Peggy Carter

"The world has changed, and none of us can go back. All we can do is our best, and sometimes, the best that we can do, is to start over."

- Peggy Carter

Margaret "Peggy" Carter was one of the most prominent agents of the Strategic Scientific Reserve (SSR) before, during, and after World War II. Originally an officer of the British Armed Forces, at the beginning of the war she joined the Strategic Scientific Reserve (SSR), an Allied deep science agency formed to fight against HYDRA, the Nazi super weapons division. On the undercover mission in Germany she saved Professor Abraham Erskine from the villainous Johann Schmidt. The success of her mission enabled the SSR to start Project Rebirth, an effort to develop the Super Soldier Serum to make an army of Super Soldiers. During the project she met and befriended the frail Steve Rogers, the US Army soldier and one of the project's candidates.

In 1943, after the abrupt end of Project Rebirth and Rogers' transformation into the only Allied Super Soldier, Carter assisted him in becoming the world's first super hero―Captain America, and eventually fell in love with him. After Rogers' disappearance in 1945, she continued the SSR's fight against HYDRA, capturing the last high-ranking HYDRA officer Werner Reinhardt, and continuing her service in the SSR once the War ended.

As an Agent of the Strategic Scientific Reserve, Carter helped former colleague Howard Stark clear his name when he was accused of being a traitor, and later helped Stark found the new peacekeeping organization, the Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement and Logistics Division. She eventually married a former Allied soldier and became a mother of two children.

Early Life and Military Career
Margaret "Peggy" Carter was born to Harrison and Amanda Carter on Wednesday, April 9, 1919, in London, England. She received her education from.

In 1934, Carter joined the British Armed Forces and served as the Air Force nurse for the next two years. In 1936 she was moved to the (SAS).

Joining the Strategic Scientific Reserve
"Take your serum to the Allies, where it can be turned against HYDRA."

- Peggy Carter to Abraham Erskine

Peggy Carter was an agent of the British Secret Intelligence. In November 1940, she infiltrated Castle Kaufmann, the headquarters of the SS general Johann Schmidt, leader of HYDRA, Adolf Hitler's top secret science division. Disguised as a maid Eva, she freed the captured scientist Abraham Erskine, who created the Super Soldier Serum and escaped the castle.

Soon, Carter was assigned as a liaison from the British government to help the Americans combat against the Nazis. Carter served under Colonel Chester Phillips in the Strategic Scientific Reserve.

Project Rebirth
"Faster, ladies! Come on! My grandmother has more life in her, God rest her soul. Move it!"

- Peggy Carter

In June 1943, she met Steve Rogers at Colonel Chester Phillips' training base and oversaw his and the other potential candidates' training for Project Rebirth. When Rogers was selected as the candidate, she escorted him to the U.S. Army's secret base in Brooklyn under a pawnshop. After Dr. Abraham Erskine was murdered by Heinz Kruger after Rogers' successful transformation, she followed Rogers and the spy into the streets of Brooklyn and fired several rounds into the car the spy was using to escape.

Colonel Phillips was given a new assignment to take the S.S.R. to Europe to take the fight directly to HYDRA and made Agent Carter and Howard Stark apart of his staff. In November 1943, Agent Carter and Howard Stark helped Captain Rogers get to his destination to the secret HYDRA base in Austria where allied POWs were held. Carter soon developed a crush for Rogers, though referred to it as "having faith in him".

Working with Captain America
Peggy Carter was present at the meeting of the senior staff of Strategic Scientific Reserve in London, along with Colonel Phillips. They discussed the best way to take down HYDRA bases scattered across the Nazi-occupied Europe. Carter became furious at Steve Rogers after she saw him being kissed by Colonel Phillips' secretary Lorraine.

Losing Steve Rogers
"I'll-I'll get Howard on the line. He'll know what to do." "There's not enough time. This thing's moving too fast and it's heading for New York. I gotta put her in the water." "Please don't do this. W-we have time. We can work it out."

- Peggy Carter and Steve Rogers

In May 1945, Carter was part of company of soldiers led by Colonel Chester Phillips to follow Captain Rogers into HYDRA's last base of operations. After a brutal fight to the death on a HYDRA plane, Johann Schmidt was finally defeated, along with his soldiers. Knowing that the plane Rogers was on would cause a lot of trouble for America, he was left with one option; forcing the large plane to land on the waters of the Northern Atlantic Ocean. Carter, knowing that this would result in his death, didn't give up hope. She pressed on the matter, implying that there would be time for them to sort the situation out. However, Rogers claimed that there wasn't enough time, and proceeded with the landing. As the plane made its final descent, Peggy and Steve set a date, where she would teach him how to dance. All communications with the plane were then lost, and all Carter could do was cry for her loss.

