CAPTAIN AMERICA : WINTER SOLDIER In Winter Soldier , Steve is having a difficult time reconciling his morals and suspicions with the actions of S . H . I . E . L . D . So he turns to the person who trusts most : the 96-year-old Peggy Carter . Even as she lays in a hospital bed and suffers from Alzheimer ’ s , Peggy is still the one Steve instinctively turns to for advice . He confides in her and even mentions that part of the reason he stayed with S . H . I . E . L . D . was because Peggy helped found it .
In a lucid moment , she reminds him that the world has changed and that there is no going back to the past : “ Sometimes the best that we can do is to start over .” Her words help Steve to make the decision to strike out on his own and go with his gut instincts . Since it turned out that S . H . I . E . L . D . had been infiltrated by Hydra , this advice may have saved his life .
CAPTAIN AMERICA : CIVIL WAR Even in death , Peggy Carter gave Captain America the advice he needed to hear . At her funeral , Sharon Carter , Peggy ’ s niece , read aloud a quote from her late aunt .
“ Compromise where you can . But where you can ’ t : don ’ t . Even if everyone is telling you that something wrong is something right . Even if the whole world is telling you to move . It is your duty to plant yourself like a tree , look them in the eye and say ‘ No . You move .’” arrived to ask him to join the Avengers agreeing to the registration , he turned her down . Once again , Peggy inspired Steve to follow his heart and courage instead of blindly following the leadership of those around him .
What is interesting about this quote is that it is part of a speech from the Civil War comics . Captain America made this speech to Spider-Man . By taking those words and applying it to Peggy , under the context of her struggles as a woman to succeed in a male dominated field from the 40 ’ s to 80 ’ s ( in the face of corruption and intrigue ), it gives the quote a fresh meaning .
THE WOMAN BEHIND THE SHIELD In an MCU without Peggy , Captain America follows orders , misses opportunities , and goes against his gut instincts . It might be surprising to realize a well-mannered British woman is the one who inspired recklessness in Captain America , but Peggy had a fierce conviction in what was right , a conviction that , although he shared , Steve kept buried under selfdoubt . Peggy Carter brought out the best in Captain America . To discover more about the awesomeness of MCU ’ s Peggy Carter , check out the show Marvel ’ s Agent Carter and its companion book Marvel ’ s Agent Carter Season One : Declassified written by … me !
Peggy ’ s words helped Steve have the confidence in his decision that he needed , and when Black Widow
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