The What If…? premiere may have changed some key moments from Marvel’s history – including introducing Captain Carter, no less – but there were still some familiar faces dotted throughout the first episode.
One of them is likely to be someone you can picture but can’t quite place – because it’s an extraordinary deep cut from Marvel’s ‘One-Shot’ days.
For those who don’t remember, One-Shots were Marvel’s answer to short films, often included in home releases as a bonus adventure featuring some of the MCU’s supporting cast. Hayley Atwell even got her own Agent Carter One-Shot on the Iron Man 3 DVD.
But back to What…If? In the first episode, Captain Carter clashes with her superior at the Strategic Scientific Reserve. The man who wants to put Peggy on ice (so to speak) away from the frontlines is none other than John Flynn (Bradley Whitford), the chauvinistic suit from the Agent Carter One-Shot.
While it’s fantastic to see Marvel pull some fairly obscure characters from its archives, it’s likely going to be another kick in the teeth for those who wanted to see the actual Agent Carter series (which ran for two seasons on ABC) being celebrated in the alternate universe adventure.
A recent Legends episode recapping Peggy Carter’s Marvel history did not feature Agent Carter, while John Flynn’s appearance here is pretty much the final nail in the coffin of anyone expecting Peggy’s post-World War 2 field operations to be cemented into canon. Still, Captain Carter could well prove to be a capable replacement.
Discover what else is in the pipeline with our guide to Marvel Phase 4.
