Marvel Studios' next Disney+ outing is What If...?, the first animated adventure set within the MCU and one that takes full advantage of what Loki's finale introduced: the multiverse. The show will explore what would have happened if key events in the MCU's history went completely differently.
Stories such as what if Killmonger saved Tony Stark's life in Iron Man, or what if Ultron was victorious after all will be told. Essentially, the creative team behind the new ambitious project has nearly unlimited freedom. One of the most anticipated episodes of the series is its first episode, where audiences are introduced to Hayley Atwell's Captain Carter.
The mantle that everyone knows to be Steve Rogers is now held by Peggy Carter, as the show's opening installment will explore the idea of her receiving the Super Soldier Serum instead. Glimpses of this episode can be seen all over the promotional materials for What If...?, something which makes sense given she is apparently one of The Watcher's favorites.
As is tradition, Marvel released a recap video for Peggy Carter ahead of her superhero debut in its Disney+ show Legends. However, the 10-minute piece left out some particular information.
MARVEL TV'S AGENT CARTER NO MORE
Marvel Studios released a brand-new episode of Legends, and this time the focus is on Hayley Atwell's Peggy Carter. In the new special though, there was something missing: not a single clip from Agent Carter was seen.
The job of Legends is to catch audiences up on everything that has happened to the characters within the MCU, so completely avoiding her solo show certainly doesn't speak kindly to Marvel's thoughts on Carter's former television adventures.
The show isn't entirely forgotten, as the thumbnail image used for her episode features the signature red hat that she is seen wearing throughout the run of the show—something never seen on Peggy's head in the films.
MARVEL STUDIOS VS. MARVEL TV: JUST THE BEGINNING?
It is certainly noteworthy that Marvel Studios chose to completely ignore Agent Carter in its special, whose entire purpose is to catch up the wider audience with the character's history. It's almost as if the studio doesn't consider the show to be canon; or, at least, it believes it holds no relevance to the MCU.
There is a good chance that this is only the beginning of the studios ignoring what the old Marvel shows did. It had already started when the Darkhold in WandaVision was completely different from the one in Agents of SHIELD; even the writers had no idea the book of dark magic had ever been used previously.
The real test of the former shows' relevancy will be when/if the rumored Daredevil and Kingpin returns happen, with Daredevil being rumored to appear in Spider-Man: No Way Home and Kingpin in Disney+'s Hawkeye.
The idea of the old shows becoming non-canon is something that many fans both hate and find hard to accept. But audiences will have to wait for the final answer in these regards—though they can rest easy with the existence of the multiverse. Technically, everything is canon now.
What If...? premieres exclusively on Disney+ on Wednesday, August 11, 2021.