The Obelisk
"These assets are now under the protection of the Strategic Scientific Reserve. They'll be relocated and hidden out of sight, indefinitely, as will you." "Cut off one head, two more shall grow in its place." "Then I guess we'll keep cutting them off."

- Peggy Carter and Werner Reinhardt

Later that year, Peggy Carter led a Strategic Scientific Reserve team that included Jim Morita and Dum Dum Dugan into the last HYDRA base, commanded by General Werner Reinhardt. After arresting him, she had everything in the base confiscated and labelled. The label 0-8-4 was placed on an alien artifact in Reinhardt's possession that was shaped like an Obelisk. Carter discussed with Dugan that, with the war ending, a peace time organization was needed to protect the innocent from dangerous technologies and to supervise people like Howard Stark.

No Deal for the Devil
"It's true, I wanted to find out what kind of a man you were. You didn't use the pen. So, now I know." "Pens are also used for signatures." "You want a deal. How terribly shocking." "The US Government has recruited many German scientists."

- Peggy Carter and Werner Reinhardt

After his capture, Reinhardt was taken to the Rat, a secret SSR facility. Seeking to find out more information, Carter visited the Rat to interrogate him. They talked about the pen that she had left in his cell to find out what he would do with it. As many former Nazi scientists were already recruited by the US Government, Reinhardt expressed the wish to be recruited as well, as he considered himself far more valuable than those who would make parlor tricks by sending rockets into space. Agent Carter then mentioned his many war crimes, but he offered to help her understand the items the SSR has confiscated from his last commanding post. He told her about the myth about the "stars" and revealed that the artifacts were of extraterrestrial origin.

The disdain that Carter had for Reinhardt outweighed her curiosity about the "blue angels" he described so she sentenced him to a life term in the Rat, promising him that as long as she had a say, he would never be freed.

Stark's Problem
"I figured you'd never have a problem finding a man." "The trick is finding the right one."

- Howard Stark and Peggy Carter

Following the end of the war, Carter found herself still working for the SSR under the cover of working for a phone company. Having few friends in New York, she moved in with her friend Colleen O'Brien. Despite her work during the war many of the men at the office still viewed her as nothing more then Captain America's "liasion". At one meeting, SSR agents discussed Stark being accused of selling his weapons to enemies of the U.S., and although Carter tried to defend Stark based on their past relationship, the other agents rebuffed her. When one of the men insulted her, Agent Daniel Sousa came to her defense; Carter thanked him but told him she did not need his help. Later at a diner, Carter found a note that told her to go into the back alley where Carter met with Howard Stark and his butler Edwin Jarvis. In the car, Stark told Carter he was being framed claiming that someone had stolen his "bad babies", weapons he considered to be too dangerous for anyone to possess, while he was vacationing in Monaco and told her the only reason he ran was because he knew that the SSR would consider him guilty. Stark asked Carter to help him clear his name and find the true criminals behind the theft. As he departed for Europe to track down some of the stolen items, Stark told her to find a document with the formula of one of his inventions, molecular Nitramene, hopefully before it could be sold on the black market. In searching for the stolen weapons, Carter balanced actively investigating the theft while avoiding SSR scrutiny and other agents looking the same clues without similar motivations concerning Howard Stark. Carter, disguising herself with a wig and sparkling evening dress, went to a known fence, Spider Raymond, who was to be selling the Nitramene formula. Sneaking her way into the office where the formula was being kept, and avoiding SSR agents as she went, Carter discovered that the formula had been used to create a Nitramene weapon. Racing home, Carter disarmed the weapon rendering it harmless. Upon entering her bedroom, she found her roommate murdered and was attacked by the killer. Carter fought him off, injuring him in the process, and went to mourn the death of her friend. Enlisting the aid of Jarvis, Carter followed up a lead concerning the production of the Nitramene weapon based on information from one of Stark's associates, Anton Vanko. Tracking the production to the Roxxon Refinery, Carter and Jarvis stumbled upon a whole production line of the weapons. Carter confronted one of the men in the factory who had a mysterious scar on his throat and told her she could not stop 'Leviathan ' before setting one of the Nitramene bombs to go off. He escaped in a milk truck filled with a new batch of the Nitramene bombs while Carter raced back to Jarvis's waiting car. They barely escaped as the bomb went off and the resulting implosion reduced the Roxxon factory to rubble.. Following the explosion, Carter then went to Howard Stark's Penthouse to rest. The next morning, posing as a health inspector Ruth Barton, she finds the name of the owner of the milk truck, Sheldon McFee. She was then called in to help in discovering who was involved in the explosions besides by using the Vita-Ray Detector. While scanning Roxxon employees Carter recognized one of the men as a guard she encountred while infiltrating the refinery. Carter then suggested to Roger Dooley that they scan the workers clothes for traces of Vita-Rays the employee then tried to flee only to be easily incapacitated by Carter. While interrogating the employee identified as Miles Van Ert, Dooley allowed Carter to take the rest of the day off.

