Issue #5: Sandy's Reflections on Captain America: The First Avenger (2011)

I have to say, this film might be my favorite in the MCU. I think it has everything, with an extra helping of charm and heart. But what I think I have found most meaningful, as a woman and as a comics fan, is a character that I didn’t even know before I watched the film: Peggy Carter.

 

Margaret Elizabeth Carter, fondly named Peggy, first appeared in the Marvel comic universe in Tales of Suspense #75 as an unnamed character, but she was first shown as an important character, a love interest of Captain Rogers during WW II, in flashbacks in Tales of Suspense #77 in 1966. Their love affair was always doomed—in the comics she got amnesia and didn’t remember her partner and lover, Steve Rogers.

 

I never cease to be amazed at MCU Peggy’s ability to balance tough-as-nails with sincerity and emotion. One of my favorite bits is when Steve is trying to drown his sorrows in alcohol at a war-torn bar. He’s destroyed over taking his BFF Bucky with him on a mission, and he blames himself for Bucky's death. However, Peggy knows just what to say to help him pull himself from his grief:

Peggy Carter: Tell me, did you truly like your friend? Did you respect him?

Steve Rogers: Yes.

Peggy Carter: Well then, stop blaming yourself. Give your friend the respect of making his own decisions.

On the surface, she’s presented in the same light as Pepper Potts or Jane Foster as the love interest, sure, but unlike those two characters, she isn’t set up to be in every film; she’s only featured prominently in First Avenger. And yet…she’s not forgotten: She is a crucial part of numerous films thereafter and is responsible for setting up S.H.I.E.L.D.. I spend a lot of time talking about women are portrayed on screen, but Peggy really stands out from the beginning as a woman surrounded by men—but who is “waiting for the right partner,” as she tells Steve. No women look Steve’s way at the beginning of the film, despite the fact that his heart, his courage, his positivity—these traits are clearly spelled out in early scenes. When little Steve, equipped with only a trash can lid, stands up to a bully, he even utters his classic line, “I can do this all day.” Yet he is invisible.

 

But Peggy, right off, sees Steve—really sees him. The tables are turned on Bucky when he spots her in a stunning dress and gives her his most impressive pick-up lines…to no avail. He’s stunned when Peggy—literally—doesn’t take her eyes off of our Captain America. Bucky, amazed, says, “I’m you. I’m turning into you.”

 

But what is really amazing about the character of Peggy is that she continues on with her life after Steve’s disappearance. Agent Carter was one of the first MCU spin-offs, and it ran for two years to rave reviews on ABC, but unfortunately it just didn’t pick up steam with the ratings. “Agent Carter gives us the best of both worlds as a Marvel spinoff; the show stands well as an independent story, while still offering additional emotional heft to the main series of films. These beats make us care about Peggy Carter as a well-rounded character and invest us even further in her journey as it bends toward her eventually becoming the founder of S.H.I.E.L.D.” (https://filmschoolrejects.com/agent-carter/).

 

Peggy gets to shine in Agent Carter, all while showcasing society’s sexism and view of women in the workplace in the post-war world. Despite her work with Captain America and during the war, she’s relegated to almost secretary-status, but that doesn’t stop her from doing the job and, most times, doing it better than the men around her. She doesn’t have superpowers, but she has the confidence of her famous line, “I know my worth.” As Katie Kilkenny states in her review, “Carter’s not a superhero, per se. But as a supersized allegory for a downtrodden woman who suddenly gets new powers—a sense of purpose imparted by a fulfilling, demanding job—Carter is a worthy equivalent of the rest of the heroes in Marvel’s oeuvre” (https://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2015/01/agent-carter-peggy-the-super-riveter/384237/).  

 

She is also the first character that I ever even considered cosplaying. I mean, what woman wouldn’t want to be Peggy for a day? When Gian shared his crazy idea of doing a formal, professional conference with a script using Avengers characters, I laughed. The second time he brought it up, he asked if I would want to be Black Widow. I laughed harder, imagining myself trying to squeeze into Nat’s black suit. (Umm, no.) But when he had a concrete idea and other professionals ready to be a part of the project, I asked if I could be Peggy.

 

I ordered a tailor-made copy of her famous blue suit, along with retro 1940’s shoes and a too-expensive red Stetson that was authentic. I admit that I secretly already owned the Besame Cosmetics line of lipsticks and make-up (https://style.disney.com/beauty/2018/04/30/besame-agent-carter-avengers/). But was I ready to actually walk out of a hotel room, down the hall, and be Peggy 

Carter? I have to say that it was a moment of growth for me. I had to make myself leave the room, post-pep talk, and I was super self-conscious as I walked down to our presentation room. But something happened that day: A bit of Peggy rubbed off on me. It’s empowering to do something you think is difficult and outside of your comfort zone. But I was surrounded by others who I now consider friends (we’ve done this play a few times now), and I have to say that I genuinely enjoyed myself. I stretched myself. And I grew.

 

Now, when I’m in a tough situation, or feeling overwhelmed, I ask myself this question: What would Peggy do? And, I think I know. 

 

Peggy would approve.