Avengers: Endgame may very well be the last time we see Hayley Atwell as Peggy Carter on the big screen. However, the actress isn’t bothered by that and believes Carter and Steve Rogers received a “fitting” and “beautiful” ending. It would be hard to find Marvel Cinematic Universe fans who would disagree with Atwell’s opinion on the situation, though there are always a few naysayers. Atwell appeared in five MCU movies and 20 episodes of TV over the years.
As for anything Marvel Studios does, making Avengers: Endgame was a highly secretive mission right from the beginning. The seeds had already been planted years ago, which means Steve Rogers and Peggy Carter’s ending was mapped out well in advance. When asked how she thought it played out on the big screen, Hayley Atwell was pleased. She had this to say.
“I thought it was a fitting end to a story that has affected so many people. I thought it was very endearing, innocent and wholesome in the way that it keeps those characters in their time. I thought it was quite beautiful and very tasteful of Marvel to finish this 10-year story in a very simple storyline about two human beings – and one of them doesn’t even have any superpowers. So, I thought the tone of it, to end there, after some extraordinary things of trauma, action, effects and powers… to just have two people slow-dancing was very beautiful.”
As for how it all went down, Hayley Atwell notes that it was done pretty far back. As mentioned earlier, Marvel Studios and the Russo Brothers had the storylines mapped out years before shooting ever took place and would pick up shots whenever they could over the years, even if was a shot as important as the final shot of Peggy Carter and Steve Rogers. Atwell explains.
“I think we shot that maybe two years ago. So, it was maybe a few weeks before then that I got the call saying, ‘We’re thinking about this… What do you think about it? It might end the whole franchise.’ Then, it was an afternoon of filming about two years ago.”
It’s been a wild ride for just about anyone who has anything to do with Marvel Studios, which includes Hayley Atwell. She is very proud of her work that she has done for the studio. It doesn’t hurt that she is now a part of the one of the biggest franchises in history, along with a few shots in the highest grossing movie of all time. She had this to say when asked if she felt fulfilled by her MCU journey.
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“Oh, yeah! I feel really fulfilled. It was a great time, and I think they ended it beautifully with Endgame. It feels like a fitting end to that narrative. I’m a classically trained theater actor so I want a stab at the challenging parts in the canon for theatrical actresses. That’s something that I’ve always aspired towards. So, I feel lucky to have played her, but she’s one aspect of my career. She’s one part that I’ve played. With every job that I’ve done, I’ve taken the job because I’ve seen something within the character that I’d love to explore or try and be challenged by. With a leading part, it requires a lot of my focus and passion, but it’s the same focus and passion whether it’s Peggy Carter or it’s Rebecca West in Rosmersholm on stage, which I just finished. It’s the same curiosity to see what each character’s world is.”
While we might not see Peggy Carter on the big screen again, we will definitely be hearing her voice. Atwell will reprise her Carter role for the animated Disney+ series Marvel’s What If?… in a story that finds her getting injected with the Super Soldier Serum instead of Steve Rogers. In addition, there have been some rumors that she might end up with a cameo in the final season of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. The interview with Hayley Atwell was originally conducted by The Hollywood Reporter.