Carter and Jarvis went to the residence of Sheldon Mcgee where Carter encountred him and defeated him as she tied him up. Brannis attempted to flee in McFee's milk truck only for Jarvis to disable it. As Carter and Jarvis drove back to Manhattan with Brannis in tow they were attacked by the Man in the green suit again. Carter engaged him ontop of the truck and after a brutal fight Carter managed to defeat him and stuck his hand to the truck as she and Jarvis escaped with Brannis while the milk truck which was full with Nitramene safely exploded inside the ocean. Back at Starks Penthouse Jarvis tended to her wounds and told Carter that despite all her skills she could not handle everything by herself and asked her to let him help her more, Carter agreeded. Carter then moved in with her other friend Angie Martinelli at the Griffith Hotel.

Peggy and Jarvis investigated the vault where Stark's weapons were stolen but, before they could begin, Thompson and Sousa knocked on the door. The two agents questioned Jarvis and took him in for further interrogation. When Jarvis was brought in for questioning, Carter took the police theft report of Stark's car and later told Dooley that she mistakenly took the report in Jarvis' presence, thus freeing him from his interrogation. After being reprimanded by an angry Dooley she and Jarvis contiuned their investigation and found the ship that had some of  Stark's stolen inventions. Finding the weapons, Carter prepared to call this find in, but Jarvis told her it would be to risky, and he called it in himself as an anonymous tipper. While waiting for Jarvis on the boat Peggy was confronted by a man who attacked her. Jarvis came to her aide and together the two managed to subdue him and escape.

The next day Peggy found out that agent Ray Krzeminski had been killed. Deeply saddened by his death Peggy went to Angie Martinelli and confidded in her and told her that despite all of Krzeminski's flaws he was still a man good at his job.

Zodiac
"You took a mission last night." "I completed a mission last night." "Without even attempting to report in or get the proper authorization?" "The mission was time-sensitive."

- John Flynn and Peggy Carter

Agent Carter eventually moved to Brooklyn, New York City continuing to work with the Strategic Scientific Reserve. Carter was stuck in an office run by Agent John Flynn who patronized her and only used her for code-breaking and analysis believing that as a woman, she should not be sent into the field. Three months into her work there, after all of her fellow agents had gone out for drinks leaving her alone in the office, she received a call directing her to the location of the Zodiac and requesting agents to retrieve the substance.

Carter used the absence of her co-workers as an excuse to take the mission, and traveled to the Zodiac's location, carrying a briefcase full of field gear with her. With some trouble Agent Carter recovered the Zodiac and brought it back to the Strategic Scientific Reserve office. The next day at the office, Agent Flynn admonished Carter for her actions saying that the only reason that she was an agent was that people felt sorry for her after Captain America died. In the midst of his tirade, the office hotline rang and he was informed by Howard Stark that he was to give the news to Agent Carter that she would be running S.H.I.E.L.D.. Stark also ordered Flynn to "let her know you’re honored to bring her the news". Carter refused his offer to carry her things out of the office.

Later Life
"What is it?" "For as long as I can remember, I just wanted to do what was right. I guess I'm not quite sure what that is anymore, and I thought I could throw myself back in, follow orders, serve. It's just not the same." "You were always so dramatic. Look, you saved the world. We rather mucked it up." "You didn't. Knowing you helped found S.H.I.E.L.D. is half the reason I stayed." "The world has changed, and none of us can go back. All we can do is our best, and sometimes, the best that we can do, is to start over."

- Peggy Carter and Steve Rogers

Peggy Carter continued working for the Strategic Scientific Reserve until 1949. Steve Rogers had survived, but in a quite unexpected matter. He had been frozen for 70 years. The experiments done on him in the past allowed him to survive, and retained his youthful appearance.

Sometime after the war she met and married a man whom Steve had saved throughout the course of the war. Together they had a son and daughter.

In 1953, Peggy Carter was interviewed about Steve Rogers and their involvement in the war. This footage was on display at the Captain America Exhibit at the Smithsonian Institution.

Before 2014, Carter had quit S.H.I.E.L.D. and retired. In her advanced age she now has which caused her to have to stay at a retirement home in Washington, D.C..

After Steve Rogers returned from being frozen for nearly 70 years, he was given files about his friends and allies from the 1940's, including Peggy Carter's. He thought about calling her but in the end decided against it, afraid of her seeing him still young.

Two years after he was saved, Rogers eventually went to visit her at the retirement home where she lived. She was lucid at first, but after a few minutes of conversation, due to her mental deterioration, she suddenly acted as if she met Steve directly after he had crash-landed after the Battle in the Valkyrie.

