Guys. We need to talk about Avengers: Infinity War. Specifically, footage that was shown to those of us in Hall H during Saturday’s Marvel Studios panel. Having not been to D23, I’m not sure if this compilation ahead of the actual trailer was shown there, but considering my Google search of “Infinity War Peggy Carter” turned up nothing, I’m guessing either A) it wasn’t or B) my fellow nerd journalists aren’t as invested in the Steve/Peggy ship as I am. Either way, Marvel hinted that things are going to get very uncomfortable for Steve Rogers in his next Marvel outing.
In order to set the stage for the showdown between the heroes of the MCU and Thanos, Marvel put together a montage of the current Infinity Stones, how they were introduced, and where they are now. For the purposes of Steve Rogers’ careening toward the kind of issue usually reserved for the pages of Penthouse letters to the editor, I’m focusing on the Time Stone. It is currently in the hands of Doctor Stephen Strange as the Eye of Agamotto. During the montage, the voiceover says “Time can fix anything,” while the camera lingers on the Time Stone. The scene then cuts to Captain America taking to old Peggy on her deathbed before she morphs back into young Peggy Carter from the first Captain America movie. None of it is new footage, but the implications are pretty clear. Someone is going to phutz with time to bring Peggy Carter back. Or at least attempt to.
I am 100% on board with this because Peggy Carter founded S.H.I.E.L.D. and if anyone can bring the spy organization back from the brink of destruction after H.Y.D.R.A. blew it all up, it’s Agent Carter. However, Steve might have some reservations about this plan, even if he doesn’t care about the time/space continuum. If you’ll recall, Steve recently kissed Sharon Carter, who is Peggy’s niece. One can assume that even if that was the extent of it, Peggy returning from the dead will cause all kinds of Shakespearean comedy problems as Steve tries to navigate a minefield of having been intimate with two generations of strong-willed Carter women.
Maybe he grew the beard in order to run away and start a new life in Sokovia rather than have to choose?