| For alternate versions of World War II, see World War II's Event Hub |
- "There was a superstition back during my days in the war that victory was its own sort of curse because every battle you won, every inch you gained would mean you're only getting further from home."
- ―Captain Carter[src]
World War II, or the Second World War (often abbreviated as WWII or WW2), was a global war that was under way by 1939 and ended in 1945. It involved a vast majority of the world's nations, forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis.
History[]
Project Rebirth[]
- "Paris has fallen. London might be next. If this works, you could end the war."
- ―Peggy Carter to Steve Rogers[src]
In an attempt to conquer Europe, Adolf Hitler led Germany into the war, enlisting HYDRA, led by Johann Schmidt, as the Third Reich's science division. During the war, the Allied forces launched the Project Rebirth in order to create a super soldier to turn the tide of the war, approaching Abraham Erskine who succeeded in creating the Super Soldier Serum. Steve Rogers had been chosen as as the first American super soldier, however, HYDRA found out about the project and deployed Heinz Kruger to disrupt it.
Peggy Carter becomes a super soldier
Right before the Strategic Scientific Reserve started the injection, Kruger infiltrated the SSR facility and caused an explosion, killing Erskine and Chester Phillips and wounding Rogers. Peggy Carter managed to kill Kruger, however, due to Rogers' injury, he was unable to take the serum, so Carter had to take it instead. Regardless, John Flynn deemed the project a failure, not believing that Carter was fit for fighting on front lines, despite her super soldier abilities.[1]
Quest for the Tesseract[]
Johann Schmidt discovers the Tesseract
- "The greatest minds alive can't fathom the extent of this battery's power."
"Good. Who knows, maybe the war will be over before HYDRA figures out how to turn the damn thing on." - ―Howard Stark and John Flynn[src]
While serving for the Third Reich, Johann Schmidt intended to betray Adolf Hitler and conquer the world for himself. Schmidt learned of the legendary interdimensional entity, that he dubbed the "Champion of HYDRA". In order to take control over it, he obtained the Tesseract that was able to open the portal and unleash it on Earth. The HYDRA battalion led by Schmidt invaded Tønsberg, Norway and stole the Tesseract from the Castle Rock Tower, ordering Arnim Zola to deliver it to the headquarters.
Peggy Carter attacks the HYDRA convoy
The Strategic Scientific Reserve received information about the Tesseract and HYDRA's plans, however, John Flynn did not authorize an operation to intercept the cube. Peggy Carter made a decision to participate in the unauthorized mission to attack the HYDRA convoy with Zola in Berlin, using the vibranium shield, provided by Howard Stark. Carter successfully took down the convoy and captured Zola, bringing the Tesseract in the SSR's possession. Stark conducted research on the Tesseract and used it a as a power source for the armored battle suit he created for Steve Rogers, so he could join the war effort.[1]
Conflict with HYDRA[]
Captain Carter liberates the prisoners of war
- "The Red Skull wants to destroy our world. In many ways, he already has. I say, we return the favor. I say, we burn that castle to the ground. But if we do this, know that we might not succeed in ending the war, we might not survive, but we will stop HYDRA."
- ―Captain Carter[src]
Captain Carter participated in the mission to liberate the 107th Infantry Division who were captured by HYDRA and held prisoner at the weapons facility in Austria. Carter successfully broke into the facility and liberated the members of the 107th Infantry, such as Bucky Barnes and Dum Dum Dugan. Carter, Barnes, Dugan and a group of liberated soldiers engaged in a firefight with HYDRA soldiers, however, they were pinned down by tanks. Using the battle armor, Steve Rogers supported Carter in the fight, helping her to destroy HYDRA's forces.
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Captain Carter attacks HYDRA
Following a successful mission, Carter and Rogers formed the Howling Commandos with the liberated members of the 107th Infantry, and participated in raiding numerous HYDRA facilities. Carter and the Commandos successfully dismantled HYDRA's forces across Europe, which deeply frustrated Adolf Hitler. Eventually, the Red Skull turned against the Third Reich and ordered to set a trap for the Commandos to capture Rogers and retrieve the Tesseract from his armor. During the operation to attack the Schnellzug EB912 train in Alps, the Commandos were caught in a trap with train being filled with explosives. Rogers disappeared in the explosion and while the Allied forces considered him being killed in action, he was actually captured by HYDRA.
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Captain Carter pushes the Champion of HYDRA into the wormhole
Carter forced Arnim Zola to tell SSR about the Red Skull's plan and he told her everything about the Champion of HYDRA and HYDRA's headquarters at Castle de Krake. Carter, Howard Stark and the Commandos stormed the castle to stop the Red Skull and take HYDRA down, but the Red Skull used the Tesseract to unleash the Champion. However, he failed to take control over the Champion, which resulted in his death, so Carter confronted it, while Stark tried to close the portal. Rogers and the Commandos assisted Carter in the fight, however, as the Champion prevented closing the portal, Carter pushed it back to the wormhole, even though it meant entering the portal herself.[1]
Aftermath[]
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Captain Carter arriving in the modern world
- "The war ended almost seventy years ago. You going to be okay?"
"Of course. We won the war." - ―Nick Fury and Captain Carter[src]
Captain Carter's sacrifice played a significant part in the downfall of HYDRA and the Allied forces won the war. Several decades later, the Tesseract was found by S.H.I.E.L.D. which managed to reactivate it and open the portal, freeing Carter from the wormhole. Nick Fury and Clint Barton informed Carter that the war ended decades ago[1] and recruited her into S.H.I.E.L.D. as a STRIKE operative.[2]
Appearances[]
In chronological order:
- What If...?
- Season One
- What If... Captain Carter Were The First Avenger?
- Season Two
- What If... Captain Carter Fought the HYDRA Stomper? (flashbacks; concurrent events)
- Season Two
- What If... Captain Carter Were The First Avenger?
- Season One