Abilities

 * Master Spy: Carter was able to infiltrate Castle Kaufmann and free Abraham Erskine with her disguise as "Eva". She knows how to manipulate the sexist stereotypes of her time to her advantage by bringing coffee to a meeting in order to spy on it and seducing a man to gain information.
 * Expert Martial Artist: Carter used her fighting skills to defeat Green Suit before he could kill her and to subdue the guards of the Zodiac.
 * Expert Marksman: During the Assassination of Abraham Erskine, Carter was able to kill the driver of Heinz Kruger, as he drove towards her, without fear of being hit. She chided Rogers for interrupting her shot when she aimed for Kruger.
 * Scientist: Carter had an average knowledge of chemistry, knowing how to use simple household items to create a compound necessary to defuse a bomb.

Weapons

 * : Carter carried a Walther PPK as her sidearm during her time serving with the Strategic Scientific Reserve. She used the weapon to shoot at Heinz Kruger while trying to prevent his escape following the Assassination of Abraham Erskine, and to raid a warehouse in New York City during the search of Zodiac.
 * M1911A1: Carter used this pistol to shoot at Steve Rogers, testing the resistance of a Vibranium Shield.
 * M1928A1 Thompson: Carter used this weapon during the Attack on HYDRA Headquarters, killing many HYDRA soldiers, specifically making HYDRA soldier with a flamethrower burst into flames.
 * MP 40: Carter managed to obtain one of these weapons while undercover on Castle Kaufmann, using it to liberate Abraham Erskine.
 * Grappling Hook Gun

Family

 * Harrison Carter † - Father
 * Amanda Carter † - Mother
 * Grandmother †
 * Husband
 * Son
 * Daughter

Allies

 * Steve Rogers/Captain America - Former Love Interest
 * Strategic Scientific Reserve
 * Chester Phillips † - Former Army Commander
 * Howard Stark † - Weapons Producer and Friend
 * Abraham Erskine † - Friend
 * Roger Dooley - Superior Officer
 * John Flynn - Superior Officer
 * Jack Thompson - Colleague
 * Daniel Sousa - Colleague
 * Ray Krzeminski † - Colleague
 * Johnson - Colleague
 * Miller - Colleague
 * Wilkes - Colleague
 * Rose - Colleague and Friend
 * Howling Commandos
 * Bucky Barnes
 * Dum Dum Dugan
 * James Montgomery Falsworth †
 * Gabe Jones
 * Jim Morita †
 * Jacques Dernier
 * Edwin Jarvis † - Friend
 * Colleen O'Brien † - Friend
 * Griffith Hotel
 * Miriam Fry - Landlady
 * Angie Martinelli - Friend and Neighbor
 * Carol - Neighbor
 * Dottie Underwood - Neighbor
 * S.H.I.E.L.D.
 * Howard Stark † - Weapons Producer and Friend
 * Chester Phillips † - Former Army Commander

Enemies

 * HYDRA
 * Johann Schmidt/Red Skull
 * Arnim Zola †
 * Heinz Kruger †
 * Werner Reinhardt †
 * Leviathan
 * Green Suit †
 * Leet Brannis †
 * Miles Van Ert
 * Spider Raymond †
 * Jerome Zandow †

Trivia

 * In the comics, Peggy Carter was a freedom fighter with the French Resistance during World War II, and her relationship with Gabe Jones was one of the first inter-racial relationships in comics.
 * According to S.H.I.E.L.D. files, Peggy joined the Special Air Service (SAS) in 1936. In reality, SAS wasn't formed before July 1941.
 * At the end of Captain America: The First Avenger when Nick Fury first encounters the bewildered Steve Rogers, Steve mentions that he is 70 years late for a date that he planned with Peggy.
 * In The Avengers, Peggy appears in short flashbacks conceived by Steve Rogers when he was using a punching bag in the gym.

Behind the Scenes

 * There was a scene intended for The Avengers where Steve reunites with an old "Peggy Carter," but this was never released into the theatrical cut and was never even filmed. They partially reintegrated the scene in Captain America: The Winter Soldier. However, there is a Deleted scene in The Avengers where Steve finds files about the deceased Howling Commandos and Peggy Carter. Her address and telephone number are on the file, but Steve decides to not make a call.
 * Peggy's S.H.I.E.L.D. file in the deleted scene from The Avengers lists her current address as "57-J Merryweather, Winchester, U.K.". However, in Captain America: The Winter Soldier she is shown to be living in a retirement home in Washington, D.C.. It is unknown if this is a continuity error or if the file is simply outdated. Another possibility is that in the two years in between the two films, she moved to the retirement home.
 * Peggy Carter is the only female character so far that has been the female lead in a movie, a one-shot and a TV series.
 * Emily Blunt was offered the role, but she turned it down.