WandaVision Stands On The Shoulders Of Agent Carter
Salon writer says Agent Carter “was the best Marvel series…”
I have written about this previously, but Agent Carter — the ABC show about Marvel’s Peggy Carter, which debuted in 2015 — was outstanding.
And it deserved more than the 18 episodes given it by the fickle administration of prime time TV.
But Salon’s Kaitlin Thomas writes about the series so much more convincingly than anyone else I’ve read.
Why Agent Carter Was Awesome
So, I’ll post a few of her points in the hopes you read the entire piece.
- In January 2015, ABC launched “Agent Carter,” a 1940s-set spy series starring Hayley Atwell as her “Captain America: The First Avenger” character Peggy Carter, and until “WandaVision,” it was the best Marvel series.
- The series [tackled] several difficult but universally familiar topics, like sexism in the workplace, which is still relevant in 2021, and the search for one’s purpose…
- The writers also never passed up an opportunity to prove the show’s eponymous heroine was the smartest and most capable person in the room.
- And while the series worked because of Atwell’s dynamite performance, the writers smartly surrounded her with characters who were either familiar to viewers, like Dominic Cooper’s young Howard Stark, or who would work as a support system without stealing the show…
True points all.
Different Parameters For Success
However, it’s the last point that gets to the crux of the thoughts. As opposed to Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. or WandaVision, Agent Carter was not inextricably linked to the film that inspired it. Major Characters like Nick Fury (Sam Jackson) and Maria Hill (Cobie Smulders) did not show up on Agent Carter.
They couldn’t – it was 1946. Captain America was “dead.”
Thomas added:
Agent Carter” naturally had a more difficult time doing this, so despite being connected to the films in several major ways, it was not deemed necessary – not by the network, not by Marvel, and thus not by fans. And that’s a shame, because what the writers created was as vibrant and fun as Peggy herself.”
#Truth. And so here I step off the soapbox and point you in the direction of both Salon and Disney Plus; all in the hopes that you will give Agent Carter another chance.
That’s especially so because Marvel’s What If…? is coming soon and Agent Carter will figure prominently.