Hayley Atwell Criticizes Captain Carter Death Scene

Fans frustrated by Captain Carter’s fate in Marvel‘s 2022 film Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness share that frustration with the actor who played her. Hayley Atwell has openly criticized how the studio handled her character’s death.

Speaking at the For the Love of Fantasy & Sci-Fi convention in London, Atwell expressed disappointment with the brief storyline. Peggy Carter entered the Marvel Cinematic Universe in 2011’s Captain America: The First Avenger, helping develop the Super Soldier Serum and later co-founding S.H.I.E.L.D. In Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, an alternate version of the hero arrived as Captain Carter, outfitted in a Union Jack suit and carrying a vibranium shield.

Her confrontation with Elizabeth Olsen’s Scarlet Witch ended abruptly. Carter threw her shield, but Wanda Maximoff redirected the weapon right back, cutting Carter in half.

“If I’m brutally honest, I was so disappointed with how they positioned her and what happened to her in that scene,” Atwell said to the audience. “It’s so small, and she gets frisbeed to death.”

The scene directly followed a callback to Steve Rogers from The First Avenger, with Carter repeating his signature phrase, “I can do this all day.” That line highlighted the stark contrast between the two heroes and undercut Carter’s strength. Benedict Cumberbatch’s Doctor Strange had already demonstrated the power of the Scarlet Witch earlier in the film, making the demonstration against Carter feel redundant.

“I felt that [Carter’s death] was a bum steer, and a complete disservice to the character,” Atwell added. “I tried on set to kind of go, ‘Can I just add? Can I just suggest?’ And they were like, ‘Sure, but no.’”

Atwell is confirmed to return in Avengers: Doomsday, giving Marvel another chance to showcase the character alongside new additions like the Latverian Witches.

Source: Polygon