Hayley Atwell Says Captain Carter Cameo In Multiverse Of Madness Was Ultimately 'Frustrating'
"Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness" was polarizing for several reasons, but one of the most talked-about involved the quick and bloody execution of a whole host of alternate-Earth superheroes. The scene in question takes place on Earth-838, where Peggy Carter (Hayley Atwell) is the first Avenger, Maria Rambeau (Lashana Lynch) is Captain Marvel, Reed Richards looks suspiciously like John Krasinski, and even Professor X (Patrick Stewart) pops up. It also memorably featured a very enraged Wanda Maximoff (Elizabeth Olsen) single-handedly slicing them up into bits.
I'm on the record as a fan of the fake-out sequence, which is gross and fun and subverts the expectations set up by cameo culture in a deliciously twisted way, but plenty of Marvel fans loathed the scene. Not only did it take the power away from several of the world's most powerful heroes just to make a point, but it was also a letdown for audiences who have been clamoring to see certain versions of their favorite hero for years and ended up with just seconds of jokey screen time. Captain Carter, who until then had only ever been seen on screen in the animated Disney+ series "What If...?", was one such character who fans had been eager to see hold the hero's shield.
Peggy's run as Captain Carter in the film was short-lived
Atwell recently spoke to the Happy Sad Confused podcast about her cameo in the film and revealed that audiences weren't the only ones who thought her cameo was brief, to say the least. When asked whether she felt she's "gotten [her] money's worth" playing the hero, Atwell answered, "I felt like I had much more to do in the 'What If...?' animation series ... and I love that in that they've been able to give her just more to do as Captain Carter, Captain Britain." She spoke about how the scene with the Illuminati in "Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness" played for audiences, saying, "It felt like a frustrating moment in 'Strange' because you're like–" Here, Atwell mimicked excitement while host Josh Horowitz declared, "Here we go!" But, as Atwell pointed out, the thrill was cut short so it was more like, "No we don't!"
It's worth noting that Atwell doesn't seem to be criticizing any one person involved in the "Doctor Strange" sequel here. Instead, she's comparing the substance of Captain Carter's screentime to that of other Marvel projects she's worked on, which include the show "Agent Carter" and "Captain America: The First Avenger," among others. It's obvious that those roles gave her more to do, whereas the scene in "Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness" was short and left her character and the heroes around her disempowered — and disemboweled. Atwell did note that the action work in the scene was "really great" to do, explaining that she was able to do her own stunts since she went straight from the physically demanding shoot for "Mission: Impossible — Dead Reckoning Part One" to the Marvel set.
Can she really do this all day?
"Yeah, she had less to do than what she did before she had the shield," Atwell pointed out. She also mentions fans' snarky reactions to the scene. "You know, she's like 'I could do this all day,' followed by, she's immediately cut in half by a frisbee," she told Horowitz. "And then the audience being like, 'She can't do it all day. Apparently, you can't, so yeah, egg on your face!'" She certainly has a point there. Portions of superhero movie fandoms have been slow to embrace women heroes on screen, and Marvel wasn't exactly quick to give them starring roles, either. Hopefully, this won't be the last time Atwell gets to play Captain Carter in live-action, but if it is, it's frustrating to think that trolls who have been dismissing the character of Peggy Carter for years could get the last word. "It doesn't really serve Peggy very well," Atwell said.
Luckily, now that Marvel has opened up its multiverse, the possibilities for a Captain Carter return are nearly endless. Plus, we'll always have "What If...?" which positions Peggy Carter not just as a noble hero, but as one of the anthology show's main characters. Yes, those versions of Captain Carter really can do this (this being saving the world) all day.
You can catch the first season of "What If...?" and "Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness" on Disney+.