Peggy Carter becomes Captain America in new Marvel comic — and fans are freaking out

As played by Hayley Atwell, Peggy Carter — a military agent who was one of the founding members of S.H.I.E.L.D., and the eventual romantic interest of Steve Rogers (aka Captain America) — has played an integral role in the ongoing Marvel Cinematic Universe, appearing in the first two Captain America films and Ant-Man, as well as headlining her own ABC TV series, Agent Carter. That, in turn, has elevated the character’s profile considerably across various other Marvel platforms, including video games and comics. But now, on the printed page, she’s set to take on her biggest role yet — as the newest Captain America.

As evidenced by the cover art for Marvel’s forthcoming Exiles No. 3 issue, Carter will soon don the stars-and-stripes costume and wield the vibranium shield of America’s iconic hero — at least, in the alternate reality storylines of Exiles. This isn’t the first time others have taken on that patriotic mantle — Bucky Barnes (aka the Winter Soldier) and Sam Wilson (aka Falcon) are two of the many Marvel figures who, at one point or another, have assumed the hallowed position. While there’s currently little to suggest that such a development might also take place in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (even if Captain America star Chris Evans chooses to depart the role after the next two Avengers films), it remains a move that many comics fans have long desired — especially since it already happened in the online game Puzzle Quest, as shown in this promotional video (via Screen Rant).

Predictably, it didn’t take long for people (including Marvel Games executive creative director Bill Rosemann) to log on to Twitter to express their enthusiasm for the female Cap — and to voice their hope that she’ll eventually make it to the big screen:

That said, a few were quick to point out that, alternate reality or not, Carter becoming Captain America isn’t completely logical, given her (MCU) nationality:

With big changes reportedly ahead for the MCU following the still-untitled Avengers 4 (out May 3, 2019), could we see such reimagined versions of beloved characters make it into the movies? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.

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