'Agent Carter' Is Very Different in Marvel Comics

Unless you're living under a rock, you've been bombarded with promos for ABC's newest Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. spinoff/prequel, Agent Carter . The promos are really adamant about reminding you that Peggy is a woman, and as cringeworthy as the tagline "she's the best man for the job" may be, Peggy really is the best person for the job. But who is she, exactly? Thankfully, we can learn a lot about her by turning to Marvel Comics, where Peggy Carter first appears.

As prominent as Peggy is across the current Marvel Cinematic Universe — you know, between Captain America: The First Avenger, Captain America: The Winter Solider, her guest appearances on S.H.I.E.L.D., etc. — she's not a huge character in the comics. She certainly plays a role in the greater hero story of Steve Rogers, aka Captain America, but just like their "thing" in First Avenger, it's sadly short-lived. Peggy Carter first met Rogers while she was serving in the French Resistance during World War II, and the two became friends. That, of course, led to them falling in love. But, just as it happens in The First Avenger, nothing ever really comes of it. Captain America has to go off on his own missions to save the day, while Peggy continues to fight the war elsewhere. Most of the stories involving Peggy are told through flashbacks, as Cap remembers his "blonde" love interest — Peggy had blonde hair in the comics.

At one point, Peggy was actually captured by the Gestapo. Thankfully, she was freed unharmed, but not before a shell exploded near her, knockinh her out, and giving her amnesia. She returned home to the United States, remembering nothing about her time with Captain America and the two lived separate lives from there on out.

Then, of course, Cap gets frozen in his suspended animation, and he and Peggy don't see each other for a very long time. In differing from the story the MCU has set up, Peggy in the comics doesn't have any children, but instead has a niece, Sharon (even though Sharon is first introduced as Peggy's sister).

Also, like all comics that have gone through different writers and re-boots a million times over, some variations of her story change. But nothing too major from issue to issue. She's always that wartime gal of Steve Rogers.

Honestly, Peggy's storyline throughout the comics is a little bit weak. She never once really takes center stage in any of the comic adventures, even though we learn that she did belong to S.H.I.E.L.D. for a while. Yeah, that's cool and all, but MCU Peggy actually founded S.H.I.E.L.D., which is a thousand times cooler. So I'll take my MCU Peggy, thank you very much.

Images: ABC; Giphy