There’s been a curious discussion surrounding ABC’s TV series Agent Carter. Just like with Agents of SHIELD, there’s a debate if these Marvel TV shows are canon within the MCU. Back in July, director James Gunn declared that WandaVision was the first MCU show ever produced, which naturally raised some eyebrows. SHIELD was a direct spinoff out of 2012’s Avengers while Agent Carter introduced us to James D’Arcy‘s Edwin Jarvis, who would eventually make his film debut in Avengers: Endgame. So, there were connections there, but a lack of official confirmation. Well, that was until now.
In the book The Story of Marvel Studios: The Making of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, there’s a mention of the ABC series featuring Hayley Atwell. Not only that but it’s highlighted as “canon storytelling” that would eventually lead back into future films. Sadly, it was canceled after only two seasons and the character didn’t make her return until the post-credit sequence of Endgame. The paragraph reads as follows:
Launched on January 6, the series debuted on the ABC midseason slate. Notably, Agent Carter marked the first time an MCU-originated character would transition from the big screen to the small screen, with canon storytelling that would eventually dovetail back into future films.
The book also reveals that some character rights were not fully under Marvel Studios’ supervision. So, it seems that the Netflix series and other projects by Marvel TV were done completely out of Kevin Feige‘s hands. It also highlights the internal struggle and politics holding the franchise back in its early days. No wonder then that Marvel Studios merged with the TV department as they ventured into Disney+. There is, however, no word on the other series which still leaves their canonicity a question mark.
Source: The Story of Marvel Studios via The Direct
