Hayley Atwell is right: Marvel did Peggy Carter dirty, and if your kid spent the last few years looking up to the shield-wielding powerhouse from What If...?, they probably felt the sting too. After years of building Peggy from a capable sidekick to a multiversal lead, her live-action debut as Captain Carter in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness wasn't the victory lap fans expected—it was a brutal, blink-and-you’ll-miss-it exit that Atwell herself recently called a "disservice" to the character.
TL;DR: Hayley Atwell has officially voiced what fans have felt since 2022: the Captain Carter cameo in Multiverse of Madness was a letdown that prioritized a cheap shock over character depth. While the MCU version was "fodder" for the Scarlet Witch, the version of Peggy in What If...? remains the gold standard for the character. If your kid is a Peggy fan, stick to the animated series and the original Captain America: The First Avenger to see her actually treated like a hero.
Peggy Carter has always been the heart of the Captain America mythos, but her evolution into a superhero in her own right was a slow, intentional burn. We saw her as the tactical genius in Captain America: The First Avenger, then as a pioneer in her own Agent Carter series. By the time What If...? rolled around, she wasn't just "Steve’s girlfriend"—she was the Super Soldier the multiverse needed.
Then came the Illuminati scene.
For parents who haven't sat through the two-hour sorcery trip, here’s the context: Peggy shows up in a high-tech chair as part of a multiversal council, says her iconic "I can do this all day" line, and is promptly sliced in half by her own shield. It was meant to show how powerful the Scarlet Witch had become, but for anyone invested in Peggy’s journey, it felt like a waste of a decade of character work.
Atwell’s recent comments reflect a frustration that’s common in the "cameo era" of movies. She noted that while she loved the physical training for the role, the actual impact of the character was nonexistent. When an actor who has lived with a character for fifteen years says the script did them a disservice, it's a signal that the storytelling has pivoted from "hero’s journey" to "action figure mashup."
If your kid is deep into the MCU, they aren't just watching for the explosions; they’re watching because they care about the internal logic of these heroes. Captain Carter was pitched as a pinnacle of resilience. Seeing her dispatched in seconds—not because she was outplayed, but because the plot needed a quick body count—undermines the "intentionality" of the character.
It's the difference between a character facing a challenge and a character being used as a prop. For a kid who sees Peggy as a symbol of female leadership and grit, that scene in Multiverse of Madness isn't just "intense"—it's a narrative betrayal. It tells them that no matter how much work a hero puts in, they can be deleted for the sake of a cool visual.
If the live-action cameo left a bad taste in your household's mouth, the move is to pivot back to the media that actually understands why Peggy is great. Marvel is currently leaning hard into the multiverse for upcoming projects like Avengers: Secret Wars (set to drop in 2027), and there are rumors we might see a more substantial Captain Carter return. Until then, stay here:
- What If...? (Season 1 & 2): This is where the character actually lives. The stakes are real, her leadership is central to the plot, and she gets the respect she deserves. It’s also a masterclass in "language comprehension" literacy—tracking multiversal variants is basically a workout for a kid’s narrative reasoning.
- Agent Carter: It’s a bit more "period piece" than "superhero romp," but it shows the grit that makes Peggy who she is. It’s a great watch for kids who like the "smartest person in the room" trope.
- The Comics: Look for the Captain Carter miniseries by Jamie McKelvie. It explores Peggy waking up in a modern-day UK and deals with the actual weight of being a symbol, rather than just using her as a shield-throwing machine.
This is a great opportunity to talk to your kids about how stories are made. Sometimes, a big studio like Marvel makes a choice based on "fan service" (giving people what they think they want to see) rather than what makes a good story.
Ask them: "Do you think Peggy lost that fight because she wasn't good enough, or because the writers just wanted to show how scary Wanda was?" It’s a way to help them see the "machine" behind the screen. When they can distinguish between a character's failure and a writer's shortcut, they’re building the kind of critical thinking that makes them their own algorithm.
Q: Is Captain Carter coming back to the MCU?
While nothing is confirmed for the immediate future, the multiverse is Marvel’s favorite tool right now. With Avengers: Secret Wars expected to feature a massive roster of heroes from across dimensions, there is a high probability we will see a version of Peggy again—hopefully one that lasts longer than five minutes.
Q: Is Multiverse of Madness okay for kids who liked What If...?
It’s a significant jump in intensity. Multiverse of Madness is essentially a Sam Raimi horror movie disguised as a superhero flick. The Illuminati scene is particularly gruesome (for Marvel standards). If your kid is under 10 or sensitive to "hero deaths," you might want to skip those specific scenes or talk through them beforehand.
Q: Why was Hayley Atwell disappointed?
Atwell felt the cameo was a "frustrating moment" because she had done so much more with the character in What If...?. She felt that bringing the character into live-action just to kill her off immediately didn't give the audience—or the actor—anything to chew on.
Hayley Atwell’s take on Captain Carter isn't just "actor drama"—it’s a valid critique of how Marvel handles its bench of heroes. For intentional parents, the lesson is simple: the "biggest" version of a character (the live-action movie) isn't always the best one. If you want the version of Peggy Carter that inspires kids to be brave and tactical, stick to the animation and the earlier films.
If your family is looking for better ways to explore the multiverse without the "fodder" problem, check out our guide to the Spider-Man franchise. It’s the gold standard for how to handle multiple versions of a hero while keeping the emotional stakes high. For more recommendations on what’s actually worth your time, see our best movies for kids list.
