Agent Carter and the Promise of Things to Come

Last night was the premiere of Marvel's Agent Carter. The two hour event gave us a glimpse into the world of Peggy Carter and her life after the war but this was only the beginning. 

Carter's introduction to the MCU first came in Captain America : The First Avenger where she was a no holds barred officer of the British Armed Forced Special Air Service. She later joined in the fight against HYDRA by joining the SSR. Her part in the story essential to Project Rebirth Peggy helped save Abraham Erskine and continue the development of Super Soldier Serum. During recruitment for the project Peggy befriends Steve Rogers who she would later help become the first superhero. 

Peggy tragically loses Rogers after their fight against the Red Skull. In her attempts to honour Rogers Peggy continues working with the SSR, becoming one of their best agents and later forms S.H.I.E.L.D with Howard Stark. 

Marvel's Agent Carter was created by Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely as a way to continue Peggy Carter's life after Captain America : The First Avenger. Hayley Atwell reprises her role from the film series and is as engaging as ever. While Carter must balance her life between secretarial work and secret missions, she must also deal with sexism post-war and fight for her right to be included in work she helped build. 

The show is instantly likeable, two minutes in and I was already sold. It is kind of like a love letter to female fans of the MCU. Peggy is capable, intelligent, caring, resourceful and quick witted. She often uses the sexism directed towards her to her advantage. The male characters' misguided attempts to insult her or negate her never go unanswered. Their perpetual dismissal of her also serves her in her clandestine escapades. Atwell's ability to not only kick ass but also be lighthearted and fun give this show exactly what it needs. Without a doubt it is a must watch for the season. It is action packed, full of adventure, excitement and is everything a spy story should be. Not to mention the prop and costume department are delightful.

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Daisy Johnson aka Quake

Following the last post surrounding comic book character we continue the trend this by presenting to you another amazing Marvel lady, Daisy Johnson aka Quake - (Note : Should you not be caught up on AOS major spoilers lay ahead, you have been warned) 

Weeks ago Marvel announced their full movie line up for the next couple of years. On that list Captain Marvel was a big one that had everyone talking. Marvel is continually adding prominent female character to their MCU. The recent addition came when Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D revealed Skye's true identity. A question on everyone's mind last season and continuing this season the mystery origins of the girl genius were revealed to be Daisy Johnson aka Quake. 

The character was created by Brian Michael Bendis and Gabriele Dell'Otto and first introduced in their Secret War series. Daughter of a villain named Mr. Hyde she was giving up for adoption and raised by a family who knew nothing of her parentage. Daisy's high IQ meant she struggled in school and soon starting rebelling out of frustration and boredom. After a run in with the police she became agitated and her powers manifested for the first time. She caused a tremor. She was then brought to Nick Fury and trained as a SHIELD agent. She excelled and quickly climbed rank gaining a level 10 security clearance at only 18 years of age. 

Daisy eventually led her own team called the Secret Warriors and was part of on going series of the same name. The book has been one of my recent favourites. Each week the series put Daisy's leadership abilities to the test and explored her familiar (father/daughter) relationship with Nick Fury. 

It has to be said that Daisy's powers also to not stem from the mutant gene but rather passed down from her father who has experimented on himself with chemicals. 

I am so excited to see where Agents of SHIELD and the MCU take Quake and watch her story continue to play out on the show. I also hope she becomes a crucial member in other places of the MCU. 

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Agent Carter and The Expansion of the MarvelU

Grayson
It's that time of year again when we celebrate or have our hearts broken as news of renewals, pick ups and cancellations of our favourite TV shows comes out. Some of the more exciting news came when Marvel and the powers that be (ABC) announced that they would be picking up an Agent Carter series.

The show will centre around Peggy in "a post WWII world, when the men are returning from war and she is finding herself highly marginalized, while attempting to deal with the aftermath of her love, Steve Rogers." (Entertainment Weekly)

So why should we be excited about the series?
We all saw Hayley Atwell's stellar performance of the take charge independent Peggy Carter in Captain America : The First Avenger. Carter had previously been a character that could have been easily overlooked but Atwell grabbed our attention. So much so that they decided to give her her own series.

The show will focus on a female protagonist fighting convention and making her way in the world. We will hopefully not only see clandestine action but the expansion of the MarvelU, meeting characters we know and love through the creation of SHIELD and see some familiar faces such as Howard Stark and the Howling Commandos. 

Marvel also announced that Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D has been picked up for another season. Despite the shaky start and mixed reviews/ratings of the show, the show has really evolved into something magnificent. We expect with more time it will only grow and continue to evolve.

The show began by taking us on weekly missions involving super powered beings and explored the inner workings of SHIELD. Once the story hit a major story arc and tied into the release of Captain America: The Winter Soldier, the show exploded with richness.

With guest stars from the major films such as Samuel L. Jackson, Cobie Smulders and Jaimie Alexander reprising their roles as Nick Fury, Maria Hill and Sif and the introduction of known characters such as Deathlok Agents of SHIELD can only go up from here and help expand the MarvelU movieverse.

We can't wait to see what each shows has to offer.

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