Marvel's Hayley Atwell on “Frustrating” Doctor Strange 2 Shoot

Hayley Atwell played Captain Carter in last year’s tentpole Marvel movie, Doctor Strange and the Multiverse of Madness, and she seems to have some serious regrets with the role.

Speaking on the Happy Sad Confused podcast, the Mission: Impossible actress discussed questionable decisions Marvel made with her character. "When she was like, 'I could do this all day' and then followed by that she's immediately cut in half by a frisbee. And the audience being like, 'She can't do it all day. Apparently you can't, so, egg on your face.' That doesn't really serve Peggy very well."

In 2022’s Doctor Strange sequel, Atwell plays a variant of Peggy Carter from an alternate universe. Instead of a regularly powered special agent, she’s a superpowered hero wielding an indestructible shield - that universe’s version of Captain America (but British).

Atwell, like many fans did, wanted her character to have more to do. Instead, she dies after a few scant minutes of screentime.

Atwell is much more upbeat about her role in Marvel’s What If…?, the 2021 animated series that reimagines noteworthy events in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. "I felt like I had much more to do in the What If...? animation series. I mean, any actor will tell you, to be able to go into a booth in effectively your pyjamas and do an animation is great fun because you're focused on the voice as the instrument and your main performative tool."

Nine new episodes of What If…? Season 2 are coming to Disney+ later this year. As for the sequel to Doctor Strange and the Multiverse of Madness, Benedict Cumberbatch has teased his next Doctor Strange appearance.