always a risk. Every time as an actor you do a job. There are so many other factors involved, you never know how it's going to be received. So when we filmed it, it was for me, I was like, 'Okay. I'm just going to work.' And I loved the experience but then beyond that, the films belong to you. You decide what they mean to you. We set out to do something that would delight the audience and here you are years later still being part of the experience. It's very much down to your support of it. So I thank you for that."
Hayley Atwell Would Return Again As Captain Carter
The Marvel Cinematic Universe has made anything possible by opening up the multiverse, and with a long while to go before the multiverse story arc comes to a close there is a strong possibility that we could see Captain Carter again. There have been plenty of rumors about a Captain Carter series being in consideration, and that is something Atwell would love to do if it happened.
"I share your enthusiasm. And I would love to if Marvel did find a home for her; that's a home that feels worthy of her in terms of her evolution as a character and development as a character. And I've got more to do, and because I feel the fans deserve that."