Captain Carter #1 brings the animated MCU character to comics with action and great nods to British superhero comics! We saw Captain Carter, Peggy Carter transformed by the Super Soldier formula, in the first episode of the animated series, “What If… Captain Carter Were The First Avenger?” (2021). The Marvel Comics issue has Jamie McKelvie as writer and cover artist. He collaborated with Kieron Gillen on the second volume of Young Avengers. Marika Cresta provides the art. She was one of the artists for Strikeforce #4 (2020). The cover features Captain Carter in her Union Jack uniform and shield bursting through headlines. It is interesting to see if this is a new version of the character and it is not labeled as What If...? which now has Miles Morales as the lead character.
Also, the comics universe, 616, is not connected to the MCU. It is not clear if this is an alternate world since Captain America, Steve Rogers, is in that time period in the comics universe. We see the headlines on the first page about Carter’s Commandos, “Allied Scientists Create Perfect Solder” and the bottom headline in 1995, “A Nation Remembers” about the 50th anniversary of Captain Carters “heroic last act.” So we must catch up to that event. In What If…?, she had been transported by the Tesseract to the modern day. We see a helicopter, unmoving blades?, flying above the ship, the Lomonosov Ridge, in the Arctic Ocean. Two personnel in winter jackets, Charles Stephenson who is informed by Craig that they “found her.” He tells Craig that the ship was looking for oil drilling, the ice has melted, and revealed Baron Von Strucker’s plane! A scientist is trying to use a blowtorch to cut through the block of ice preserving Captain Carter.
Charles is told Peggy Carter is alive! The door is opened to reveal the unfrozen Captain Carter with her arms folded. Charles tells Peggy that he is there as a representative of the Queen’s government. She is surprised that the queen has taken the throne. England had George VI as king during her time, he is seen in The King’s Speech (2010). Peggy tells him that she thought she was in some sort of Hydra trap and took on several soldiers. The official running the meeting, Bob, says that Captain Carter should go to America. Charles says she is a British citizen, also she was in a supervisor position for the Strategic Scientific Reserve. The group starts to argue over the Super Soldier Serum, Captain Carter tries to interrupt, and has to shatter the table!
This gets their attention and she asks Charles if she is still a British citizen and decides to go home leaving the room. She tries to adjust to life in London. I love the grey tones of the citizens with Peggy’s red jacket standing out. The colorist is Erick Arciniega. Her hangout is now a retirement home, she finds a new apartment, and finds the food, eating a taco, is better! I second that, British food is not the most tasty. She doesn’t understand computers or cell phones and television is nice adjusting to the modern day. This is more learning than Steve Rogers though we didn’t get his catching up after Captain America: The First Avenger (2011) and The Avengers (2012). Peggy is wakened by loud music late at night. So she goes to her upstairs neighbor, Harley, who calls her Margaret. Her full name is Margaret Elizabeth “Peggy” Carter. Harley works on her music and promises to use headphones.
The next day, she meets with Prime Minister Harry Williams at his residence on 10 Downing Street. He has contacted her to discuss an idea and calls her the “first super hero.” Williams brings up an American team called the Fantastic Five. Over counted by one? If it is the FF, this is most likely the Marvel Universe of the comics. PM Williams’s idea is to make her Great Britain’s hero again. He shows her the design of a new uniform based on the variant cover of her poses. The Union Jack flag runs along her side instead of in the middle of her chest. There are white stripes under her arms and dark boots are replaced by red boots. The PM has a new agency, Special Tactical Reserve for International Key Emergencies (S.T.R.I.K.E.). This group was in the comic magazine, Captain Britain #17 (1977).
Then, entering the room and introducing herself is Lizzie Braddock in a purple suit with purple hair. Betsy Braddock made her introduction in Captain Britain #8 (1976) from Chris Claremont and Herb Trimpe. As a member of S.T.R.I.K.E., she develops psi powers in Mighty World of Marvel #13 (1984). The villain, Mojo, renamed her Psylocke, in her first U.S. appearance, New Mutants annual #2 (1986). She joins the X-Men and is transformed into an Asian assassin in Uncanny X-Men #256 (1989) by Chris Claremont and Jim Lee. This is later explained as switching bodies with the woman named Kwannon. Lizzie Braddock may not have her telepathic powers and may not be a mutant.
Peggy tells Harry that she needs time so he gives her the shield and has Lizzie drive Peggy home. Lizzie tells Peggy that her grandfather, Jacob, was at Oxford with her. Peggy is taken to the gravestone of her family. She tells Lizzie that she will take the bus to have a quiet moment, then she cries over her lost family. She doesn’t seem to have her brother, Brian, also known as Captain Britain! Peggy thinks of all of the people she has lost when a black car heads towards the bus! It crashes and Peggy goes into captain mode taking charge of getting the passengers to safety. Then, she notices gunmen on a motorcycle! Peggy has shrugged off being a superhero and now has to take up the shield to save the citizens. Also, she has to find who is behind the bus attack. Captain Carter #1 has all of the British comics connection down, so the MCU character fits here with all of the action!
Five Shields out of Five!
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